Index of Courses
Department of Sociology course availability for 2024/25 and course selection details
Please use the relevant sections below to find further information about the courses we offer, the course selection process and guidance on timetable clashes and class change requests. Please note the following points before choosing your courses and reviewing course selection related information:
- Courses offered by the Department of Sociology are prefixed by 'SO', e.g. SO100 Key Concepts: Introduction to Social Theory.
- Full unit courses run across both Autumn and Winter term, and may have teaching or revision sessions in Spring term. Half unit courses run for one term only (either Autumn term or Winter term).
- Some of these units will be mandatory for your programme, whereas others are optional, and you will have a selection of optional courses to choose from.
- It is important to note that all courses are subject to availability and you are not guaranteed a space unless it is a compulsory/core course for your programme.
- Most optional courses will be capped, meaning there will be limited space, and so it is possible you will not receive a place on your first preference of courses.
- For more information on how to select your courses, click here. Extensive student guides are available to guide you through the process.
- We will publish the full list of available courses closer to the start of the new academic year. This list will confirm which courses are running and in which term, helping you to plan ahead. You will also receive more detailed guidance and support from us before the new academic year begins.
All undergraduate students should follow the programme regulations set at the year they entered LSE. For example, if you enter your programme at LSE in September 2024, you will follow the 2024 BSc Sociology programme regulations for the duration of your programme at LSE. Your programme regulations will set out which courses are compulsory and which are optional, and when you are allowed to take certain courses. Students are expected to adhere to their programme regulations.
The above link will list all courses hosted by the Department, but you will need to click on the individual course guide where it will list whether it is running this academic year, information on the teaching and assessments and the course convenor. Information will also be shared by the department via email to your LSE email address.
Course selection process
You are required to take a certain number of courses each year as prescribed by your programme regulations. For undergraduate and taught postgraduate students, this is the equivalent of four full units per year. Please refer to the course selection student guides for more information.
- As part of the course selction process, you must first find the courses you would like to take. For more information please click here.
- The course selection process takes place on LfY - this is where you will select your courses during the course selection period. For more information regarding this step, please click here.
- Extensive course guides have been formulated to help guide you through the course selection process. Please read these thoroughly.
- For the 2024/25 Undergraduate course selection guide, please click here.
- For the 2024/25 Postgraduate course selection guide, please click here.
- Please scroll to the bottom of this page for a list of all links that are relevant for the course selection process.
Timetable clashes and class change requests
- A timetable clash occurs when two or more of the courses you have selected have teaching (e.g. lectures, seminars, classes, or workshops/help sessions) scheduled at the same time. Whilst LSE makes every effort to avoid clashes, due to the number of optional courses available on some programmes, it is not always possible.
- If you have enrolled for this academic year and made all of your course selections in LSE for You, but either cannot view your personal timetable or can see only a partial timetable, it’s likely to have a timetable clash.
- There is a ‘Student Timetable Clashes’ screen in LfY which may help to identify your clash. This screen provides details of simple clashes, these are the straightforward lecture to lecture clashes. Some clashes are more complex and do not appear on the list in LSE for You. Complex clashes may involve more than two courses and often arise when a clash free seminar/class group can’t be found even though there are multiple groups.
- You are also advised to consult the School-level timetables (found on the Timetables webpage) and check all of your course timings so you understand the full nature of the clash(es).
- As attendance at classes/seminars is compulsory, a clash between two classes/ seminars will not be approved. There can only ever be one class/seminar involved in an approved clash. In cases where a class/seminar is involved in an approved clash, you will be expected to attend the class/seminar and catch up on the lecture (or other teaching) in your own time. You must not attend the lecture (or other teaching) instead of the class/seminar.
- Course changes: You must complete your course selection in advance of the system closing. However, in exceptional circumstances, it may be possible for you to make changes after the deadline. If you are concerned that you may need to make changes after the deadline, you should contact your home department in the first instance. To make a late course change you are required to:
1) Complete the late course change form, which can be found under the ‘Late Course Change’ section of the Selecting Courses webpage.
2) Collect the relevant approval signatures on the back of the form.
3) Return the completed form to the Student Services Centre by attaching it to an online enquiry form.
Each Master's programme will have its own set of programme regulations, which will set out exactly which courses you may select, including which courses are compulsory and which are optional. Students are expected to adhere to their programme regulations. All MSc students in the Department of Sociology will complete a 10,000 word dissertation as one of their compulsory courses.
From 12 August 2024:
MSc students
You can find the list of MSc courses for 2025/26 here.
The above link will list all courses hosted by the Department, but you will need to click on the individual course guide where it will list whether it is running this academic year, information on the teaching and assessments and the course convenor. Information will also be shared by the department via email.
Course selection process
For full time taught postgraduate students, you will take the equivalent of four full units per year.
- Please read the Postgraduate course selection guide as it covers everything you need to know in alot of detail. You can access it here.
- The course selection process takes place on LfY - this is where you will select your courses during the course selection period. For more information and deadlines regarding this step, please click here.
- Your programme regulations will set out which courses you are allowed to take, including core and optional courses, and you must adhere to your programme regulations. For more information. please click here.
- All Sociology MSc courses are controlled access, meaning that there are specific rules regarding who can take the course and that the department decides on who gets a space. Please view the controlled access information below.
- Please scroll to the bottom of this page for a list of all links that are relevant for the course selection process.
Timetable clashes and seminar selection
- A timetable clash occurs when two or more of the courses you have selected have teaching (e.g. lectures, seminars, classes, or workshops/help sessions) scheduled at the same time. Whilst LSE makes every effort to avoid clashes, due to the number of optional courses available on some programmes, it is not always possible.
- If you have enrolled for this academic year and made all of your course selections in LSE for You, but either cannot view your personal timetable or can see only a partial timetable, it’s likely to have a timetable clash.
- There is a ‘Student Timetable Clashes’ screen in LfY which may help to identify your clash. This screen provides details of simple clashes, these are the straightforward lecture to lecture clashes. Some clashes are more complex and do not appear on the list in LSE for You. Complex clashes may involve more than two courses and often arise when a clash free seminar/class group can’t be found even though there are multiple groups.
- You are also advised to consult the School-level timetables (found on the Timetables webpage) and check all of your course timings so you understand the full nature of the clash(es).
- As attendance at classes/seminars is compulsory, a clash between two classes/ seminars will not be approved. There can only ever be one class/seminar involved in an approved clash. In cases where a class/seminar is involved in an approved clash, you will be expected to attend the class/seminar and catch up on the lecture (or other teaching) in your own time. You must not attend the lecture (or other teaching) instead of the class/seminar.
- Course changes: You must complete your course selection in advance of the system closing. However, in exceptional circumstances, it may be possible for you to make changes after the deadline. If you are concerned that you may need to make changes after the deadline, you should contact your home department in the first instance. To make a late course change you are required to:
1) Complete the late course change form, which can be found under the ‘Late Course Change’ section of the Selecting Courses webpage.
2) Collect the relevant approval signatures on the back of the form.
3) Return the completed form to the Student Services Centre by attaching it to an online enquiry form.
Information regarding Controlled Access Courses
- Our courses are "controlled access". This means that unless the course is a core course (compulsory to your degree), you will need to submit a written statement explaining why you wish to take the course.You should check course availability and who it is open to directly via the course guide for the correct academic year.
- All our courses are capped, so unless a course is core to your degree programme, its possible you may not receive a space. It is therefore strongly recommended you already plan for alternative options.
- Once course selection opens, you will be able to submit your statement of interest directly in LSE For You (LfY, in the course selection system).
- Statements should be no more than 150 words, stating your reasons for taking the course. Statements are considered by the course convenor directly in LfY - statements or agreements via email will not be accepted.
- Priority will be given to students who have this course listed in their Programme Regulations, followed by other Department of Sociology students, then students from elsewhere in the School.
- The deadline for applications via LfY will be 12pm (midday) on Friday 26 September 2025. Applications will be reviewed after this deadline, with the aim of returning decisions to students by 12pm (midday) on Monday 29 September 2025.
- Any places remaining after the above deadline will be allocated based on priority and written statements until either the course is full or course selection closes.
- For any queries regarding controlled access for Sociology course, please contact the MSc programme managers on sociology.msc@lse.ac.uk.
MPhil/PhD students
- BSc courses that are available can be found here (can also be found in LSE Calander).
- MSc courses that are available can be found here (can also be found in LSE calander).
- BSc course selction guide can be found here.
- MSc Course Selection guide can be found here.
- LSE Calendar is where you can find course guides, programme regulations, school and academic regulations.
- Course selection process takes place on LfY.
- School level time tables can be viewed on LSE Timetables.
- Your personal time table can be viewed on on the Student Hub(after course selection).
- For information on taking a course outside LSE, please click here.
- Information on term times can be found here.
- In some cases, you may also be able to view course content from previous years by enrolling on courses on Moodle.