Programme Specification: MSc Political Economy of Europe *
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
Political Economy of Europe
Full-time 12 months; part-time 24 months
European Institute
N/A
L2EU
March 2006 / November 2012
10. The programme aims to:
Provide students with an in depth knowledge and understanding of the European economy
and polity, including different aspects of capitalism and the welfare state in Europe, economic
and political integration, transition and enlargement in Central Europe, combining the main
theoretical frameworks of political science, political economy and applied economic analysis.
11. Programme outcomes: knowledge and understanding; skills and other attributes
The central objective of the programme is to offer students interested in the integration of
capitalist democracies the opportunity to study the politics as well as in the economic
outcomes of public policymaking. Students will learn to think like a political economist in the
use of comparative case studies, in paying attention to institutional detail and in the evaluation
of public policies.
On successful completion, MSc students will have acquired the following skills:
 To produce lucid, coherent, analytic written papers on a topic related to European
political-economic integration from an interdisciplinary perspective;
 To design, conduct and write up a brief research report on a topic of current
developments in Europe directly related to their field of study;
 To make concise, clear, oral presentations based on sound analysis, robust evidence
and arguments from more than one discipline;
In MT 2010 the EI started a ‘Careers Forum’, in which representatives of possible employers
(consultancies, media, lobbying groups, European institutions and their ‘satellites’ in Brussels,
etc.) come and talk to students about their type of work. For further information relating to
careers.
12. Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be achieved
and demonstrated
Teaching and learning strategies
There is generally a one-hour lecture and a 90 minute seminar per week. Some courses have
started to experiment with 2-hr active seminars instead of the lecture + seminar model. In
seminars, students give an oral presentation or participate in an equivalent exercise as
designed by course conveners. Teaching is based on concepts and requires students to
provide evidence for particular theoretical interpretations.
Assessment strategies:
The primary mode of formative assessment is through mandatory written essays and seminar
presentations.
Full-unit courses are examined by a three-hour written examination in June.
Half-unit courses are examined by a two-hour written examination in June.
A number of courses has introduced summative essays that count for 25% of the final mark of
the course.
The dissertation component, which comprises a quarter of the overall assessment, allows the
student to make an in depth study of a topic of his or her own choice. As of the academic year
2010-11, support for the dissertation has been significantly enhanced. Students submit a
preliminary proposal, on the basis of which they are assigned a supervisor, who guides them
through the process of writing a 2-3000 word essay on the topic of the dissertation at the
beginning of Summer Term. These essays, with revisions, form the basis of the final approval
of the dissertation project. Additional guidance and advice is available after the exams.
13. Programme structures and requirements, levels, modules and awards
See the MSc Political Economy of Europe programme regulations.
Additional information
14. Criteria for admission to the programme
Applicants for the MSc Political Economy of Europe should have a good upper second or first
class degree, or a GPA of 3.5 or better in any of the social sciences, including contemporary
history and international relations.
15. Indicators of quality
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Steady demand for the programme and high qualifications required for admission.
Consistently good examination results and favourable remarks by External Examiners.
Student questionnaires and feedback via student liaison committees.
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
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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.
Departmental Teaching Committee.
SSLC meetings in each term.
Course teaching surveys by TQARO
The Institute’s system of periodic review for its programmes
Essays, Mock Exams, the exam, student evaluation forms, student questionnaires,
regular contact with colleagues to discuss student’s progress and improvements to
the course.
* Formerly MSc European Political Economy until end 2011/12.