About the Department
Economics was first taught in Trinity College in 1832 when Mountifort Longfield was appointed to the newly established Chair of Political Economy, a chair endowed by the then Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, Dr. Richard Whately. The economics department has a strong research record, with a particular emphasis on applied economics. Its main research strengths include international macroeconomics and various areas in applied microeconomics (including international development, energy economics, cultural economics, industrial economics). It is a primary contributor to the IIIS (Institute for International Integration Studies), which is one of the flagship Trinity Research Institutes.
The Department takes great pride in its undergraduate teaching, provided through the BESS (Business, Economics and Social Studies) programme, the PPES (Politics, Philosophy, Economics and Sociology) programme and the TSM (Two-Subject Moderatorship) programme. The Department has exchange programmes with a range of international universities.
Equally important to the Department are its successful postgraduate programmes. There are two teaching programmes at postgraduate level – the MSc in Economics, designed to provide the skills required to undertake advanced research in Economics, and the MSc in Economics Policy Studies which is a two-year part-time course aimed primarily at mid-career officials in the public service.
The Department has an active postgraduate research programme. It produces the largest number of doctoral degrees of any Economics department in Ireland and its doctoral graduates have positions in high-profile academic institutions (Kiel, Lausanne, Ecole Polytechnique, University College Dublin, City University London, Hamburg), policy organisations (European Central Bank, European Commission, International Monetary Fund, Central Bank of Ireland, Irish Department of Finance) and the private sector. The Department provides generous financial support for research students through a programme of teaching assistantships as well as providing a number of research awards.