Before Year 1

Introductory course

All students must attend the following MPA introductory course:

PP408 MPA Introductory Course (0.0)

Year 1

Skills course

All students are required to complete the following course during the first year of their programme:

PP420 Professional Skills Accelerator (0.0)

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)

OR

PP456 Quantitative Approaches and Policy Analysis (0.5)

and an additional 0.5 unit option course - for students who demonstrate sufficient prior knowledge of Econometrics to be exempt from the first half of PP455.

OR

PP419 Advanced Empirical Methods for Policy Analysis (0.5) #

and an additional 0.5 unit option course - for students who demonstrate sufficient prior knowledge of Econometrics to be exempt from PP455 in its entirety.

PP433 Topics in Model Based Quantitative Analysis for Public Policy (0.5) #

and an additional 0.5 unit option course for students who demonstrate sufficient prior knowledge of Econometrics to be exempt from PP455 in its entirety.

Paper 3

PP478 Political Science for Public Policy (1.0)

Paper 4

One course of any unit value from the following:

PP413 Growth Diagnostics in Development: Theory and Practice (0.5) #

PP435 Trade Policy and Development (0.5) #

PP445 Public Economics & Development (0.5)

PP448 International Political Economy and Development (0.5)

PP449 Comparative Political Economy and Development (0.5) (suspended 2026/27)

PP454 Development Economics (1.0) # (suspended 2026/27)

PP457 Development Economics (0.5) #

PP458 Environmental Economics in Developing Countries (0.5) #

Paper 5

A

Students may choose a further 0.5 unit course from the following:

FM471 Sustainable Finance and Impact Investing (0.5) #

PP406 Philosophy for Public Policy (0.5)

PP410 Public Economics for Public Policy (0.5) #

PP411W Political Economy Applications for Public Policy (0.5) #

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) #

PP416 Designing Democracy (0.5) #

PP417A The Practice of Effective Climate Policy (0.5) (suspended 2026/27)

PP417W Economic Principles of Climate Change (0.5)

PP418 Globalisation and Economic Policy (0.5) #

PP419 Advanced Empirical Methods for Policy Analysis (0.5) #

PP421 Advanced Topics in Climate and Environmental Policy (0.5) #

PP423 Anticipatory Policymaking (0.5) (suspended 2026/27)

PP424 Happiness and Public Policy (0.5) (suspended 2026/27)

PP426 Public Policy for Blockchains and Digital Assets (0.5) #

PP428 Governing Climate Change: Policy, Politics, and Innovation (0.5)

PP429 Education Politics and Policy (0.5)

PP431 Reimagining Capitalism (0.5) (suspended 2026/27)

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)

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)

PP445 Public Economics & Development (0.5)

PP448 International Political Economy and Development (0.5)

PP449 Comparative Political Economy and Development (0.5) (suspended 2026/27)

PP457 Development Economics (0.5) #

PP458 Environmental Economics in Developing Countries (0.5) #

PP465 City-Making: the Politics of Urban Form (0.5)

PP4E5 Innovations in the governance of public services delivery (0.5)

PP4G3 Designing and Managing Change in the Public Sector (0.5) (suspended 2026/27)

PP4J2 New Institutions of Public Policy: Strategic Philanthropy, Impact Investment and Social Enterprise (0.5)

PP4X7 Inequality and Poverty Analysis (0.5)

PP4X8 Social and Multidimensional Inequality Analysis (0.5)

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.