Programme specifications - MSc Social Policy and Development: Non-Governmental
Organisations
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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
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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: NonGovernmental Organisations
12 months
Social Policy
M1T2
January 2004 / 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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to improve understanding of NGOs and the various contexts in which they operate
to develop a broad understanding of the work of NGOs in relation to internal systems and
structures, principal activities and relationships with other actors including but not limited
to governments, donors, intergovernmental organisations, corporations, etc.
to understand and apply relevant concepts and theories drawn from several research
fields (development studies, social policy, management and organisation studies,
anthropology, sociology, political theory) to NGO questions and problems
to gain an analytical understanding of the literature on non-governmental organisations;
to gain a working understanding of civil society and development literature;
students should develop a critical understanding of selected concepts from the wider
social science literature related to NGOs and civil society.
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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 and Development: Non-Governmental Organisations programme
regulations for further information.
Additional information
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Criteria for admission to the programme
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undergraduate degree in a relevant social science field
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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