‘Every Course I Took This Year Was Interesting and Challenging’

Andrea Marchesini, from Cortona, Italy, is currently pursuing a double degree programme in Economics and Finance offered by LUISS University in Rome and International College of Economics and Finance of HSE University. He has recently completed his year of studies in Moscow and has shared with HSE News Service his impressions of the programme and the city.

‘I chose this double degree programme in particular because it has a very quantitative approach. I think nowadays it is crucial to have more work opportunities. For all these reasons I decided to apply,’ says Andrea. ‘I’ve always had a strong interest in economics in addition to finance, and I think this is a great chance to round out my profile with skills in both fields.’

Double degree programme involves spending the first year at LUISS and the second year at HSE University. After completing the programme, students receive two diplomas, Master’s degree in Economics and Finance issued by LUISS University and Master’s degree in Economics issued by HSE University. The curriculum includes courses in Micro and Macroeconomics, Financial Econometrics, Asset Pricing and Corporate Finance, along with applied courses in several fields of Economics and Finance. Students enrolled in the first year of the LUISS Master’s program in Economics and Finance, major in Finance, can apply to this programme. Every year five students can take part in the programme.

‘Everything is going well. It is especially efficiently organized from the Russian side. We were lucky to find people who helped us from the beginning.’

When Andrea came to Moscow, he found that the city was too big for him, with a lot of traffic and communication difficulties. After a few days, though, he got used to it and came to enjoy Moscow very much. In fact, an additional reason Andrea joined the double programme was to get to know a different culture, see new places, gain new skills and learn new things. He has enjoyed exploring Moscow with new friends, going to all kinds of places from parks to clubs—that is, when he has time, of course, because the programme is very intensive.

‘Every course I took this year was interesting and challenging at the same time,’ says Andrea, ‘but I thought the course on financial econometrics was particularly interesting, because it provides you with technical and analytical skills which are very useful. Another great course was Private Equity and Venture Capital. It was very interesting to study and analyze real cases. Also, the final presentation in front of the investment committee was a good experience.

Currently, Andrea is focused on his thesis ‘Financial Econometrics in Particular on Testing Heterogeneous Autoregressive Model and its Extension with Kalman Filter’, which he is writing under the supervision of Sofia Budanova, Assistant Professor at HSE ICEF. He will defend his thesis first at LUISS this summer and then at HSE University in autumn.

Admissions to HSE’s Master’s Programme in Financial Economics are now open. International students can apply online. To learn more about HSE University, its admission process, or life in Moscow, please visit International Admissions website, or contact the Education & Training Advisory Centre at: inter@hse.ru, or via WhatsApp at: +7 (916) 311 8521.