Master of Public Administration (MPA)

Programme code: TMMPA

Policy stream codes:       TMEUPEP (European Public and Economic Policy)
                                       
    TMINDE (International Development)
                                            TMPEP (Public and Economic Policy)
                                            TMPPM (Public Policy and Management)
                                            TMPSP (Public and Social Policy)

Department: Institute of Public Affairs

These regulations apply to students entering in or after the 2014-15 academic year.

For all first and second year students in 2016-17 except for second year Public Policy and Management students.

The programme is taught over two academic years (21 months). Some courses have a unit value of 1.0 and some have a unit value of 0.5 (H). To be awarded the degree, students must complete courses to the value of 8 units in total over two years.

There are three types of courses:

1. Compulsory courses, studied by all students;
2. Policy Stream courses, which students will take depending on which Policy Stream (specialism) they choose at the start of Year 2;
3. Optional courses.

Note that some courses on one Policy Stream may be optional courses on other Policy Streams.

No interim award is available: students completing courses with a unit value of less than 8.0 receive no award, regardless of performance in the courses that have been successfully completed.

Students can apply to spend their second year at one of the LSE MPA Partner Institutions. If offered a place and upon successful completion of year one, the student will transfer onto the Dual MPA Programme.

Guidelines for interpreting programme regulations

Before Year 1

All students attend the MPA pre-sessional course EC408 (unless exempted). Students who wish to choose an Economics course as an option are required to attend EC400 Introductory Course in Mathematics and Statistics.

 

Year 1

 

Paper

Course number and title

 

All students must complete the following three Compulsory courses:

1

EC440

Micro and Macro Economics (for Public Policy)

2

EC455

Quantitative Approaches and Policy Analysis

3

GV478

Political Science and Public Policy

4

Plus courses to the value of one unit from the list of Policy Stream courses or from the list of Optional courses. Note: EC454 is not available to students in their first year.

 

At the start of Year 2, all students must select one of the five Policy Streams: (i) Public and Economic Policy; or (ii) Public Policy and Management; or (iii) International Development; or (iv) European Public and Economic Policy; or (v) Public and Social Policy.

 

Year 2

 

Paper

Course number and title

 

All students must complete the following Compulsory course:

5

EC4B3/

GV4B3/DV4B3/EU4B3/SA4K3/MG4K3  MPA Capstone Project

6-8

Students must take the course(s) required by their chosen Policy Stream detailed below, plus sufficient Optional courses to ensure that they have taken courses to a total unit value of 8 over Year 1 and Year 2.

 

Policy Stream courses:

 

Public and Economic Policy - Students must complete two of the following three half unit courses:

EC410

Public Economics for Public Policy (H) (designed for Year 2 students; only available in Year 1 with permission from the Programme Director)

EC418

Globalisation and Economic Policy (H) (designed for Year 2 students; only available in Year 1 with permission from the Programme Director)

EC419

Methods of Economic Policy Analysis (not available in Year 1)

Public Policy and Management - Students must complete courses to the value of one unit from any of the following:

MG419

Public Management - Strategy, Innovation and Delivery

MG4E4

Enabling Governments to Make Hard Choices by Assessing Costs and Benefits (H)

MG4E5

Running Governments by Hierarchy and Regulated Markets (H)

MG4G3

Designing and Managing Change in the Public Sector (H)

GV4J5

Fiscal Governance and Budgeting (H) (n/a 16/17)

International Development - Students must complete, or have completed in Year 1:

DV448

Political Economy of Development I (H)   AND

DV449

Political Economy of Development II (H)   AND

EC454

Development Economics (not available in Year 1)

European Public and Economic Policy - Students must complete, or have completed in Year 1:

EU452

Political Economy of Europe

Public and Social Policy - Students must complete, or have completed in Year 1:

SA4X6

Welfare Analysis and Measurement

 

 

Optional courses:

 

EC4V8/GV4V8/DV4V8/EU4V8/SA4V8/MG4V8 MPA Policy Paper (H) OR

 

EC4B4/GV4B4/DV4B4/EU4B4/SA4K4/MG4K4 MPA Dissertation

 

Courses from the MPA Options List

 

 

Notes

Students may not take both the MPA Dissertation and the MPA Policy Paper.

 

Total unit value 8 = Compulsory courses (4) + Policy Stream courses (1 or 2 units depending on the stream) + Optional courses (3 or 2 units depending on which Policy Stream is chosen).

See the Scheme for the award of MPA degrees students entering in or after 2011/12 for MPA programme criteria for progression.