Public Finance and Economics

The Public Finance and Economics study programme is not only for people interested in working in public administration (at municipal and regional authorities, ministries, and institutions of these offices in operation), but for anyone who wants to understand the relationships between the public and private sectors, whether they later find employment in the private, public, or non-governmental non-profit sector. Students are encouraged to employ critical thinking during their studies and strengthen their capacity for analysis and reasoning. They gain knowledge of the system of public finance and the effective management of public funds, both on the part of public revenues (tax system, the administration of taxes and fees) and on the side of public expenditures in various spheres. An integral part of the field is the issue of public policies, especially understanding their redistributive impacts and evaluating their impact on the efficiency of the public and private sectors.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• explain basic theoretical and methodological knowledge from general economic theory
• know the main theoretical concepts and understand the contents of contemporary texts in one of these areas: public economics, public policies, or public finances
• apply theoretical knowledge to solve specific models of case studies
• appropriately interpret and comment on current developments in an area of public policy in the European context, including proposed solutions
• analyse statistical data from the public sector and know how to use them appropriately in discussions
• to evaluate the impacts of implemented public policies on the public and private sector entities and to propose adjustments for a more efficient allocation of public finances
• orientation in sources of academic literature, ability to compare, analyze and synthesize when working with academic text, a creation of own larger academic text

Graduates assume management positions in regional and municipal administrative bodies, government agencies, municipal companies, and European institutions. Many pursue careers in the private sector as well as non-profit management, where they work as directors, fundraisers, PR and communications experts, project managers, and economists.

Graduates will be able to work in fields such as employment and social security, health service, social services, education, culture, physical culture, and sports. They will be able to work as skilled economists in the spheres of housing and technical infrastructure, and in the field of public administration. They will be able to find work in the field of tax and duty administration.

Students of this program are mainly trained for the performance of economic and administrative professions in the public and non-governmental, non-profit sector. The development of critical thinking and the ability to evaluate public policies from an international perspective also creates prerequisites for employment in public sector research organizations or agencies influencing the public policies.

Practical training is not part of this study program.

The aim of the diploma thesis is to prove the ability to independently prepare the academic text of approximately 60-80 pages. In addition to writing the thesis, the student will also participate in the formulation of the problem solved and in the proposal of the methodology. At the end of the study, a discussion on the conclusions of the thesis is held. This discussion is part of the diploma thesis defense.

The topic of the diploma thesis is selected by the student from the list of topics in the Information System schedule. The work may be both theoretical and empirical. Depending on the nature of the work the student should be able to understand already published texts, to apply them properly to the problem solved in the diploma thesis and to use adequate methods in solving the research question. The student should demonstrate good economic argumentation, which will support the conclusions of the diploma thesis.

Formal instructions for preparing the final thesis are in the student's manual: http://www.econ.muni.cz/zaverecna-prace.

After completing the Master’s degree study programme, it is possible to continue further studies in any doctoral degree study programme (after satisfying the admission requirements).