Each Master's programme will have its own set of programme regulations, which will set out exactly which courses you may select, including which courses are compulsory and which are optional. Students are expected to adhere to their programme regulations. All MSc students in the Department of Sociology will complete a 10,000 word dissertation as one of their compulsory courses.
Last updated 8 September 2025:
MSc students
You can find the list of MSc courses for 2025/26 here.
The above link will list all courses hosted by the Department, but you will need to click on the individual course guide where it will list whether it is running this academic year, information on the teaching and assessments and the course convenor. Information will also be shared by the department via email.
For full time taught postgraduate students, you will take the equivalent of four full units per year.
- Please read the Postgraduate course selection guide as it covers everything you need to know in alot of detail. You can access it here.
- The course selection process takes place on LfY - this is where you will select your courses during the course selection period. For more information and deadlines regarding this step, please click here.
- Your programme regulations will set out which courses you are allowed to take, including core and optional courses, and you must adhere to your programme regulations. For more information. please click here.
- All Sociology MSc courses are controlled access, meaning that there are specific rules regarding who can take the course and that the department decides on who gets a space. Please view the controlled access information below.
- Please scroll to the bottom of this page for a list of all links that are relevant for the course selection process.
- Our courses are "controlled access". This means that unless the course is a core course (compulsory to your degree), you will need to submit a written statement explaining why you wish to take the course.You should check course availability and who it is open to directly via the course guide for the correct academic year.
- All our courses are capped, so unless a course is core to your degree programme, its possible you may not receive a space. It is therefore strongly recommended you already plan for alternative options.
- Once course selection opens, you will be able to submit your statement of interest directly in LSE For You (LfY, in the course selection system).
- Statements should be no more than 150 words, stating your reasons for taking the course. Statements are considered by the course convenor directly in LfY - statements or agreements via email will not be accepted.
- Priority will be given to students who have this course listed in their Programme Regulations, followed by other Department of Sociology students, then students from elsewhere in the School.
- The deadline for applications via LfY will be 12pm (midday) on Friday 26 September 2025. Applications will be reviewed after this deadline, with the aim of returning decisions to students by 12pm (midday) on Monday 29 September 2025.
- Any places remaining after the above deadline will be allocated based on priority and written statements until either the course is full or course selection closes.
- For any queries regarding controlled access for Sociology course, please contact the MSc programme managers on sociology.msc@lse.ac.uk.
- A timetable clash occurs when two or more of the courses you have selected have teaching scheduled at the same time. Whilst LSE makes every effort to avoid clashes, due to the number of optional courses available on some programmes it is not always possible to avoid a timetable clash.
- You are advised to consult the School-level timetables (found on the Timetables webpage) and check all of your course timings so you can avoid a timetable clash.
- As attendance at classes and seminars is compulsory, a clash between two classes or seminars will not be approved. Attendance to lectures is also consider compulsory in the Department of Sociology, so a clash between two lectures or a lecture and class will most likely not be approved either. Therefore, if you do have a timetable clash, in almost all instances you will be advised to change your course selection. We do not consider the use of lecture recordings a suitable substitute for attending teaching.