Academic and Professional Skills Development

LSE Students' Union

LSE Students' Union (LSESU) is a not-for-profit organisation run by LSE students, for LSE students. They aim to help you make the most of all the life-changing experiences open to you during your time at university.

Find out more here.

LSE LIFE

LSE LIFE is your one-stop shop for extracurricular opportunities and support at LSE. Browse the LSE LIFE events and opportunities page and if you'd like some personalised guidance, book a one-to-one LIFE Conversation to talk through any aspect of your experience and find the programmes, events, and groups that are right for you.

Find out more here.

Learning Lab

Learning Lab is there for you at every stage of your learning journey - from finding your footing to thinking more critically, writing more convincingly and getting more from your reading. Workshops run throughout the year on a variety of topics such as academic writing, critical reading, research planning, exam preparation, dissertation writing, and using AI tools critically and effectively. You can also book one-to-one sessions with Learning Lab Study Advisers to discuss specific aspects of your work.

Find out more here

Digital Skills Lab

Develop the digital skills you need to achieve your personal, professional, and academic goals.

Find out more here.

LSE Careers

Here to help you find a career you’ll enjoy and where you’ll thrive. Whether you’re still wondering what might be out there, have a vague idea of some options or already know precisely what you want, LSE Careers will give you the support you need to move forward.

Find out more here.

LSE Volunteering

Here to help you find a volunteering placement at a charity or not-for-profit organisation during your time studying at LSE. LSE Volunteering can offer a range of volunteering opportunities for you to get involved in, whether you have one hour or two days a week to spare.

Find out more here.

Research Opportunities for Undergraduate Students

Get involved with research, from a one-off experiment to a student-led project.

Find out more here.

Workshops and Networking Events

Social Policy Undergraduate students benefit from a series of bespoke workshops and networking events to support them with their academic studies and professional futures. All initiatives are designed for, and open to, Social Policy students only.

Academic skills workshops provide first-year students with study skills training to support them at the start of their academic careers and help them get the most out of their courses and programme. These sessions are compulsory and timetabled.

Second-year students will also receive two sessions focussing on writing.

Professional skills workshops introduce students in all years to LSE Careers and the skills needed to support them in planning successfully for their future careers and thriving after they leave LSE. These sessions are timetabled but optional. We strongly recommend you attend where possible.

Networking events provide students in all years with the opportunity to interact with our alumni and develop their knowledge of the variety of industries they work in. They include alumni panel events and an evening networking event. These sessions are timetabled but optional. We strongly recommend you attend where possible.

The Social Policy Internship Fund Scheme has previously provided first and second-year students with the opportunity to gain valuable work experience, learn new skills, enhance their employability, and develop their professional network. It has enabled students to apply for funding for internships within a UK-registered charity, public sector or small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) that would otherwise be unpaid. Spaces are limited and students accepted onto the Scheme source the internships themselves with support from LSE Careers.

The Alumni Mentoring Scheme currently gives second and third year students an opportunity to apply to be matched with a mentor to support them with the transition from university to the world of work/further education. Having a mentor allows students to: gain an insight into professional life; be supported to take charge of their futures; and learn from someone who has been in their shoes. Students can expect to have three forty-five-minute meetings with their mentor. Any contact beyond this is at the mentor’s discretion. Mentors are Social Policy alumni students working in a variety of professional areas. While we aim to match students to mentors as closely as possible, we are not always able to match students to mentors working in areas they aspire to work in.

The Centre for Language Studies offers non-degree language courses during the academic year. The Department of Social Policy offer a limited number of part-funded bursaries to students in the Department who wish to study a language while at LSE. Please note that the Centre for Language Studies courses do not form part of your degree programme.

• Further information on the non-degree language courses offered by the Centre for Language Studies can be found here.
• For those who successfully secure a bursary, the Department will pay £100 towards the cost of a non-degree language course.

• Read our student testimonials.
• For any further queries about language bursaries, please contact: socialpolicy.ug@lse.ac.uk

Social Policy Masters’ students benefit from a focused Academic and Professional Skills Development course (SP403) to support them with their academic studies and professional futures.

It comprises of:

• Academic skills workshops - these help to prepare students for the year ahead and enable them to make the most out of their courses and programme.
• Professional skills workshops – these teach professional skills to help support students with the transition from university to work.
• Additionally, there is an alumni networking evening and career panel events, which are delivered by our alumni students working in a variety of social policy related careers.

The course is designed to complement the expectations of Social Policy students on their Programmes, and to help them articulate and develop their experience at LSE into useful resources for gaining employment and thriving beyond LSE. All Social Policy MSc students are strongly encouraged to take this course in addition to the credit bearing courses which make up their degree.

The Centre for Language Studies offers non-degree language courses during the academic year. The Department of Social Policy offer a limited number of part-funded bursaries to students in the Department who wish to study a language while at LSE. Please note that the Centre for Language Studies courses do not form part of your degree programme.

Further information on the non-degree language courses offered by the Centre for Language Studies can be found here.

• For those who successfully secure a bursary, the Department will pay £100 towards the cost of a non-degree language course.

• Read our student testimonials
• For any further queries about language bursaries, please contact: socialpolicy.msc@lse.ac.uk

The Department can help with the cost of attending events such as workshops or conferences, or with the cost of research-related activities such as travel or participant interview expenses. Read more here.

• Read our student testimonials.

The Centre for Language Studies offers non-degree language courses during the academic year. The Department of Social Policy offer a limited number of part-funded bursaries to students in the Department who wish to study a language while at LSE. Please note that Centre for Language Studies courses do not form part of your degree programme.

• Further information on the non-degree language courses offered by the Centre for Language Studies can be found here.
• For those who successfully secure a bursary, the Department will pay £100 towards the cost of a non-degree language course.

• Read our student testimonials
• For any further queries about language bursaries, please contact: socialpolicy.phd@lse.ac.uk