Erasmus School of Economics

The Erasmus University Rotterdam educational and research activities are concentrated in the fields of Economics and Management, Medicine and Health, and Law, Culture and Society. The Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) is considered one of the three largest faculties within the Erasmus University Rotterdam.

The history of the ESE goes back to the year 1913 when the ‘Nederlandse Handelshoogeschool’ was established by several entrepreneurial Rotterdam businessmen with the aim to bring economics and business to a higher level by way of scientific methods. In 1939 the School changed names and became known as the ‘Nederlandse Economische Hogeschool’ (Netherlands School of Economics). The name change did not mean a change in the practice orientated way of teaching. Education and research remained its primary focus. By 1973 the Netherlands School of Economics became Erasmus University Rotterdam, comprising the medical campus Hoboken and the social campus Woudestein. Even in those days its aim was the establishment of a vigorous and flourishing University with a – nowadays – prominent Erasmus School of Economics, incorporating a wide range of economic expertise as well as keeping strong ties with the regional and international markets.

The mission statement of the ESE is as follows:
The Erasmus School of Economics is an internationally renowned institute that contributes scientific knowledge to future economic issues and aims to answer currently relevant issues of concern to government and firms. The focus of the ESE is on the creation, the dissemination and the application of scientific knowledge, all from an economic perspective. The ESE relies on the most recent insights in the discipline. It collaborates with international scientific partners, and it has local footings in business issues relevant to the unique position that the city of Rotterdam has as a hub of transport and industry. The ESE ensures working conditions that permit innovative scientific progress and puts the academic education at the centre of its activities.

Because of her exclusive choice for economic perspective, the ESE distinguishes herself from her sister faculties within other Dutch universities, where a combination of Economics and Business Management often prevails.