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The University of Southampton
EconomicsPart of Economic, Social and Political ScienceOur alumni

Jens Larsen MSc and PhD in Economics, 1999

MD Chief European Economist at Royal Bank of Canada Capital Markets

Jens Larsen's Photo

Hi, I'm Jens Larsen and I studied MSc and PhD in Economics within Social Sciences: Economics at the University of Southampton.

The most important thing is that the staff are incredibly supportive.

Southampton has played a big role in my life. In my MSc, I learned a lot of useful techniques and had the opportunity to read very widely. I particularly enjoyed the courses in labour economics and international economics; both are areas in which Southampton is very strong. During my PhD years, I continued with some courses – the econometrics teaching is excellent – and what I learned has proved really helpful.

But the most important thing is that the staff are incredibly supportive. The courses were taught in small groups and there was always time for individual attention, particularly when writing my MSc thesis.

Writing a PhD thesis is always going to be a struggle, but I had a lot of support from my supervisors and from other members of Social Sciences, who were very willing to give me time to discuss my work – and economics more generally. That really made a big difference.

So the Southampton experience has mattered a lot to me. It has to others too. I am in regular contact with people from my MSc. Most of them have done really well and are doing jobs where their degree is put to use. I have several past and present colleagues here who have degrees from Southampton – and I am sure I will have more in the future!

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