Application codes: M1UN (Public and Economic Policy), M1VA (Public Policy and Management) L9U1 (International Development), L2U0 (European Public and Economic Policy (check availability)
Start date: 21st September 2009. Some outside options in Economics require participation in pre-sessional courses beginning early September 2009.
Duration: 21 months full-time only
Intake/applications in 2007: 25/212 (PEP), 25/243 (PPM), New programmes for 2009 (ID and EPEP)
Minimum entry requirement: 2:1 degree or equivalent in any discipline. Some Economics options only available to applicants with a good first degree in Economics (see entry requirements)
Notes: MPA programmes carry the opportunity for study abroad at institutions including SIPA, Columbia University, NY; Sciences Po, Paris; Hertie School of Governance, Berlin and Lee Kuan Yew School, National University of Singapore
The MPAs are interdisciplinary programmes offering access to the full wealth of LSE's postgraduate courses and offering the following benefits:
Designed to equip talented students with professional skills and knowledge to undertake and advise on public policy making and implementation in a wide range of contexts.
Relevant both for students entering government service careers and those intending to work in the private sector, dealing with government.
Combines rigorous academic development with strong practical applications in individual and group based work.
A wide choice of options for students to choose their own area of specialisation.
Excellent contact with governmental and international organisations.
The option for students to gain ten months experience with one of the following: the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University in New York; Sciences Po in Paris; the Hertie School of Governance, Berlin; the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.
About the MPA programmes
The MPA is an interdisciplinary degree devised to meet the needs of government departments and public agencies in many countries for highly skilled and professional policy makers. It also meets the needs of people working with governments but in the private sector, for instance in consultancy, public-private partnerships, public affairs, media non-governmental organisations and interest groups.
The degree is taught over 21 months; year one is a complete academic year and year two lasts from October to June. It brings together LSE's unrivalled expertise in the social sciences with individual and group working experience of public sector problems, policies and management.
In the first year, students take a set of core courses that provide them with the skills required for political and economic analysis. During their second year, students work in groups on a capstone project in which they advise a public sector organisation, international body, or private sector consultancy on a current policy challenge, and prepare a dissertation.
In addition to the core training, each student undertakes further compulsory courses depending on which stream of the MPA they are enrolled on.
MPA Public and Economic Policy
This stream focuses on the economic and political analysis of public policies. Students receive a core training in political science, economics, and quantitative methods in the first year, which is reinforced through a compulsory course in economic policy analysis in the second year. Option courses then allow students to develop a unique area of specialistion. This stream particularly equips students to pursue careers related to economic policy making in international organisations, national administrations, and economic consulting.
Plus one and a half units from the MPA options list below
MPA Public Policy and Management
This stream focuses on understanding decision making and management in the public sector and budgetary processes. Students receive a core training in political science, economics and quantitative methods in the first year, which is complemented by compulsory courses in public management and public budgeting and financial management and further option courses. This stream particularly equips students to pursue careers in public management, public sector consulting, and governance related work in international organisations or think tanks.
Plus two and a half units from the MPA options list below
MPA International Development
This stream focuses on the analysis of economic and public policies for developing countries. Students receive a core training in political science, economics, quantitative methods, development management and development economics in the first year and then go on to develop more specialized interests in the second year. By equipping students with a strong set of analytical tools that can be applied to development problems the stream will produce students that are uniquely suited to work in international development organisations, government development agencies, NGOs, development consultancies and private sector companies.
Plus two and a half units from the MPA options list below
†† Dissertations should normally be submitted within the broad area of Development.
MPA European Public and Economic Policy
This stream focuses on the economic and policy analysis of European Union policy making and European governance. Students receive a core training in political science, economics and quantitative methods, European institutions and European political economy in the first year and can further specialise in their second year. It particularly equips students to pursue careers related to economic and public policy making in EU institutions, other European international organisations, national administrations and parts of the private sector interacting with the EU in regulatory, budget making or other policy contexts.
1.5 units chosen from anywhere on the MPA options list below
Plus 1 unit chosen from the broad range of Europe-related units included in the Option list below, indicated by +
††† Dissertations should normally be submitted within the broad area of European public policy.
MPA Capstone Project
In the winter term of their second year, students are organised into groups of four to six people and briefed on a policy problem faced by a major organisation active in the UK public sector, European policy-making or an international organisation. (Clients may include international organisations; government departments or agencies at national or EU level; public health service authorities or regional/local governments; major private corporations interacting with public agencies;, or a non-governmental organisation or consultancy firm involved with policy making). The group then has ten weeks of access to the client organisation in the spring term to investigate the issues and develop a workable solution to the problem, reporting to the organisation at the end of this time. The LSE staff members who set up, coordinate and manage the projects, with inputs from the client organisation, assess students in each group on their performance. The project work is conducted in teams, which are given a collective mark for their project (with scope for individual variations).
Options
(* half unit)
Courses are arranged into ten areas of specialisation involving diverse courses, mostly drawing on several different departments and disciplinary perspectives. Students may also wish to construct an individual area of specialisation in discussion with their individual supervisors. All courses operate at a challenging level. In some areas of specialisation prerequisites apply to the more advanced or specific courses. To understand symbols relevant for some papers, please read the explanatory notes at the end of the List.
Note: options courses are subject to availability, as they may not be offered every year.
ΩΩ Because of the extremely demanding standard of LSE Economics, these options are available only to students with very good first degrees in Economics and with the permission of the Economics Department. Any student wishing to take these courses must be admitted to the September course in Mathematics, Statistics, Economics or Econometrics at the beginning of their first or second year and pass the course examinations (50%). Students taking more than one Economics option must take one of Methods of Economic Investigation, Microeconomics for MSc Students or Macroeconomics for MSc Students.
ΩΩΩ Courses have prerequisites or pre-screening assessment.
‡ Not available to MPA Public Policy and Management
‡‡ For MPA International Development students or with the permission of the course teacher
‡‡‡ Not available to MPA International Development
+ Option falling within the broad area of European public policy (for MPA European Public and Economic Policy)
~ May not be taken together
The LSE/SIPA, LSE/Sciences Po and LSE/Hertie dual MPA programmes
This innovative option offers students the opportunity to take LSE's first year MPA course and then to complete their degree in the second year at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), Columbia University in New York; Sciences Po Paris; the Hertie School of Governance, (Hertie) Berlin; or the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. LSE's first year courses will equip students to take a range of second year courses at SIPA, Sciences Po, Hertie or Lee Kuan Yew and to complete group working and/or research projects similar to those on the LSE year 2 curriculum.
Alternatively students can start at SIPA, Sciences Po, Hertie or Lee Kuan Yew for their first year, and come to LSE to complete their second year, undertaking their capstone project in the UK. Students spending their second year only at LSE must complete a dissertation of no more than 10,000 words during the year. Candidates who are successful will be awarded the MPA by both the institutions they attend. Visit www.lse.ac.uk/collections/MPA , www.sipa.columbia.edu, www.mpa.sciences-po.fr, www.hertie-school.org or http://www.spp.nus.edu.sg for further information and admissions instructions.
Note 1, you should apply to the institution at which you intend to spend your first year. The opportunity to apply to spend your second year at SIPA, Sceinces Po, Hertie or Lee Kuan Yew will be made available to you after begin the programme at LSE.
Note 2, if you are applying from one of our four partner institutions to LSE, there are specific scholarships meeting part of the fees available to you. Contact the Programme Managers at our partner institutions for further information on what is available to you.
