Programme Specification: MSc Comparative Politics
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
MSc
Comparative Politics
12 months full-time, 24 months part-time
Government Department
N/A
M1I2
August 2004 / November 2012
10. The programme aims to:
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Provide an academically challenging education, in a research-active environment, to
intellectually able students from a wide range of countries;
Provide access to the wider context of the social sciences;
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;
Enable students who go directly into non-academic careers (e.g. government, the
voluntary sector, international organisations, business and media) to become
articulate, clear thinking individuals, able critically to analyse complex bodies of
material;
All programmes aim to provide advanced postgraduate education, and, in the case of
RT programmes, research training in the social sciences, of the highest standards;
Programmes in Government and IR aim to provide specialist study opportunities to
students with a first degree in a cognate area;
The CP programme aims to entail the comparative study of political systems. Among
the key issues it covers are democratic theory and practice; democratisation and
transition away from authoritarianism; nationalism and ethnic conflict; comparative
electoral and party systems; modernisation theory; rational choice theory and theories
of collective action; political culture; political resistance and comparative political
economy.
The programme also offers a wide range of country and area-specific options relating
to Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.
The CP MSc programme emphasises historical and comparative approaches to the
study of politics.
11. Programme outcomes: knowledge and understanding; skills and other attributes
Students completing Masters degrees should possess:
 An advanced, critical, understanding of the main theoretical and policy debates within
their chosen field;
 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 carry out a research project using a variety of methodologies and
transfer research skills to new problems;
Information relating to careers can be accessed here
12. Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be achieved
and demonstrated
Students taking the (half-unit) core course write one 2,500 word assessed essay (worth 25%
of the marks) and take a two-hour unseen exam in June. Students attend 10 lectures and 11
seminars.
All Government core courses and options require students to make presentations.
Comments on presentations are offered to students and recorded on end-of-term report
forms.
Students take a half-unit skills course (qualitative plus quantitative methods) and choose from
a wide range of Government Department options. Options outside the department can be
taken with the permission of the Comparative Politics MSc convenor and the teacher of the
option.
All students write a 10,000 word dissertation designed to test their ability to do a high-quality
piece of independent research and analysis over the summer.
All students have personal tutors whose main role is: to guide students' choice of suitable
options: to help where requested with advice on essays for the core course; to act as advisor
and watchdog on the student's overall academic performance, as well as first port of call when
the student has academic or personal problems to discuss; most significantly, to help the
student to choose a suitable topic for the dissertation, and to ensure that the student by the
end of the summer term has a topic which fits the MSc's remit and can be completed with the
resources and within the time available.
13. Programme structures and requirements, levels, modules and awards
See MSc Comparative Politics programme regulations.
Additional information
14. Criteria for admission to the programme
A first degree of a UK university or equivalent in a subject appropriate to the programme to be
followed. Most graduate programmes assume that the student will have prior knowledge to
degree level in particular disciplines. Competition varies between programmes and the level
of grades/marks required will vary. For most programmes students will need a first class
honours degree or its equivalent.
Students who are taking or have taken a recognised degree programme outside the UK will
need to have obtained, or expect to obtain, at least 70 per cent of the available marks in their
final year examinations. If their country uses the cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA)
system they should have normally obtained, or expect to obtain, a GPA of at least 3.5 (out of
4) or above.
15. Indicators of quality
High demand for the programme and high qualifications required for admission.
1. The high fees paid by students taking the programme.
2. Consistently good examination results and very favourable remarks by external
examiners.
3. Student questionnaires run by the School and feedback via student liaison
committees.
4. 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
MSc Convenors’ Meeting which raises teaching issues and reviews regulations and
assessment methods. 2 per year.
MSc Student Representatives Meetings. 2 per year.
MSc Student Meetings. 1 per year per programme.
Postgraduate Teaching Review. 5 yearly cycle per programme.
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The Teaching and Learning Centre is available to monitor and observe teaching and
offers constructive advice on how to improve the standard of teaching and quality;
Departmental TLAC review once every five years;
The Teaching Learning and Assessment Committee which regulates all aspects of
teaching quality;
The Graduate Studies Sub-Committee which oversees all graduate programmes and
ensures that significant changes to programmes and courses pass through a
sequence of formal stages, so that curricular changes are appropriate and compatible
with other developments;
Course teaching surveys (administered by TQARO).