MSc City Design and Social Science

at London School of Economics

You will take four compulsory courses including a core studio workshop, taught courses on critical urban theories and issues, and options chosen from the suite of urban courses taught across LSE. You will also undertake an independent project under faculty supervision. 

Guest practitioners from industry, expert speakers and masterclasses on key urban issues complement the core academic programme, and you will be linked into the wealth of urban expertise across LSE. 

A field-trip will support and extend your intensive teaching programme in London.

(* denotes half unit)

City Design: Research Studio 
Promotes an understanding of the city as a social and built environment and provides you with an appreciation of the complexities of urban design and development processes through in-depth research and project work on a critical site in London. 

Courses to the value of one unit from the following:
Cities by Design*
Examines the relationship between built form and its social, political and cultural impacts in the changing city.

City-making: the Politics of Urban Form*
Provides a critical understanding of the political underpinnings of major urban development projects and practices across international city contexts. 

Urban Social Theory*
Provides a comprehensive introduction to urban social theory.

Independent Project
Allows you to work on an extended research or design project in consultation with a faculty supervisor.  

Courses to the value of one unit from a range of options

Minimum entry requirements for MSc City Design and Social Science 

Upper second class honours (2:1) degree or equivalent professional qualifications or experience in any relevant field of architecture, urban design, planning, engineering, social science, law and humanities, management, mathematics, statistics or natural science.

Competition for places at the School is high. This means that even if you meet the minimum entry requirement, this does not guarantee you an offer of admission.

Every graduate student is charged a fee for their programme.

The fee covers registration and examination fees payable to the School, lectures, classes and individual supervision, lectures given at other colleges under intercollegiate arrangements and, under current arrangements, membership of the Students' Union. It does not cover living costs or travel or fieldwork.

Tuition fees 2022/23 for MSc City Design and Social Science 
Home students: £30,360
Overseas students: £30,960

Quick Careers Facts for the Department of Sociology
Median salary of our PG students six months after graduating: £31,500

Top 5 sectors our students work in: 

• Public administration and defence
• Architectural and engineering activities
• Education
• Social work activities
• Advertising and market research 

The data was collected as part of the Graduate Outcomes survey, which is administered by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Graduates from 2017-18 were the first group to be asked to respond to Graduate Outcomes. Median salaries are calculated for respondents who are paid in UK pounds sterling.

Graduates from this programme find international career opportunities across the urban design, planning and development fields in the private, public and community sectors – as designers and planners, project managers and consultants, researchers and entrepreneurs. A vibrant alumni network offers guidance and support for current students and recent graduates.