Business

Master of Arts in Economic Policy and Management

The Master of Arts in Economic Policy and Management is a postgraduate programme offered by the University of Nairobi through the School of Economics. The programme provides advanced training in economic policy formulation, implementation, and management, preparing graduates for leadership roles in economic policy across government, private sector, and international organisations.

The programme combines economic theory with management principles, equipping students with the analytical and managerial tools needed to design, implement, and oversee economic policies. Students develop competence in policy analysis, economic management, public finance, project evaluation, and strategic decision-making in economic contexts.

Core areas of study include microeconomic and macroeconomic theory, econometrics, public finance, monetary economics, international trade, development economics, project appraisal, and economic management. The programme emphasises the practical application of economic theory to policy management challenges.

The University of Nairobi's School of Economics is the largest economics faculty in Kenya and East Africa, with over 50 academic staff members organised across three departments: Economic Theory, Applied Economics, and Mathematics and Quantitative Economics. The school has strong links with government ministries, the Central Bank, and international organisations.

The programme is designed for economics graduates and professionals seeking advanced training for management roles in economic policy. Students complete two years of full-time study comprising coursework, examinations, and a project paper, with one intake per year in September.

Graduates are prepared for careers as economic policy managers, policy analysts, economic advisors, programme managers, and consultants in government ministries, central banking, international organisations, development agencies, and private sector organisations engaged in economic policy and management.

Skills Required

Economic Policy Formulation
Economic Management
Microeconomic Analysis
Macroeconomic Analysis
Econometrics
Public Finance Management
Project Appraisal
Policy Evaluation
Strategic Economic Decision-Making
Research Methods in Economics

Key Subjects

Microeconomic Theory
Macroeconomic Theory
Econometrics
Public Finance
Monetary Economics
International Trade
Development Economics
Project Appraisal
Economic Management
Research Methods in Economics

Certifications

African Economic Research Consortium Membership
Economics Society of Kenya Membership

Specializations

Fiscal Policy Management

Focuses on managing government taxation, spending, and debt policies, including budget formulation, tax administration, and fiscal sustainability.

Monetary Policy Management

Examines central banking operations, monetary policy implementation, financial sector regulation, and monetary policy transmission mechanisms.

Trade Policy Management

Covers management of trade policy including trade negotiations, regional integration administration, and trade facilitation programmes.

Development Policy Management

Focuses on managing development programmes, including poverty reduction strategies, development project management, and aid coordination.

Public Expenditure Management

Examines public expenditure planning, budget execution, financial accountability, and results-based management in government.

Economic Project Management

Covers project identification, appraisal, implementation, and evaluation in economic development contexts.

Financial Sector Management

Examines financial sector policy, banking regulation, financial market development, and financial stability management.

Industrial Policy Management

Focuses on industrial development policy, trade and industry strategies, and enterprise development programme management.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 304,500
Private, up to: Ksh 130,000
Job market: High

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time, Part-time
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 25 students
Award: Masters

What you study

10 subjects

Microeconomic Theory
Macroeconomic Theory
Econometrics
Public Finance
Monetary Economics
International Trade
Development Economics
Project Appraisal
Economic Management
Research Methods in Economics

Modules

10 in the programme

Microeconomic Theory and Policy
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines advanced microeconomic theory and its application to policy management, including market failures, regulatory economics, and welfare analysis.
Macroeconomic Theory and Policy
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers advanced macroeconomic theory and policy management, including growth models, stabilisation policy, and macroeconomic management in developing economies.
Econometrics for Policy Analysis
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers econometric methods for policy analysis including regression analysis, programme evaluation, and impact assessment techniques.
Public Finance Management
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines public finance management including budget formulation, tax policy, public debt management, and fiscal sustainability analysis.
Monetary Economics and Management
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers monetary theory, central banking operations, monetary policy implementation, and financial sector management.
International Trade and Policy
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines international trade theory, trade policy management, regional integration, and trade negotiation strategies.
Development Economics and Management
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers development theory, poverty reduction strategies, development project management, and aid coordination mechanisms.
Project Appraisal and Evaluation
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines project identification, cost-benefit analysis, project financing, implementation monitoring, and impact evaluation techniques.
Research Methods in Economics
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers quantitative and qualitative research methodologies for conducting original economic research and policy evaluation.
Project Paper
Year 2Semester 26 creditsCore
Original research project paper on an economic policy management topic, demonstrating mastery of economic analysis and policy management, assessed through written submission.

Specialisations

Fiscal Policy Management
Focuses on managing government taxation, spending, and debt policies, including budget formulation, tax administration, and fiscal sustainability.
Monetary Policy Management
Examines central banking operations, monetary policy implementation, financial sector regulation, and monetary policy transmission mechanisms.
Trade Policy Management
Covers management of trade policy including trade negotiations, regional integration administration, and trade facilitation programmes.
Development Policy Management
Focuses on managing development programmes, including poverty reduction strategies, development project management, and aid coordination.
Public Expenditure Management
Examines public expenditure planning, budget execution, financial accountability, and results-based management in government.
Economic Project Management
Covers project identification, appraisal, implementation, and evaluation in economic development contexts.
Financial Sector Management
Examines financial sector policy, banking regulation, financial market development, and financial stability management.
Industrial Policy Management
Focuses on industrial development policy, trade and industry strategies, and enterprise development programme management.

A day as a student

A typical day involves attending lectures on economic theory, policy management, or econometrics at the University of Nairobi's School of Economics. Students engage in problem-solving sessions, policy case study discussions, and statistical analysis exercises using economic data. The programme includes computer lab sessions for econometric modelling and project appraisal. Students participate in policy management workshops, examining real-world economic management challenges. Those in the project phase conduct independent research on economic policy management topics, analysing data and working on their project paper under faculty supervision.

The trade offs

In its favour

Programme combines economic theory with management skills, preparing graduates for leadership roles rather than purely analytical positions.
Offered at UoN's School of Economics, the largest and most established economics faculty in Kenya and East Africa.
Affordable fees at KES 609,000 total for a public university programme, with HELB loans and AERC scholarships available.
High demand for economic policy management skills across government, central banking, international organisations, and development agencies.

Against it

Only one intake per year in September at UoN, limiting admission flexibility.
Requires at least Upper Second Class Honours degree in Economics, excluding graduates from other disciplines.
The programme is rigorous and quantitative, which may be challenging for students without strong mathematics backgrounds.
Large class sizes at UoN may limit individual attention from faculty compared to smaller programmes.

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 331 business courses

Public305k to 305k

305k at University of Nairobi305k at University of Nairobi

Private130k to 130k

130k at Mount Kenya University130k at Mount Kenya University

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

UoN 609K/2yr=304.5K/yr(official). MKU 65K/sem*2=130K/yr(eduplace). Strathmore unverified.

Funding options include HELB postgraduate loans for Kenyan students, University of Nairobi bursaries for demonstrated financial need, and AERC Collaborative Masters scholarships for outstanding economics students from East Africa.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
University of Nairobi Bursary
AERC Collaborative Masters Scholarship

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate studies at recognised universities.
AERC Collaborative Masters Scholarship
ScholarshipKsh 300,000
Outstanding economics students from East Africa, administered through the African Economic Research Consortium.
University of Nairobi Bursary
ScholarshipKsh 50,000Kenyan
UoN students demonstrating academic merit and financial need.

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: Persons with lower qualifications but with publications and postgraduate diplomas after a Bachelor degree are also considered for admission. The programme consists of 2 years of full-time study by coursework, examination, and a project paper. One intake per year in September.

How you are assessed

4 components

Continuous Assessment
Coursework40% of the mark
CATs, problem sets, econometric assignments, policy brief assignments, and seminar presentations conducted throughout each semester.
Final Examination
Examination60% of the mark
End-of-semester examination covering economic theory, quantitative methods, and policy management, including essay questions and problem-solving.
Policy Management Project
Practical20% of the mark
Practical assessment involving analysis of a real economic policy management challenge, demonstrating ability to apply theory to practice.
Project Paper
Research100% of the mark
Original research project paper on an economic policy management topic, demonstrating mastery of economic analysis and policy management, assessed through written submission.

Accreditation

Accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE), ensuring recognition across Kenya and the wider East African region. The programme is offered by the University of Nairobi's School of Economics, the largest economics faculty in Kenya and East Africa.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Statutory accreditation for all Kenyan universities and their degree programmes.
Economics Society of Kenya
Professional membership
Kenyan professional association for economists. Membership recommended for professional networking and career development.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

Economic Policy Manager
High demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 350,000
Manages economic policy programmes in government ministries, development agencies, or international organisations, overseeing policy implementation and evaluation.
Economic Advisor
Moderate demandKsh 110,000 to Ksh 400,000
Advises senior government officials, organisations, or international bodies on economic policy formulation, implementation, and management.
Policy Analyst
High demandKsh 90,000 to Ksh 300,000
Analyses economic policy issues and provides research and recommendations to government, think tanks, or international organisations.
Programme Manager
Moderate demandKsh 95,000 to Ksh 320,000
Manages economic development programmes for government agencies, NGOs, or international organisations, overseeing design, implementation, and evaluation.
Budget Analyst
Moderate demandKsh 80,000 to Ksh 250,000
Analyses government budgets and expenditure patterns, providing recommendations on fiscal management and resource allocation.
Development Consultant
Moderate demandKsh 90,000 to Ksh 350,000
Consults on development policy and programme management for international organisations, NGOs, or government agencies.

Graduate outcomes

Graduates pursue careers as economic policy managers, policy analysts, economic advisors, and programme managers in government, central banking, international organisations, and development agencies.

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

STATA
SoftwarePrimary
Statistical software widely used in economics for data analysis, econometric modelling, and policy evaluation.
EViews
SoftwarePrimary
Econometric software for time series analysis, forecasting, and macroeconomic modelling used in economic policy research.
R
Software
Open-source statistical programming language for data analysis, econometrics, and data visualisation in economic research.
Microsoft Excel
Software
Spreadsheet software used for economic data management, budget analysis, and financial modelling in policy management.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Economic policy and management is just a longer version of an economics degree.
The programme specifically combines economic theory with management skills, preparing graduates for leadership roles in policy implementation rather than purely analytical positions.
This programme only leads to government jobs.
Graduates work in central banks, international organisations, development agencies, private sector companies, and consulting firms, applying policy management skills across sectors.
You need a first class degree to be admitted.
The minimum requirement is an Upper Second Class Honours degree in Economics, with equivalent qualifications from recognised institutions also accepted.
The management component makes this less rigorous than a pure economics programme.
The programme maintains the same rigorous economic theory and quantitative methods as the MA in Economics, adding management dimensions rather than replacing analytical content.
Economic policy management is only relevant to national government.
Policy management skills are applicable at county, national, and international levels, with graduates working across multiple tiers of government and in international organisations.
The programme has limited practical application.
The programme includes project appraisal, policy evaluation, and case studies of real policy management challenges, ensuring strong practical relevance.