Programme specifications - MSc Social Policy and Development
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Awarding Body
Details of accreditation by a
professional/statutory body,
e.g. ESRC; BPS etc
Name of final award
Programme Title
Duration of the course
Based in the Department/Institute:
Relevant QAA subject benchmark
statements (See Subject Benchmark
Statements)
UCAS Code
First written/last amended
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The programme aims to:
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LSE
MSc
MSc Social Policy and Development
12 Months
Social Policy
L4U7
June 2003 / November 2012
To provide advanced post-graduate education and training in the inter-disciplinary field of
Social Policy in a research active environment with particular reference to the context of
developing and transitional country contexts with an emphasis on bringing together
students from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences (to create an environment
in which students can learn from each other);
To provide students (who normally come to the course with some professional
experience) with the skills either to continue in the wide range of careers concerned with
social policy and planning in developing and transitional country contexts (in government,
NGOs, private sector or inter-governmental organisations such as the UN) or to engage in
further academic research on these themes;
To provide students with a wide range of choices to assemble an inter-disciplinary
postgraduate programme (drawing on option courses both within and outside the
Department, and a dissertation project) that meets their individual goals in acquiring
theory and specific knowledge and skills which will assist them in their future work as
researchers, policy makers or practitioners concerned with social policy, social
development and poverty reduction;
To develop and improve students’ analytical, organisational and planning skills, and
enhance written and oral communication skills.
Programme outcomes: knowledge and understanding; skills and other attributes
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have an understanding of the historical evolution of thinking about social policy and
development and of the major theoretical, methodological and policy debates relating to
social policy and planning in both the academic literature and ‘real world’ of development
practice;
understand the links between political, economic, organisational and social/cultural
variables which determine relations between states, markets and society and between
global, national and local level structures in the policy process;
understand the meaning of social science research methods and debates among those
who work on development policy, the basic principles of the main types of data collection
and analysis, and the approaches of participatory appraisal and research and the main
planning tools (such as stakeholder analysis, the project concept note, logical framework
analysis, gender planning etc, taught through a Project Planning component) commonly
utilised by development agencies such DFID, UN and NGOs;
have an advanced understanding of either interdisciplinary or disciplinary based
knowledge relevant to their particular goals of work or further study derived from two or
more specialised subjects (chosen with the approval of their supervisor from an approved
list of post-graduate courses offered from within the Department and the School more
widely.
Please follow the link for information relating to careers.
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Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be achieved and
demonstrated
Teaching and learning strategies:
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various teaching, learning and assessment strategies are used to enable the outcomes
above to be achieved - lectures, seminars, tutorials and self-directed study;
 lecture formats are varied, including both traditional formats, audio visual and electronic
presentations; outside speakers provide practice-focused presentation and discussion
sessions;
 seminars are interactive and usually organised around themes for discussion or readings;
these aim to deepen and consolidate knowledge, and develop critical awareness and
communication skills;
 one-to-one tutorials provide individual pastoral and academic support;
 a residential project planning workshop is held each year at Cumberland Lodge, Windsor.
Assessment strategies:
 unseen examinations;
 essays (formative and/or summative);
 dissertation (summative); summative assessment is carried out anonymously;
13. Programme structures and requirements, levels, modules and awards
See the MSc Social Policy & Development programme regulations for further information.
Additional information
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Criteria for admission to the programme
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Applicants with a background in any subject are considered, although a first degree in a
social science subject is an advantage
need to have obtained, or expect to obtain, at least 70 per cent of the available marks in
students’ final year examinations. If the institution uses the cumulative grade point
average (GPA) system student should normally have obtained, or expect to obtain, a GPA
of at least 3.5 (out of 4) or above.
If the first language is not English or if the language of instruction of the previous degree
is not English, we ask evidence of command of English through the following:
Standard: 6.5 in IELTS (at least 6.0 in each section) or 100 in the internet-based TOEFL
(at least 21 in writing, and 20 in the other three elements)
Higher: 7.0 in IELTS (at least 6.0 in each section) or 107 in the internet-based TOEFL (at
least 21 in writing, and 20 in the other three elements)
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Indicators of quality
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steady demand for the programme;
high entry requirements;
good examination results;
favourable remarks from external examiners;
students’ questionnaires via the Teaching Quality Assessment surveys.
The LSE Careers Centre website provides data on career destinations of LSE graduates.
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Methods for evaluating and improving the quality and standard of teaching and
learning
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the Department takes seriously the feedback on teaching quality provided by the annual
Teaching Quality Assessment survey of students;
the Department holds termly staff-student meetings at which student representatives from
all programmes are able to raise issues of concern. It takes forward suggestions and
proposals coming from that meeting;
each programme in the Department has one or two elected student representatives who
bring issues of concern to the staff member with management responsibility for the
Programme and to the staff-student meeting;
the Department has a Teaching Committee; part of its remit is to plan provision and
support innovation;
the Department (and School) takes seriously the feedback from external examiners;
comments made by external examiners are followed up within the Department and by the
School;
the School’s 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.
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