MSc

If you have not been receiving our post-offer emails, please contact the Postgraduate Programme Support team at socialpolicy.msc@lse.ac.uk who will be more than happy to help!

We will add all of the post-offer emails that have already been sent out for your reference below.

Extensive background reading is not essential, but it is advisable for you to do some reading before commencing the programme.  We will include some readings below in due course that will be useful for the compulsory courses on the MSc programmes:

MSc International Social & Public Policy (all streams)

MSc Criminal Justice Policy

Please do not feel that you need to buy all these books. Indeed, before you buy any you could see if you can access them by the following means

• If you are currently registered at a university their library might have copies.
• If you live near a public library, they might be able to get hold of copies for you.
• If you have an unconditional offer, and are already based in or near London, from July to September you can have reference only access to the LSE library.
• When you arrive you will have access not only to the LSE Library but also the vast number of electronic texts available to you by virtue of your LSE registration. For this reason we discourage you from purchasing texts which will later become freely available to you once you have enrolled. However, we appreciate that some of you may wish to gain further insight into social policy and therefore may be interested in some of the Department podcasts.  

Whether you are buying or borrowing a book, a different edition to the one listed will be fine.

The programme regulations for the 2024/25 academic year will be added here in due course.

MSc Criminal Justice Policy programme regulations

MSc ISPP programme regulations

MSc ISPP (Development) programme regulations

MSc ISPP (Education) programme regulations

MSc ISPP (Migration) programme regulations

MSc ISPP (NGOs) programme regulations

MSc ISPP (Research) programme regulations

LSE-Fudan Double Master's in International Social and Public Policy programme regulations

You can find a full list of information from Graduate Admissions here. If you need to contact Graduate Admissions you can find information on how to do this here, the best way is to fill out the enquiries form as the phone lines are incredibly busy. If you want to check if your documents have been received and processed, you can check the current processing times. 

You can find the term dates here. Lectures are seminars are normally scheduled on week days. Lectures and seminar timetables will be published here in mid-to-late August so you will be able to see what days and times courses are timetabled. Lectures and classes are scheduled on weekdays and there are no classes at the weekend.

Once you are enrolled as an LSE student and enrolled to classes, you will also receive a more detailed, personal timetable to help you plan your week.

You will be able to browse and select courses from September 2024. 

Information on the course selection process is here. We will also send out detailed information in one of our Offer Holder emails before you arrive.

We would recommend in the meantime that you familiarise yourself with the regulations for your programme. Listed in the programme regulations you will find course guides which include information on the content and assessment criteria for each course. This is a great place to start shortlisting which courses may be of interest to you.

You can also have a look at our course brochure guide which provides you with information to assist you in your course selections. 

It is possible to take courses outside of the programme regulations but you will need permission from your Programme Director. You can discuss your preferred courses when you meet with your Academic Mentor when you arrive at the School.

If you would like to take an outside course we would also recommend checking whether you are eligible for the outside course you wish to apply for, as well as the course selection procedures of the Department (as they may be different from our own). Course selection won’t begin until you arrive at the School so you will need to wait until welcome week to start that process.

You will be allocated to your Seminar groups by self-selection when you choose your courses. You should expect to remain in the Seminar groups to which you are allocated unless you have exceptional circumstances (for example these could include: Part-Time students, medical, family or caring arrangements). Under such circumstances you may be able to apply to change Seminar group. More information will be provided in our offer holder emails and when you arrive. 

If you are studying part-time you will usually take half of the required courses in the first year and half in your second year (2 units worth each year). In the first year you should enrol for your core course/s. You will submit your dissertation at the end of your second year. MSc ISPP Students enrolled on a specialist stream should also enrol for their specialist core course and choose another half unit in their first year.

The process of writing your dissertation is an ongoing for the 12 month period you will study at LSE and is not confined to the summer period alone (part-time students will concentrate on their dissertation in the second year). You are entitled to meet with your academic mentor (who is also your dissertation supervisor) a minimum of 2 times per term. Following Spring Term students usually concentrate on finishing the write up of their dissertation with the final submission date towards the end of August. You will not be required to defend your dissertation at a viva voce.

The Department will allocate your Academic Mentor (also your dissertation supervisor) at the start of Autumn term. Due to resourcing considerations across the whole Department it is not possible for students to request a specific mentor or to be assigned to areas of research interest. It’s important to note however that you are not restricted to meeting only with your mentor and you will still be able to meet with members of faculty even if they have not been allocated to you as your mentor. In fact in relation to subjects of specialism we would encourage you to speak with any member of staff in the Department (and the whole School for that matter) via faculty Advice and Feedback Hours.

Most courses will usually take the form of lectures and classes

• Lectures: These are when a whole course comes together to be taught key concepts and topics by a member of Faculty.
• Seminars: Classes are taught in smaller groups and are for taking in the concepts you have learned during lectures and discussing them in more detail. A typical class size will be 12 – 17 students.

Some courses will be taught in other ways – for example via Workshop. Course Convenors will provide further information on how their course(s) will be taught.  

A standard year will see around 200 MSc students join the Department’s MSc Programmes. Lectures will vary according to the size of the courses you take – Core lectures can be up to 180-200 students, and option courses can be between 17 and 200. Seminars on all courses are normally approx. 17 students.  

Yes! Not only do you get the opportunity to work in smaller groups during classes and on some group-based assessment (e.g. poster presentations) but we also assign small groups of students to the same Academic Mentor. This means you will be in a small group as soon as you arrive and this will become your Mentor Group. You will learn more about Mentor Groups and how you can get the most out of this system during Welcome.

For each course you will usually undertake both formative and summative work. Formative (non-assessed) work is designed to help you prepare for your summative (assessed) work. Summative assessment will vary from course to course. You can find information about how courses are assessed on the course guides which are available through the School calendar and also the programme regulations. 

Formative and summative work will take place throughout the academic year and further details about your assessments will be shared with you by your Course Convenors and Programme Support Team via Moodle (LSE’s virtual learning environment).

The majority of assessments for postgraduate courses administered by the Department of Social Policy take place either through the year (via in-course assessments) or through online assessments which take place in the Spring term. Currently only SP401 (a core ISPP course) is assessed by an online assessment in the January Exam period.

Social Policy run 'take home' (online) assessments taking place mostly in Spring Term, which is also when the School runs most of its centrally-organised exams. If you are taking courses outside of the Department, you may be sitting centrally-organised exams which take place as hand-written exams in an exam hall setting. This is different from the 'take home' assessments run by the Social Policy Department, which take place as virtual, remote assessments.

The Spring term exam timetable is published mid-way though Winter Term. If you are taking courses outside of the Department we would recommend consulting the course guide as to when assessments will take place for those courses.

Yes, if you are an offer holder and wish to change streams prior to starting your study can do so by contacting the Graduate Admissions team. 

NB Please be aware that the entry criteria for ISPP (Research) differ from those for the other streams and so it may not be possible to change into this stream from another. If you wish to change to the Research stream, please contact the Graduate Admissions team. 

Please note that students who register for the LSE-Fudan Double Degree are required to complete both years (one at LSE and one at Fudan) in order to graduate with either the degree from LSE or from Fudan. If a student fails to progress and complete the second year at Fudan, they will also not receive the degree at LSE.

After registration, if a student wishes to transfer from the Double degree Programme, they will need to receive approval from both LSE and Fudan - and this would only be granted in exceptional circumstances.

Yes, however this is dependent on the courses you have chosen and whether they are allowed within the programme regulations for the stream to which you wish to change. If you are in receipt of a scholarship and you wish to change streams we would also recommend that you check whether there will be any implications for your funding. 

NB Please be aware that the entry criteria for ISPP (Research) differ from those for the other streams and so it may not be possible to change into this stream from another. If you would like to change streams after registering please contact socialpolicy.msc@lse.ac.uk in the first instance.

Please note that students who register for the LSE-Fudan Double Degree are required to complete both years (one at LSE and one at Fudan) in order to graduate with either the degree from LSE or from Fudan. If a student fails to progress and complete the second year at Fudan, they will also not receive the degree at LSE.

After registration, if a student wishes to transfer from the Double degree Programme, they will need to receive approval from both LSE and Fudan - and this would only be granted in exceptional circumstances.

As per the registration information pages here, although the School expects you to register on time, you can register late. Further information should appear on that page in due course about late registration sessions but we would also advise visiting the Student Services Centre if you are unsure where/when to register when you do arrive. There is also information about steps to take when registering late here.

Please note that the School has a late registration deadline, beyond which you cannot register- this will also be published in the registration information page. If registering late, and you miss the Department's and School's induction events, it is also important to familiarise yourself with the course selection process. There is lots of information about this on the website here but also please feel free to contact socialpolicy.msc@lse.ac.uk if you have any questions.

You will be taught by faculty and researchers who are at the forefront of their fields. You can find out more about all of the staff in the Department of Social Policy here.

The Department offer opportunities as part of our Academic and Professional Skills Development Programme, such as workshops, networking events and alumni talks. You can find out more here.

The Disability and Wellbeing Service supports students with disabilities and long-term medical conditions. We recommend you contact them before you start your studies at LSE, or as soon as possible afterwards, so they can work with you to put appropriate support in place for you at the very start of the academic year.

You can find out more information about DWS here.

Your health and wellbeing are extremely important to us and the School has lots of support available to students during your time here. Take a look here, where you will find a wealth of resources including, but not limited to:

• Student Counselling Service
• Health Care in the UK
• Peer Support (student-to-student support for you)
• Safe Contacts
• External sources of support

The Student Support Map can help you navigate the sources of help and support at LSE, from your studies and your finances, to your health and wellbeing and what to do in emergency situations.  

Both your Programmes Support Team and the Academic staff within the Department are here to offer pastoral support throughout your studies.

• The Postgraduate Programmes Support Team are available for you to come and see at any time and also offer bespoke appointment slots so you can discuss any concerns and ask them any questions on a 1:1 basis.
• All Department of Social Policy students can book student and community Wellbeing support appointments with Clare Gorman, the Department's Student Community and Wellbeing Manager.
• Your Academic Mentor is available as a key source of support to you. You will be allocated an Academic Mentor in Week 1 of Autumn Term. Your Academic Mentor will also be your dissertation supervisor. Take a look here for some of the ways in which the Academic Mentor relationship can help support you.  You can also find more information on your Academic Mentor in the ‘Your Studies’ section above. 

There are many opportunities for our students to gain practical skills and knowledge which promote academic and professional success at LSE and beyond. 
Find out more here.

There are also a number of opportunities for Social Policy students to get involved with the Department and its activities. Find out more here.

We do hope that you will get involved in some of the opportunities which enrich the Department and also give you some great experiences - and experience for your future!

Take a look at some of the developments which our students have helped to shape in the Department within the last couple of years.

• The LSE Students’ Union (LSESU) offers many opportunities to get in involved with the wider student community. For example, there are a variety of different societies you can join – from sports societies through to cultural interest societies or charity, faith or campaigning and many more besides. Don’t forget to also join our Social Policy Society! 
• LSE’s volunteer centre (part of LSE Careers) advertise a whole host of different regular volunteering opportunities you can get involved with during your time at LSE, within charities and not-for-profit organisations based in London and overseas. As Social Policy students, we know you are passionate about the issues affecting the world we live in and our global community and these could be great opportunities for you, not only to connect with your community but also gain some valuable life skills along the way!
• Change Makers offers a great opportunity to undertake a research project and boost your research skills whilst also finding our more about LSE and its community.
• Find out more about campus life and student activities here  

Our Department and School community is one which aims to be inclusive and to celebrate its diversity. You can find more information about equity, diversity and inclusion at LSE here 

As a community, we work together to make sure all students are valued, respected and safe and will not stand for bullying, harassment or intolerance in our community.  The ‘Making a Choice’ webpage gives lots of information and sources of support on EDI within LSE, including EDI champions, safe contacts and sources of support, reporting tools and much more.

The Department of Social Policy is a global community. Have a look at this map of where our Social Policy community comes from. 

Visit the LSE Student Accommodation pages for more information on accommodation. 

You can keep up to date with Department news by following our webpage here.

Make sure you also follow us on Social Media via X(Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.

You can find lots of useful information about what life will be like in your new home here, via LSE’s Welcome microsite

Take a look at this webpage, which gives lots of useful information on living in London, including a range of student blogs on life in London, tips on budgeting and more!

Here are some other websites you may also be interested to look at to help you settle in and start to orientate yourself:

• Time Out London – a guide to London’s best events and main attractions
• TFL – transport for London – a helpful tool for navigating your way around the city
• Visit London – a guide to London’s attractions
• London: student city guide – a guide for students
• Save the Student – top tips for being a student in London