For more information about tuition fees and entry requirements, see the fees and funding and assessing your application sections.

Minimum entry requirements for MSc Economics

First class honours degree in economics or equivalent with concentration in economics and quantitative subjects. Successful candidates will typically have achieved very good examination results in university-level two-semester length courses in [a] mathematics (both advanced calculus and linear algebra), [b] econometrics and statistics, [c] intermediate macro and microeconomics.

If your first degree is not in economics, you should apply to take the MSc Economics  (2 year) programme. Candidates with a technical degree and a strong quantitative background might wish to consider applying to MSc Econometrics and Mathematical Economics. 

Competition for places at the School is high. This means that even if you meet our minimum entry requirements, this does not guarantee you an offer of admission.

If you have studied or are studying outside of the UK then have a look at our Information for International Students to find out the entry requirements that apply to you.

GRE/GMAT requirement

GRE is required for applicants without a UK undergraduate degree in economics. This must be no more than five years old on 1 October 2020, and must include full and percentile test scores for all three sections with their application. Please see Admissions Enquiries for more information.

We do not require a specific mark but the test gives us an indication of aptitude for economics. Typically we expect candidates to score at least 161 in the quantitative section of the test. A higher score will count in your favour, but other information, such as examination results and references will also matter in the overall evaluation. We recognise that if your first language is not English, the verbal test will be more demanding and we view your score on that basis.

More information about GRE/GMAT.

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified prospective students and want to recruit students with the very best academic merit, potential and motivation, irrespective of their background.

We carefully consider each application on an individual basis, taking into account all the information presented on your application form, including your:

- academic achievement (both predicted and achieved grades)
- statement of academic purpose
- two academic references
- CV
- GRE/GMAT

See further information on supporting documents

You may also have to provide evidence of your English proficiency, although you do not need to provide this at the time of your application to LSE. See our English language requirements.

When to apply

Applications for this programme are considered on a rolling basis, meaning the programme will close once it becomes full. There is no fixed deadline by which you need to apply, however to be considered for any LSE funding opportunity, you must have submitted your application and all supporting documents by the funding deadline. See the fees and funding section for more details.

This programme comprises 10 months of full-time study. You will attend an initial course known as Introductory Course in Mathematics and Statistics (before the main teaching programme starts) in late August 2020. This course includes reviews concepts in optimization, fixed point theory, dynamic programming and optimal control, and in probability and statistics, amongst other topics.

You will take three compulsory courses, an elective course and an extended essay linked to the elective course during the main teaching programme. 

Please note: ten-month master's programmes are not compliant with the Bologna process, which may affect the extent to which they are 'recognised'. For more information, see Bologna process.

Macroeconomics 
Focuses on core models of growth and business cycle fluctuations, drawing on developments at the frontiers of research.

Either: Microeconomics
Focuses on classical theories of choice, general equilibrium, game theory, information economics as well as their applications from industrial organization to political economy. The relationship to new developments in behavioural economics and other fields will also be discussed. 
Or (with permission)
Advanced Microeconomics
Gives more emphasis to mathematical methods following a proof-based approach, and provides a firmer grounding in classical microeconomic theory while also discussing recent developments in economic theory.

Econometrics 
Presents modern, technical tools for empirical analysis in economics, for cross section, time series and panel data; focusing on the properties of different estimation models as well as illustrating the use of these techniques in practical problems.

Courses to the value of one unit from a range of options

For the most up-to-date list of optional courses please visit the relevant School Calendar page.  

You must note however that while care has been taken to ensure that this information is up to date and correct, a change of circumstances since publication may cause the School to change, suspend or withdraw a course or programme of study, or change the fees that apply to it. The School will always notify the affected parties as early as practicably possible and propose any viable and relevant alternative options. Note that that the School will neither be liable for information that after publication becomes inaccurate or irrelevant, nor for changing, suspending or withdrawing a course or programme of study due to events outside of its control, which includes but is not limited to a lack of demand for a course or programme of study, industrial action, fire, flood or other environmental or physical damage to premises.

You must also note that places are limited on some courses and/or subject to specific entry requirements. The School cannot therefore guarantee you a place. Please note that changes to programmes and courses can sometimes occur after you have accepted your offer of a place. These changes are normally made in light of developments in the discipline or path-breaking research, or on the basis of student feedback. Changes can take the form of altered course content, teaching formats or assessment modes. Any such changes are intended to enhance the student learning experience. You should visit the School’s Calendar, or contact the relevant academic department, for information on the availability and/or content of courses and programmes of study. Certain substantive changes will be listed on the updated graduate course and programme information page.

Contact hours and independent study

The average taught course contact hours per half unit is 20-30 hours and a full unit is 40-60 hours. This includes sessions such as lectures, classes, seminars or workshops. Hours vary according to courses and you can view indicative details in the Calendar within the Teaching section of each course guide.

Given the high level of academic performance expected from students, a significant amount of independent study and preparation is required to get the most out of the programme. You will manage the majority of your study time yourself, by engaging in activities such as reading, note-taking, thinking and research.

Teaching methods

LSE is internationally recognised for its teaching and research and therefore employs a rich variety of teaching staff with a range of experience and status. Courses may be taught by individual members of faculty, such as assistant professors, associate professors and full professors. Many departments now also employ guest teachers and visiting members of staff to teach courses, and LSE teaching fellows and graduate teaching assistants (who are usually doctoral research students) to teach classes and seminars. You can view indicative details for the teacher responsible for each course in the relevant course guide.

Assessment

All taught courses are required to include formative coursework which is unassessed. It is designed to help prepare you for summative assessment which counts towards the course mark and to the degree award. LSE uses a range of formative assessment, such as essays, problem sets, case studies, reports, quizzes, mock exams and many others.

Summative assessment may be conducted during the course and/or by final examination at the end of the course. You have the advantage of being assessed both after the end of the first term (Lent Term Week 0 January exams) and after the end of the second term (Summer Term main exam period).

An indication of the formative coursework and summative assessment for each course can be found in the relevant course guide.

Academic support

There are many opportunities to extend your learning outside the classroom and complement your academic studies at LSE. The department also runs workshops to strengthen your programming skills in Stata and R as well as surgeries to support your essay writing. LSE LIFE is the School’s centre for academic, personal and professional development. Some of the services on offer include: guidance and hands-on practice of the key skills you will need to do well at LSE: effective reading, academic writing and critical thinking; workshops related to how to adapt to new or difficult situations, including development of skills for leadership, study/work/life balance and preparing for the world of work; and advice and practice on working in study groups and on cross-cultural communication and teamwork.

LSE is committed to enabling all students to achieve their full potential and the School’s Disability and Wellbeing Service provides a free, confidential service to all LSE students and is a first point of contact for all disabled students.

Chapters 1–14 Simon and Blume, Mathematics for Economists, Norton, 1994

Chapters 1–5 and 9–13 of E T Dowling, Schaum’s Outline of Theory and Problems of Mathematical Methods for Business and Economics, McGraw Hill, 1993

Chiang and K Wainwright, Fundamental Methods of Mathematical Economics, McGraw-Hill, 2005

R J Larson, M L Marx, Introduction to Mathematical Statistics and its Applications, 4th edn, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 2006

J H Stock and M W Watson, Introduction to Econometrics, 3th edn, Chapters 17 and 18, Pearson, 2011

J Wooldridge, Introductory Econometrics: A Modern Approach, 5th edn, Chapters 2, 3 and 4, South-Western Cengage Learning, 2012

Our former students are employed as economists in a wide range of national and international organisations in government, international institutions, business and finance. In recent years, our graduates have gained employment in organisations such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Bank of America, Credit Suisse, NERA Economic Consulting, PwC, Deloitte, Compass Lexecon, McKinsey, IMF, World Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Bundesbank, Bank of England, and HM Treasury.

Approximately one third of students proceed to PhD programmes at LSE or other leading universities. In recent years, our MSc in Economics students have been placed at MIT, Princeton, Stanford, Chicago, Columbia, Yale, NYU, Northwestern, Penn, MIT Sloan, UCLA, Wisconsin-Madison, Cornell and many other top PhD programmes around the world.

Further information on graduate destinations for this programme

Support for your career

Many leading organisations give careers presentations at the School during the year, and LSE Careers has a wide range of resources available to assist students in their job search. Find out more about the support available to students through LSE Careers.

Lorenzo Moruzzi

MSc Economics

The best thing about this programme is how it has allowed me to expand on some of the things I only touched on in my undergraduate studies, and to pursue an area of great interest with my dissertation. I have had the chance to meet some of the leaders in the field of economics and politics thanks to the excellent programme of speakers at LSE. The Careers Service at LSE has given me a lot of help in sorting out my future. I will be starting work at ABN AMRO in September working in asset management, a career path I chose with the help of the LSE Careers Service.
 

Leo Chi-Chung Ng

MSc Economics
Hong Kong

The level of teaching and research in the MSc Economics programme is excellent. The teaching is diverse, as each of the lecturers specialise in their own research areas, which allows many in-depth academic discussions. We were also very honoured to have had this year's Nobel laureate teach us in one of the core courses.

There are a lot of resources which are accessible for economics students. Students admitted to the programme are all from top universities around the globe and have a very strong academic, as well as professional, background. This facilitates the exchange of different cultures and views and offers us opportunities for discussion. 

Every graduate student is charged a fee for their programme.

The fee covers registration and examination fees payable to the School, lectures, classes and individual supervision, lectures given at other colleges under intercollegiate arrangements and, under current arrangements, membership of the Students' Union. It does not cover living costs or travel or fieldwork.

Tuition fees 2020/21 for MSc Economics

UK/EU students: £29,184
Overseas students: £29,760

Fee status

The amount of tuition fees you will need to pay, and any financial support you are eligible for, will depend on whether you are classified as a home (UK/EU) or overseas student, otherwise known as your fee status. LSE assesses your fee status based on guidelines provided by the Department of Education.

Fee reduction

Students who completed undergraduate study at LSE and are beginning taught graduate study at the School are eligible for a fee reduction of around 10 per cent of the fee.

Scholarships and other funding

The School recognises that the cost of living in London may be higher than in your home town or country, and we provide over £13 million in scholarships each year to graduate students from the UK, EU and overseas.

This programme is eligible for needs-based awards from LSE, including the Graduate Support Scheme, Master's Awards, and Anniversary Scholarships. 

Selection for any funding opportunity is based on receipt of an application for a place – including all ancillary documents, before the funding deadline. 
Funding deadline for needs-based awards from LSE: 27 April 2020.

In addition to our needs-based awards, LSE also makes available scholarships for students from specific regions of the world and awards for students studying specific subject areas. 

Government tuition fee loans and external funding

A postgraduate loan is available from the UK government for eligible students studying for a first master’s programme, to help with fees and living costs. Some other governments and organisations also offer tuition fee loan schemes.

Find out more about tuition fee loans

Further information

Fees and funding opportunities