At LSE, you will have the chance to study a broad range of subjects; some of them you may have studied in school, some will be new to you. At one end of the spectrum are subjects you might consider 'arts' subjects like History, at the other end you will find Mathematics and related subjects; some subjects have a direct vocational or professional link, like Law or Actuarial Science. All are a useful intellectual training in different approaches to social questions. Further on in this Prospectus, each subject has its own section describing the degrees and courses available.

The subjects

Taking first the subjects in our title. Economics studies the choices individuals, businesses and societies make in how much to spend, save and invest, and how these choices work with and against each other; Political Science studies the interaction between power and ideas, and the structures and systems people have developed for governing societies.

Law examines and analyses the rules that society establishes to promote justice and order. The system of states, the factors which influence their behaviour and the ways in which they organise relations between them, are studied in International Relations.

The present and future development of societies is, of course, influenced by their past; and relevant aspects of political, economic and international history are all taught at the School. Societies have their effects on the environment, and on where human activities are located and relate to each other spatially: Geography seeks to understand these aspects of social relationships.

Sociology examines different forms of order, disorder and change in social life, and particularly the everyday assumptions people make about these aspects of their social world; Social Psychology analyses the social processes influencing human social behaviour and the cognitive processes by which people interpret their experience of social life. Social Anthropology is concerned with the variety of cultural solutions to the dilemmas of social existence, with particular attention paid to people often called primitives, or peasants, or cultural minorities. Social Policy studies the policies of modern industrial societies on social services and welfare benefits of all kinds: health, education, housing, pensions, etc. Population Studies considers the implications of population growth, migration, fertility and mortality from a range of viewpoints.

Employment Relations analyses the relationships between workers, trade unions, management and the state in advanced industrial societies. A study of Accounting and Finance demonstrates how wealth is measured and managed, and how that process influences the management of organisations. Management emphasises the application of theory to the practical running of organisations.

Philosophy considers problems concerning human knowledge and the understanding and evaluation of logic and argument; at the School, there is a particular expertise in the philosophy of science and social science. Mathematics and other forms of quantitative understanding are important means of analysing human activities. Actuarial Science applies mathematical and statistical skills and understanding to the work required for insurance, pensions and other financial services, and Business Mathematics and Statistics considers the relationships of facts and figures as well as mathematical techniques in their business applications, while Management Science studies mathematical and statistical techniques for management purposes in association with courses from other relevant fields.

The degrees

Most of our degrees allow you to combine study in more than one of these subjects either for joint honours (eg, Mathematics and Economics) or with one major subject and one minor (eg, Geography with Economics). Almost all require or allow you to choose at least one 'outside' option (ie, from a range of courses in any other subject taught within the School) to enable you to approach your main area of study in a more inclusive and holistic way. Others draw on different subjects to provide an interdisciplinary approach to a particular topic (eg, in Management).

A modern foreign language option is generally available on those degree programmes which offer an outside option.

Some degrees give exemptions from certain professional examinations (details are given in the section on each subject); but our degrees are intended to provide a sound intellectual rather than simply professional training. Our students go on to a range of careers which are rarely restricted by the choice of degree subject. We believe that success in your degree and in your subsequent career is best achieved by choosing subjects that interest you and that you are good at.

We believe that, for what we offer, a high level of academic ability and commitment is more important than previous subject knowledge. We do not, for most degrees, expect you to have A level or previous qualifications in the subjects you wish to study at LSE; our degrees are designed to allow (and sometimes require) you to explore unfamiliar subjects. For most degrees we do expect you to have at least GCSE Grade C (or equivalent) in Mathematics, and good grades at A level, or equivalent, in traditional academic subjects. The majority of our degrees also expect that you will have excellent skills in spoken and written English, and will require you to contribute to class discussion and produce course essays throughout your time here.

Teaching methods

LSE believes in a traditional approach to teaching, ensuring students have a solid understanding of their subjects.

In almost all our degrees, you would normally take four courses a year. In each course, teaching will consist of a mixture of lectures and linked classes, running in parallel, in which you would work through questions and problems raised in the lectures and present and discuss your own papers or essays. Lectures are attended by all the students taking the course (and some attending out of general interest); on a popular course, there could be as many as 300 students in a lecture. For the classes, you would be allocated to a much smaller group.

Lectures are not compulsory but are strongly recommended. Classes, however, are obligatory and you would also usually be expected to submit two written pieces of work per course during the year. Class teachers report each term on each student's attendance, work in class and written work submitted for the class. The student's tutor receives these reports and although they do not contribute to the final degree result, they can affect whether the student is allowed to continue on the course and to take the examination.

In some courses, the two functions of lectures and classes may be combined in seminars or small group tutorials: this may depend on the numbers taking the course, and on the subject being studied.

The taught elements of our degrees are intended only as a framework around which each student must work, allowing you a structure for your own research and reading. We would expect that in addition to formal contact time, our students spend at least double the amount of contact time pursuing their own research.

A typical undergraduate timetable may involve 9 to 12 hours of teaching per week, but the associated reading and writing of essays, projects and other course work assignments make up a full working week.

Programme regulations

Detailed programme regulations , including individual course guides and other information relating to the administration of our degrees is published in the
School's Calendar at the start of each session at www.lse.ac.uk/calendar. Proposed changes for future years are also published as they become available.

It also contains a Code of Good Practice for Undergraduate Programmes which describes the obligations which staff and students have to each other in the organisation and maintenance of the process of teaching and learning.

Examination and assessment

Like our teaching methods, LSE has a traditional approach to examinations and assessments. In almost all degrees, students are examined at the end of each year in the courses taken in that year. Examination is mostly by three hour unseen examination; in many courses, there is also a requirement to submit special essays, course work assignments or project reports as part of the examination.

Academic quality

LSE seeks to maintain the standard and quality of its teaching by using a range of different systems and measures:

Internal systems

All proposals for new courses and programmes are considered carefully by a committee drawn from all teaching departments, not just the department putting the proposal forward.
All major changes to existing courses and programmes go to this committee as well.
Student views are very important as a measure of teaching quality. Each year the School conducts a comprehensive survey of students' opinions of the teaching they have received. There are also regular surveys on support facilities, such as the Library and IT services.
Examiners from outside the School take part each year in setting examinations, reviewing results and deciding on degrees awarded.
External examiners also report to the School on standards and quality, and their comments and suggestions are taken very seriously.
The quality of each department's educational provision is reviewed at five yearly intervals on behalf of the School's Teaching, Learning and Assessment Committee by a team with internal and external members.

This activity is conducted through several School committees, all of which have student members. In addition, each department has a staff/student committee, which is in turn represented on a School-wide undergraduate student forum.

External systems

Until 2001 the main means of reviewing standards and quality from outside the School was through subject reviews carried out by a national body, the Quality Assurance Agency. These reviews were carried out on a subject by subject basis by teams of academics from other institutions.

The results for these reviews are published on the QAA website : www.qaa.ac.uk.

2001 HEFCE Research Assessment Exercise

Research quality is assessed by the Higher Education Funding Council for England on the basis of: up to four published works of the research active staff; the numbers of research active staff, postdoctoral and postgraduate research assistants, research support staff, research students, research degrees awarded, funded research studentships; external research income and contracts; current and future research plans. The assessments are made on a subject by subject basis.

The 2001 exercise covered 97 per cent of all the academic staff at LSE, the highest proportion for any university institution. The results showed that LSE is second in the table, behind Cambridge. Seven subject areas received the highest grade of 5*. In total, LSE received 12 grades of 5 and 5* for all but one of its units of assessment being maintained or improved overall. Individual department ratings are listed under each programme entry. The next UK Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) results will be published in 2008.

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