Concept and Vision

Research and teaching in the areas of monetary economics, macroeconomics, and finance in Frankfurt are being revolutionized by the establishment of the House of Finance at Goethe University, Frankfurt. Its establishment is intended to encourage interactions between academic departments, research institutes, and practitioners, as well as the development of innovative teaching programs that combine the strengths of its various constituents. Since August 2008, the Departments of Money and Macroeconomics, and Finance have joined forces with major research centers and institutes, such as the Center for Financial Studies (CFS), the Institute for Monetary and Financial Stability (IMFS) and the newly found research center for Sustainable Architecture for Finance in Europe (SAFE) to establish the House of Finance at Goethe University. Furthermore, the House of Finance also maintains strong ties to the Goethe Business School and the university’s law faculty to strengthen collaborative interaction between law and finance.

The Master’s Program in Money, Macro and Finance (MMF) is an innovative joint venture of the Department of Money and Macroeconomics and the Department of Finance, located in the House of Finance, and is taught entirely in English, the language of the profession. The Faculty of Economics and Business, within which the Department of Money and Macroeconomics and the Department of Finance operate, is accredited by AACSB in the United States. The inaugural 2008 MMF class had 29 students, 22 of whom are international students from 19 different countries. By 2013, the number of new students that join every year jumped to 45, with more than 30 of these being international students. At present, 40 students are accepted into the MMF program each year.

The House of Finance is located on Goethe University’s Westend Campus, a vibrant academic hub in the heart of Frankfurt. Nestled next to Grüneburgpark, the campus combines modern architecture with a welcoming atmosphere, offering an exceptional environment for study and collaboration. MMF students benefit from well-equipped lecture halls in the House of Finance and the adjacent Lecture Hall Center. The campus’s central location provides convenient proximity to the European Central Bank, the German Bundesbank, and numerous institutions within Frankfurt’s dynamic financial industry.

The MMF program is designed for high-caliber graduates from Economics, Business, and related fields who seek to build careers in institutions involved in monetary policy, macroeconomic analysis, banking, and financial services. The program leverages Goethe University’s academic expertise and its strong connections with a wide range of organizations in Frankfurt, including central banks, international institutions, and financial market participants. The goal is to equip graduates with the skills and knowledge needed to compete successfully for highly rewarding positions in these dynamic fields.

The MMF program is uniquely designed with such new challenges in mind:

• It combines the fields of monetary economics, macroeconomics, and finance, providing graduates with a much broader toolkit than that offered by single-field Master’s Programs in either economics or finance.
• It is also broader than typical combined Master’s Programs in economics and finance by placing greater emphasis on macroeconomic and monetary policy issues.
• The MMF program is specifically designed to combine academic rigor with a focus on topical issues facing policymakers and financial practitioners. It is therefore best suited for students planning professional careers in central banks, as well as in the banking, financial, and policy sectors.
  The structure of the program combines regular core and elective courses with seminars and topical courses. Seminars provide hands-on experience, while topical courses are taught by high-level Frankfurt practitioners who share their experiences and insights with students.