Master of Public Administration

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Programme Code: TMMPA

Department: School of Public Policy

For students starting this programme of study in 2022/23

Guidelines for interpreting programme regulations

Classification scheme for the award of a taught master's degree (eight units)
Exam sub-board local rules

The programme is taught over two academic years (21 months).

To be awarded the degree, students must complete courses to the value of 8.0 units in total over two years with 4.0 units in each year of study. Some courses have a unit value of 1.0 and some have a unit value of 0.5 indicated as (H).

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

Students who successfully complete courses to the value of 8.0 units may elect to have one of the titles below referenced on their degree certificate if the student has passed the courses attached to that specialism. The available specialisms are listed below with the courses attached to each specialism listed with them. If no such election is made, or if a student does not pass all of the courses listed under a specialism, the MPA degree certificate will state 'MPA' without further specification. Students may take courses from other specialisms as option courses.

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. Students who transfer to the Dual MPA will not be eligible to elect a specialism to be added to their degree certificate.
Paper	Course number, title (unit value)
Before Year 1
Introductory course
	All students must attend the following MPA introductory course: PP408 MPA Introductory Course (0.0)

Year 1
Paper 1
	PP440 Micro and Macro Economics (for Public Policy) (1.0)

	Or Upon satisfactorily demonstrating prior knowledge of Micro and Macro Economics, students may be exempted from PP440 and will be free to take an additional unit of option course subject to the approval of the Programme Director.
Paper 2	PP455 Quantitative Approaches and Policy Analysis (1.0)

Paper 3	PP478 Political Science for Public Policy (1.0)

Paper 4
	Students take course(s) to the value of 1.0 unit from the MPA Course List (see below):
	MPA Course List
Year 2
Paper 5	PP4B3 MPA Capstone Project (1.0)

Papers 6, 7 & 8
	Students take courses to the value of 3.0 units from the MPA Course List (see below):
	MPA Course List

MPA Course List

Economic Policy Specialism

Students must pass two of the following three courses to qualify for this specialism.

PP410 Public Economics for Public Policy (0.5) # E
PP418 Globalisation and Economic Policy (0.5) # F
PP419 Advanced Empirical Methods for Policy Analysis (0.5) # G

International Development Specialism



PP448 International Political Economy and Development (0.5)
PP449 Comparative Political Economy and Development (0.5) (suspended 2025/26)
PP454 Development Economics (1.0) # I

Social Impact Specialism



PP452 Applying Behavioural Economics for Social Impact: Design, Delivery, Evaluation and Policy (0.5) # H
PP4J2 New Institutions of Public Policy: Strategic Philanthropy, Impact Investment and Social Enterprise (0.5) C

International Political Economy Specialism



PP418 Globalisation and Economic Policy (0.5) # F
PP448 International Political Economy and Development (0.5)

Courses not contributing to a specialism



FM471 Sustainable Finance and Impact Investing (0.5) #
PP406 Philosophy for Public Policy (0.5)
PP411W Political Economy Applications for Public Policy (0.5) #
PP412 Cold War II? Public Policy Implications of US-China Relations in the 2020s (0.5) (suspended 2025/26)
PP413 Growth Diagnostics in Development: Theory and Practice (0.5) #
PP414 Policy-Making: Process, Challenges and Outcomes (0.5)
PP415 Technology, Data Science and Policy (0.5) #
PP417A The Practice of Effective Climate Policy (0.5)
PP417W The Practice of Effective Climate Policy (0.5)
PP423 Anticipatory Policymaking (0.5) (suspended 2025/26)
PP424 Happiness and Public Policy (0.5)
PP426 Public Policy for Blockchains and Digital Assets (0.5) #
PP431 Reimagining Capitalism (0.5)
PP432 International policymaking, diplomacy and security (0.5)
PP433 Topics in Model Based Quantitative Analysis for Public Policy (0.5) #
PP434 Automated Data Visualisation for Policymaking (0.5)
PP435 Trade Policy and Development (0.5) #
PP441 Geoeconomics (0.5) #
PP442 The Politics of Tech, Social Media, and the Press (0.5)
PP443 Sustainable Transport: Cities, Policy and Politics (0.5)
PP444 Brave New World: Macroeconomics at Times of Crises (0.5) #
PP445 Public Economics & Development (0.5)
PP450 Public Organisations: Theory and Practice (0.5) # (suspended 2025/26)
PP465 City-Making: the Politics of Urban Form (0.5)
PP4B4 Dissertation (1.0) B
PP4E5 Innovations in the governance of public services delivery (0.5)
PP4G3 Designing and Managing Change in the Public Sector (0.5) (suspended 2025/26)
PP4V8 Policy Paper (0.5) D

Inequality and Poverty Specialism



PP4X6 Welfare Analysis and Measurement (1.0) (suspended 2025/26)

Footnote for MPA Course List

A: In addition, students may choose courses from elsewhere in LSE with approval of the Programme Director and subject to acceptance by the course convenor. Availability of a place on a course outside the School of Public Policy is not guaranteed and is subject to space, regulations, and timetable constraints.

B: PP4B4: Not available in Year 1 or to students on the Double Master of Public Administration (LSE-Sciences Po). Permission Required.

C: PP4J2: Not available in Year 1.

D: PP4V8: Not available in Year 1.

E: PP410: Designed for Year 2 students; only available in Year 1 with permission from the Programme Director.

F: PP418: Designed for Year 2 students; only available in Year 1 with permission from the Programme Director.

G: PP419: Not available in Year 1.

H: PP452: Not available in Year 1.

I: PP454: Not available in Year 1.

Footnotes

# means there may be prerequisites for this course. Please view the course guide for more information.

SUPPLEMENTARY CRITERIA FOR PROGRESSION FROM THE FIRST TO THE SECOND YEAR OF THE MPA AND DUAL MPA DEGREE

Students who attain at least a Pass grade in each of the first year courses will be eligible to proceed into the second year of the MPA or Dual MPA programme.
A student on the MPA programme who has attained a Fail grade in courses to the value of 1.0 unit and at least a Pass grade in the remaining courses to the value of 3.0 units will be eligible to proceed into the second year.
A student holding an offer on the Dual MPA for their second year, who has attained a Fail grade in courses to the value of 1.0 unit, may only progress if a mark of at least 60% has been achieved in courses of an equivalent value or an aggregate mark of at least 330 has been achieved in the non-failed courses.
A student who receives a Bad Fail in any course or who otherwise fails to meet the above criteria for progression will not be able to progress to the second year of the MPA or Dual MPA programme and will be entitled to repeat the failed courses as follows:

A student shall normally be entitled to repeat any failed courses only (on one occasion) and at the next normal opportunity, in accordance with paragraph 33 of the General Academic Regulations. The Repeat Teaching Panel may consider an application for repeat tuition in any failed courses from a student. Results obtained following a repeated attempt at assessment shall bear their normal value.

A student who has completed year one and is unable to complete year two of the MPA or Dual MPA programme will not receive an interim award.

Note for prospective students:
For changes to graduate course and programme information for the next academic session, please see the graduate summary page for prospective students. Changes to course and programme information for future academic sessions can be found on the graduate summary page for future students.