Programme Specification: MSc Philosophy of the Social Sciences
1. Awarding Body
2. Details of accreditation by a
professional/statutory body, e.g. ESRC;
BPS etc
3. Name of final award
4. Programme Title
5. Duration of the course
6. Based in the Department/Institute:
7. Relevant QAA subject benchmark
statements
8. Application Code
9. First written/last amended
LSE
Accredited for the AHRC Research Master’s
Studentship
MSc
Philosophy of the Social Sciences
12 months full-time, 24 months part-time
Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method
N/A
V7U1
November 2010
10. The programme aims to:
1. Provide advanced training in analytic philosophy of the social sciences;
2. Develop students’ understanding of conceptual, methodological and normative issues in
social science and economics;
3. Prepare students for doctoral research in the philosophy of social science.
11. Programme outcomes: knowledge and understanding; skills and other attributes
Subject knowledge. A student should have knowledge and understanding of the following
areas:
 contemporary philosophy of the social sciences and its history;
 theoretical and methodological debates in one or more of the social sciences;
 social scientific research programmes and practices, and their history.
Subject skills. A student should develop the ability to:
 integrate philosophical and social scientific perspectives
 accurately identify the philosophical claims and positions in a text, either philosophical or
social scientific;
 use primary and secondary sources, both paper and electronic, relevant to the topic under
study.
Transferable intellectual skills.
Analysis, synthesis, critical judgement and evaluation: A student should demonstrate the
ability to
 bring together information and materials from a variety of different sources;
 reconstruct a charitable interpretation of an argument, clearly identifying both its premises
and logic;
 make a critical judgement of the merits of particular arguments;
 present and make a reasoned choice between alternative philosophical positions.
 undertake independent research in areas of philosophy which he or she has not
previously studied starting from standard information sources;
 to reflect on his or her own learning, and to seek and make use of feedback.
Information relating to careers can be accessed here
12. Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be achieved
and demonstrated
 The seminar meetings for the core course, Dissertation Seminar: Philosophy of the Social
Sciences are held weekly during each term. This seminar provides an opportunity for
students to discuss the topics of their dissertation, present sections of their current
research, and critique and evaluate the arguments of their peers.

Assessment: Philosophy of the Social Sciences, which is taken by the majority of students
in the MSc programme, is assessed by means of a three hour examination held in June
worth 100% of the final mark. For the other optional courses, examination methods appear
in the Calendar. For courses offered in other departments, examinations are usually held
in June and may or may not include assessed written work. Marks in the three courses
and the essay contribute equally to the final degree result. The pass mark in most courses
is 50, and the mark for distinction is 70.

Supervisors: All students are allocated a personal supervisor who will be their most
important academic link within the School. The supervisor’s responsibilities are to advise
on course options, to review academic progress more generally and to supervise the
research and writing of the dissertation. Supervisors should be able to deal with most
queries that arise. They are also the person to approach when written references are
required. Students should expect to see their supervisor at least once each term (see the
LSE Code of Practice for Taught Masters Students).
13. Programme structures and requirements, levels, modules and awards
See the MSc Philosophy of the Social Sciences programme regulations.
Additional information
14. Criteria for admission to the programme
For this programme applicants should have achieved a good upper second-class honours
degree or its equivalent. Degrees in any discipline, with a considered interest in the area
covered by the MSc, will be considered. If the student’s first language is not English, they
need to submit a sample of written work, in English (five to ten pages), with their application.
15. Indicators of quality
a. Consistently positive reports from external examiners.
b. Research quality: 5*A in 2001 RAE, more recently, the department has been ranked joint
third in the UK for the proportion of its work deemed ‘world leading’ in the 2008 RAE.
c. Members of the Department have written key texts and influential articles in many of the
subject areas falling within the scope of the MSc in Philosophy of Social Science.
d. Members of the Department serve or have served on the editorial boards of many leading
journals, including Mind, Philosophy of Science, Theory and Decision, and Economics
and Philosophy.
16. Methods for evaluating and improving the quality and standard of teaching and
learning
 Teaching Committee reviews all aspects of teaching and assessment annually.
 The Staff Student Forum for postgraduate students monitors all aspects of graduate
teaching. The Postgraduate Tutor is responsible for handling any problems that arise.
Minutes go to the Departmental Meeting.
 Student surveys. The Teaching Quality Assessment and Review Office conducts surveys
of student opinion at least once a year in each course. Scores for individual lecturers go
to the Head of Department who will take action in the event of a problem. TQARO
surveys feed into the Department’s procedures for monitoring and supporting lecturers as
well as the School’s appointments and promotions procedures.
 Academic staff: Peer review of academic staff on a regular basis. A departmental review
of new faculty normally occurs in the second year after appointment and a School review
in the fourth.
 External Examiners Reports are received soon after the end of year examinations and
feed into both the School’s monitoring procedures and departmental course and
programme reviews.