Programme Specification: MPA Public and Economic Policy
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
N/A
MPA
Public and Economic Policy
21 months
Programme is managed via the Institute of
Public Affairs, in partner with all the
Departments which contribute to the core
curriculum. (Government, Economics,
Management, International Development, the
European Institute and Social Policy).
Politics and International Relations
M1UN
April 2003 / November 2012
10. The programme aims to:






to provide an academically challenging education, in a research-active environment;
to intellectually enable students from a wide range of countries;
to provide access to the wider context of the social sciences;
to enable students intending to pursue higher degrees to develop the necessary
analytical and theoretical sophistication, and breadth and depth of understanding,
within their field of study, thus enabling all students, whatever their chosen career, to
become articulate, clear-thinking individuals able to critically analyse complex bodies
of material;
to provide advanced post-graduate education and research training in the social
sciences of the highest academic standards;
to provide specialist study opportunities to students with a first degree in a cognate
area.
11. Programme outcomes: knowledge and understanding; skills and other attributes
Programme outcomes:
This 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.
Knowledge and understanding:
Students completing the MPA degree should possess:





an advanced, critical understanding of the main theoretical and policy debates within
public and economic policy;
specialist knowledge of at least one sub-field of their chosen area;
the ability to work independently, employing an empirical and analytical knowledge of
their field in the planning and presentation of succinct, precise arguments – written
and oral;
the ability to design and independently execute written work on approved subjects
within the field;
a critical understanding of the main methodological and philosophical problems

involved in research in their field;
knowledge of the skills appropriate to research in their fields, and detailed knowledge
of the main findings and theories associated with the particular focus of their degree.
12. Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be achieved
and demonstrated
1 Teaching
1.1 Design
This programme is a full-time, 21 month programme at LSE. Students have the opportunity to
apply to spend their second year on the full-time MPA/MIA programme at SIPA (Columbia
University), the MPA programme at Sciences Po, the MPP programme at the Hertie School of
Governance, or the MPP programme at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the
National University of Singapore. Students admitted by a partner school will transfer to the
MPA Dual Degree programme at the beginning of their second year.
Over the course of two academic years, students on the MPA Public and Economic Policy
take eight course units (four in each year). Students take 4.5 units of MPA core courses:
EC440 Macro and Microeconomics for Public Policy (1 unit)
EC455 Quantitative Approaches and Policy Analysis (1 unit)
GV478 Political Science and Public Policy (1 unit)
GV4D5 Organisations, Power and Leadership (0.5 units)
MPA Capstone project (1 unit)
and 1 policy stream course:
EC406 Economic Policy Analysis (1 unit)
In addition students take one of the following:



the MPA Policy Paper (0.5 units) and two units of option courses; or
the MPA Dissertation (1 unit) and 1.5 units of option courses: or
2.5 units of option courses
1.2 Modes of Delivery
Students are taught through lectures, seminars and classes, depending on subject matter.
Options courses are designed and implemented according to the regulations of the Master’s
Programmes throughout the School to which they are attached as core courses.
Of the MPA core courses:
i)
Micro and Macro Economics (for Public Policy), Quantitative Approaches and
Policy Analysis and Economic Policy Analysis are covered in a combination of
lectures (during which students are introduced to material) and classes (during
which students apply their knowledge of the material covered). For the latter, both
computer rooms and classrooms are used.
ii)
Political Science and Public Policy and Organisations, Power and Leadership are
taught via lecture and seminar
1.3 Staff Expertise
Core Course teaching is conducted by members of LSE’s Department of Government and
Department of Economics. Guest lecturers from elsewhere in LSE, as well as public sector
organisations, contribute at various points in the two academic years.
2.
Learning
2.1 The role of lectures, seminars and classes
Lectures play an important role in teaching, providing as overview of the syllabus and
supplementing/updating the literature on the subject. Most lecture series are associated with
examination courses. Attendance is not compulsory, although students are strongly advised to
attend lectures associated with their courses.
Seminars are a key feature of teaching. Most seminars involve student presentations as a
way of starting discussion and teaching students the art of presenting succinctly a body of
complex material. Seminars are compulsory, attendance and participation is noted.
The primary purpose of classes is to deepen and broaden student understanding of core
material taught in lectures, to enable application of principles as appropriate and to enable
students to learn in an interactive environment. The nature of the subject matter and the level
of the module for which it is provided largely dictate the format of classes. Accordingly, both
classrooms and computer rooms are used.
2.2 Support
Each student is allocated as their personal tutor a member of academic staff from one of the
departments that contributes to the MPA.
All teachers hold regular office hours for student consultations.
Information on study skills, IT training, library resources and language support is given to
students during orientation and is available on the LSE website.
Reading lists, lecture notes, articles and other readings are provided for each of the MPA core
courses, mainly via Moodle.
Material for options courses is provided via the department under whose regulations the
course falls.
Scheduled support classes and drop-in sessions are held throughout the year for students
who need extra support with mathematics and statistics.
3
Assessment
3.1 Formative Assessment and Feedback
Students are encouraged to consult class teachers about specific queries either during regular
office hours or by e-mail. Class teachers and faculty hold weekly (at least) office hours
throughout term. In addition MPA core modules provide tailored formative assessment.
For Organisations, Power and Leadership, through the MPA Moodle site, discussion pages
are created for each week’s session, enabling both seminar leaders and peers to provide
feedback on presentations.
All MPA students have a supervisor from one of the MPA-owning departments, who maintains
an overview of their progress and offers advice on dissertations and policy papers.
3.2 Summative Assessment
This Programme conforms to the most recent version of the “Scheme for the award of MPA
Degrees”
All written components of summative assessment are double-blind marked, with samples and
borderline cases moderated by the external examiner. Option courses are managed by the
department that owns the course.
As of October 2012, the summative assessment is as follows:
Micro and Macro Economics (for Public Policy)
A three-hour written examination in the summer term.
Political Science and Public Policy
An essay of 2,500 words submitted by the second week of ST, accounting for 20% of the
overall mark; a three-hour written examination in the ST, accounting for 60% of the overall
mark; and four applications exercises, carried out in groups accounting, in all, for 20% of the
overall mark.
Quantitative Approaches and Policy Analysis
There will be one data analysis exercise, to be completed by the end of the eighth week of LT
that will count for 25% of the marks. There will be one group project, to be developed and
presented during Lent term, that will count for 10% of the marks. A final three-hour
examination will count for the remaining 65% of the marks.
Economic Policy Analysis
A three-hour written examination in the summer term.
Organisations, Power and Leadership
An essay of 4,000 words counts for 60% of overall marks, a case study analysis of 2,000
words counts for 25%, an individual seminar presentation counts for 10% and the student's
structured participation in the seminars counts 5%.
Capstone
The project work is conducted in teams, and the assessment is based on a collective group
mark for each component, except in exceptional circumstances. Following a presentation and
submission of the project report to the client organisation, the client organisation awards a
mark worth 20% of the total Capstone mark. The project report of no more than 15,000 words
is marked by academic markers and worth 60% of the final mark. The Capstone supervisor
awards the remaining 20% of marks based on (i) scoping and project development and (ii)
group working and self-management as a team
Dissertation
An abstract, title, contents page and five page synopsis submitted during Michaelmas Term
counts for 10% of the final mark. The remaining 90% is awarded on the basis of the final
dissertation.
Policy Paper
One 6,000 word policy paper worth 100%.
Options Courses
Assessment of options courses is as per the Departmental regulations under which the course
falls.
13. Programme structures and requirements, levels, modules and awards
See MPA Public and Economic Policy programme regulations for more information.
Additional information
14. Criteria for admission to the programme
A minimum of an equivalent of an upper second class honours degree is required.
GRE/GMAT is not required, but will be considered if provided. Proof of English language
ability if English is not the native language or if applicant did not complete undergraduate
work where English was the language of instruction is required. The MPA Programme
requires LSE’s higher English language requirement.
15. Indicators of quality
1.High demand for the programme, and high qualifications required for admission.
2.The high fees paid by students taking the programme.
3.Consistently good examination results and very favourable remarks by external examiners.
4.Student questionnaires and feedback via staff-student liaison committees.
5. The LSE Careers Centre website provides data on career destinations of LSE graduates.
16. Methods for evaluating and improving the quality and standard of teaching and
learning
Departmental mechanisms:
 MPA Student Representatives Meetings: 3-4 per year;
 Postgraduate Teaching Review: 5 yearly cycle per programme;
 The MPA Teaching Committee meets regularly, and teaching issues are also
reviewed at internal examiners meetings in February and at the annual MPA
Exam Board meeting in July.
School mechanisms:
 regular staff appraisal;
 student survey by TQARO;
 external examiner check-up system by TLAC;
 Consideration and approval of all new courses and programmes, and major
modifications, by GSSC;
 full departmental TLAC review every 5 years.