Testimonials
I think it is important that there are people with such a degree for the main reason that the programme prepares you in being a well-informed, yet critical economist with great analytical skills.
- Previous education
- Economics and Business Economics - Radboud University
- Programme
- Corporate Finance and Control
- Study start date
- Study end date
Fabian Vink is a Master's student Corporate Finance and Control.
What do you like about the programme/specialisation and why? How has the programme/specialisation challenged you (in relation to your previous education)?
The aspects I like about my specialisation mainly arises from the small class size, which gives the opportunity to ask and discuss questions directly. Also, the combination of addressing current economic issues and developing analytical skills attracts me.
In relation to my Bachelor's in Business Economics, this Master's specifically challenges me in my analytical skills. Overall, in the Bachelor's, the focus lies on a more theoretical base whereas in the Master’s discussing, presenting and analysing academic papers is the final learning objective.
What do you think about the atmosphere in class (for example the relationship between students and with the teachers/researchers)?
I would describe the atmosphere in class as open and interactive. Due to the small class size, the opportunity of asking questions directly to the teachers arises and I’ve experienced they are really eager to help. Moreover, you get to work together with fellow students in tutorial sessions more often and intensively, which then improves the atmosphere in class even more.
What do you find most challenging in your Master’s (specialisation)? Have you encountered any obstacles?
For me, the most challenging part in this Master's programme relates to both the econometrical skills required for some courses as well as the combination of the different course study loads during certain periods. Therefore, time management is even more crucial than it already was in the Bachelor’s programme.
Are you currently doing an internship? Or what is your thesis about?
During my Bachelor's I already gained some possible career experiences. Therefore, I decided to fully focus on my Master's and currently I am writing the Master's thesis. The main topic of my thesis is about the effect of technological and human capital on unemployment resistance across different EU-regions, in which a specification curve analysis is used in order to differentiate the degrees of freedom to analyse possible different results with earlier studies that examined these effects.
Why do you think is it important that there are people out there with this degree? What are your plans once have received your Master's degree?
I think it is important that there are people with such a degree for the main reason that the programme prepares you in being a well-informed, yet critical economist with great analytical skills. Regarding future career purposes these skills are crucial in all fields, whether this is in economics or not.
What is important to know, is that the Master’s programme does not prepare you for a specific job, but rather prepares you with, e.g., the analytical skills as mentioned above. Once obtained my Master’s degree, I am eager to develop myself further into the financial field with possibilities to work in any role in for instance mergers and acquisitions, accounting, finance and consultancy.
After I finished high-school, I read a popular-science book about the psychology of economics.
- Nationality
- German
- Programme
- Corporate Finance and Control
Dr. Sven Nolte is an Associate Professor Corporate Finance and Control.
Can you introduce yourself?
I am Sven Nolte and my passion lies in Financial Economics, in particular Behavioural Financial Economics. I received my PhD in Finance from the University of Münster in Germany, and joined Radboud University after a 2-year postdoc at CalTech in Pasadena, California in the US. I have been almost all topics relevant for Finance, ranging from large Finance 101 Bachelor's level courses to advanced courses in corporate finance on the Master's level. I particularly enjoy teaching methods courses, where I believe students get the most "bang for their buck" since the skills they can learn there are applicable to any topic, even beyond economics and academia. Students who pursue a Master's degree in Economics will surely encounter me as the coordinator of Methods of Empirical Analysis. Those with a specialisation in Corporate Finance and Control will also see me as coordinator of Advanced Corporate Finance and Control. And everyone interested in writing a Master's thesis in Financial Economics or Corporate Finance might have me as their thesis supervisor.
Why did you choose to study/work in this field? What makes this field so interesting?
After I finished high-school, I read a popular-science book about the psychology of economics. It covered a lot of very intuitive findings and concepts, and I was immediately hooked. I have always been interested in whether human behavior is in any way predictable, so I was fascinated that it might be possible (at least in general terms) even in decisions with clear goals such as financial decisions. These decisions are on the one hand fairly easy with respect to the outcomes and preferences (higher return and less risk = better), and on the other hand very impactful on an individual and societal level.
What are you currently doing your own research on?
My main line of research explores how people make financial decisions and seeks ways to reduce potential biases or errors in these decisions. I study visual properties of financial decision making (e.g., does it matter whether returns are presented in a charts vs. a table, what points on a price chart are most relevant for decision) to help policymakers optimise the design of communication material for individual investors. I also study retirement savings, since those are decision that are impactful but also do not allow much room for error (after all, you can't just restart saving for retirement once you reached it).
What advice do you have for students making their study choice?
My main (and only) advice is: study something that you find genuinely interesting. If you get bored reading about a topic, then it is probably not for you. Now, that doesn't mean that you have to be able to understand or enjoy reading the most complex (theoretical) papers of a field. Even I struggle with those usually. But if you for example read a popular science book or watch a YouTube video about a topic and you feel that curiosity that you "want to know and learn more about this", then that's a very good sign.
What is the best part of working with students?
The best part of working with students for me is twofold. First, I really enjoy the moment when students go from hearing or reading to understanding concepts. This can happen during a traditional classroom lecture when faces suddenly brighten, but also during discussions or quizzes. Second, I love engaging with students about their own ideas and creativity, especially when supervising theses but also during classroom discussions.