← → Arrow keys
AMION AMION CONSULTING
Postgraduate Programme Review
MSc
Programme
Options
Kelan O'Kane
Graduate Consultant · AMION Consulting
12 March 2026
UCL  ·  University of Sussex  ·  University of Liverpool
UCL Sussex Liverpool
AMION
AMION Capability Investment · 2026/27
MSc
Programme
Options
A structured, module-level assessment of three postgraduate programmes in economics and data science — assessed for return on AMION's investment in analytical and evaluation capability.
UCL  ·  University of Sussex  ·  University of Liverpool
UCL
University College London
MSc Economics
£29,000
2 yrs part-time
Sussex
University of Sussex
MSc Economics & Data Science
£15,000
2 yrs part-time
Liverpool
University of Liverpool
MSc Data Science for Economics
£15,000
2 yrs part-time
All fees quoted for UK students, 2026/27 entry · All programmes available part-time ·
Overview Three Programmes — At a Glance
UCL
UCL
£29,000
UK fee · 2 years part-time · £14,500/yr
MSc Economics
🏆#1 Economics Dept in the UK — REF 2021 world-leading research outputs
📚5 compulsory core modules + 18+ optional modules to specialise
🔬Independent dissertation supervised by world-leading economists
🎓Graduate destinations: HM Treasury, IFS, Frontier, Bank of England
Best for AMION: Long-term ceiling — raises AMION's analytical standing with commissioners, specialist firms and government clients
Sussex
Sussex
£15,000
UK fee · 2 years part-time · £7,500/yr
MSc Economics & Data Science
💻45-credit data module — the largest single taught module of any programme
📐Causal inference is compulsory — RDD, synthetic control, PSM as core
🐍Python, R, web scraping — applied programming as core academic subject
📝15,000-word dissertation — independent academic research output
Best for AMION: Immediate applied return — evaluation methodology and data skills deployable directly within AMION's current project mix
Liverpool
Liverpool
£15,000
UK fee · 2 years part-time · £7,500/yr
MSc Data Science for Economics
🏅Triple accredited — AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS (global gold standard)
🤖AI, ML & Big Data compulsory — LASSO, Random Forests, Deep Learning in Python
🏙️Liverpool campus — local to AMION's base
📊Bloomberg trading floor access · Consulting project capstone
Best for AMION: Local access and data skills — Liverpool campus proximity, strong technical capability, minimal travel overhead
Programme — 1 of 3 UCL — MSc Economics
UCL
University College London
MSc Economics
£29k
Total UK fee
2 yr
Part-time
#1
UK Econ Dept (REF)
18+
Optional modules
Part-time structure: Year 1 — Micro + Econometrics + 2 optionals. Year 2 — Macro + Research Methods + 2 optionals + Dissertation.
Return on AMION's investment
The #1-ranked economics department in the UK. At £14,500/year part-time, this is the qualification that raises AMION's analytical credibility with clients — and builds the firm's senior evaluation capability for the long term.
MicroeconomicsECON0065
Core
Click for detail →
MacroeconomicsCore
Core
Click for detail →
EconometricsECON0064
Core
Click for detail →
Research MethodsECON0080
Core
Click for detail →
DissertationECON0079
Capstone — Supervised research under UK's #1 Economics Dept
Click for detail →
Programme Evaluation for UsersECON0070
★ Highly Relevant
IV · RDD · DiD → Click for detail
Advanced MicroeconometricsECON0060
★ Highly Relevant
Click for detail →
Time Series EconometricsECON0058
★ Relevant
VAR · Forecasting → Click
Machine Learning in EconomicsECON0126
Optional
Click for detail →
Topics in Labour EconomicsECON0062
Optional
Click for detail →
Economics of DevelopmentECON0105
Optional
Click for detail →
Macroeconomic PolicyECON0073
Optional
Click for detail →
International TradeECON0120
Optional
Click for detail →
Adv. Macro Theory + 7 more+
18+ total optionals
Click for more →
Programme — 2 of 3 Sussex — MSc Economics & Data Science
Sussex
University of Sussex
MSc Economics & Data Science
£15k
Total UK fee
2 yr
Part-time
45cr
Data module
15k
Word dissertation
Part-time structure: Year 1 — Micro + Analytical Methods + Macro + 45cr Data module. Year 2 — Econ Methods 1 & 2 + Programming + ML + Dissertation.
Return on AMION's investment
Causal inference is compulsory core — not an elective. The 45cr data module plus Programming module make Python/R a formal academic outcome. Builds AMION's evaluation rigour and data handling capacity directly and immediately.
Microeconomic Analysis15cr
806L1 · Compulsory
Click for detail →
Analytical Methods in Economics15cr
889L1 · Maths & Stata
Click for detail →
Macroeconomic Analysis15cr
807L1 · Compulsory
Click for detail →
Data Processing, Coding & Visualisation45cr
★ 852L1 · Largest module
Python/R/Vis → Click
Econometric Methods 115cr
824L1 · Applied methods
Click for detail →
Programming15cr
★ 860L1 · Python / R / Scraping
Click for detail →
Econometric Methods 215cr
★ 825L1 · Causal Inference
RDD · PSM · Synth → Click
Machine Learning15cr
984G5 · Compulsory
Click for detail →
Dissertation in Economics60cr
888L1 · 15,000 words · Summer · 600 study hours
Click for detail →
Programme — 3 of 3 University of Liverpool — MSc Data Science for Economics
Liverpool
University of Liverpool Management School
MSc Data Science for Economics
£15k
Total UK fee
2 yr
Part-time
3×
Accreditation
LOCAL
Liverpool campus
Part-time structure: Year 1 — Econometrics + Micro + Macro + AI/ML. Year 2 — 2 optional modules + Consulting Project.
Return on AMION's investment
Industry-facing, technically strong, locally accessible. Triple accreditation is globally recognised. The Consulting Project replaces a dissertation — practical for applied delivery, though it does not build the academic research credential that evaluation-heavy consultancy work increasingly demands.
Applied Econometrics20cr
ECON733 · R
Click for detail →
Microeconomics20cr
ECON731
Click for detail →
Macroeconomics20cr
ECON732 · FRED
Click for detail →
AI, Machine Learning & Big Data20cr
★ ECON834 · Python + SQL
LASSO · RF · Deep Learning → Click
Policy Evaluation & Causal Inference20cr
★ ECON833 · Optional
Most relevant optional → Click
Time Series & Forecasting20cr
ECON835 · Optional · R
Click for detail →
Data Management & Visualisation20cr
ECON836 · Optional · SQL
Click for detail →
Choose 2 from the 3 optional modules above. For consultancy work, Policy Evaluation & Causal Inference should be a priority selection.
Consulting Project60cr
ECON911 · Real-world economic challenge · Replaces dissertation
Click for detail →
Key distinction: The Consulting Project replaces a traditional academic dissertation entirely. Students tackle a real-world economic or financial challenge and produce professional recommendations under supervisor guidance. This is a deliberate design choice — Liverpool trains applied analysts, not researchers. For industry roles this is a genuine strength; for building an academic research credential it is a significant limitation.
Comparison What Each Programme Delivers — Through an AMION Lens

UCL — MSc Economics

#1 Economics Dept UK · £29,000 · 2yr PT

✅Programme Evaluation (ECON0070) — IV, RDD, DiD. The deepest coverage of counterfactual evaluation methods available at postgraduate level in the UK.
✅Dissertation under #1 dept — independent research output that carries weight with commissioners, senior clients, and specialist firms.
✅Graduate network — HM Treasury, IFS, Bank of England, Frontier, Oxford Economics. The institutions that set the analytical standards consultancies work to.
→Coding is elective — must actively select the technical pathway (which I would plan to do).

Best long-term ceiling for AMION. Raises the firm's analytical standing with commissioners and specialist clients. UCL graduate network is the community that sets the standards AMION works to.

Sussex — MSc Econ & Data Science

Applied hybrid programme · £15,000 · 2yr PT

✅Econ Methods 2 is compulsory — RDD, synthetic control, PSM as a core academic subject. Directly maps to UKSPF, Levelling Up and ERDF evaluation frameworks.
✅45cr data module + Programming — Python, R, web scraping, ONS/BRES data handling. The strongest compulsory technical provision of the three.
✅15,000-word dissertation — independent research credential that demonstrates analytical credibility to clients.
→Economics theory less intensive than UCL — macro assessed by coursework rather than exam.

Best near-term return for AMION. Evaluation methods and data skills deployable immediately in AMION's project pipeline.

Liverpool — MSc Data Science for Econ

Triple accredited · £15,000 · 2yr PT · Local

✅AI, ML & Big Data compulsory — LASSO, Random Forests, Deep Learning in Python + SQL. Strongest applied data science content.
✅Policy Evaluation optional — if selected, provides causal inference methods directly applicable to evaluation consultancy.
✅Liverpool campus — accessible to AMION. Potential for collaboration, employer links and alumni proximity.
→Lighter economic policy grounding. No dissertation — consulting project replaces academic research output entirely.

Strongest local case for AMION. Liverpool campus proximity can be useful for local clients. Industry data science orientation — evaluation depth more limited than UCL or Sussex.

Next Steps Questions for Discussion
1
Where does AMION's econometric capability gap sit most acutely — and which programme closes it?
Deep theory and research credibility (UCL), applied evaluation methodology as compulsory core (Sussex), or computational data science skills (Sussex, Liverpool)?
2
What does stronger postgraduate-level training mean for the quality of AMION's analytical reporting to clients and commissioners?
Evaluation rigour, counterfactual credibility, data presentation, or the ability to lead on econometric outputs independently — which matters most in AMION's current pipeline?
3
AMION is Liverpool-based — does the University of Liverpool's local campus give it a material advantage?
Campus proximity, reduced travel overhead for part-time study, employer network, and potential alumni relationships all have practical value for the firm.
4
Across AMION's pipeline — evaluations, appraisals, business cases — which module mix delivers the strongest return on the firm's investment?
UCL and Sussex both make a strong case. Which direction is most aligned with where AMION is heading as a practice?