MSc Economics

at London School of Economics

This programme comprises 10 months of full-time study. You will attend an initial course known as Introductory Course in Mathematics and Statistics (before the main teaching programme starts) in late August 2022. This course includes reviews concepts in optimization, fixed point theory, dynamic programming and optimal control, and in probability and statistics, amongst other topics.

You will take three compulsory courses, an elective course and an extended essay linked to the elective course during the main teaching programme. 

Please note: ten-month master's programmes are not compliant with the Bologna process, which may affect the extent to which they are 'recognised'. For more information, see Bologna process.

Macroeconomics 
Focuses on core models of growth and business cycle fluctuations, drawing on developments at the frontiers of research.

Either: Microeconomics
Focuses on classical theories of choice, general equilibrium, game theory, information economics as well as their applications from industrial organization to political economy. The relationship to new developments in behavioural economics and other fields will also be discussed. 

Or (with permission)
Advanced Microeconomics
Gives more emphasis to mathematical methods following a proof-based approach, and provides a firmer grounding in classical microeconomic theory while also discussing recent developments in economic theory.

Econometrics 
Presents modern, technical tools for empirical analysis in economics, for cross section, time series and panel data; focusing on the properties of different estimation models as well as illustrating the use of these techniques in practical problems.

Minimum entry requirements for MSc Economics
 

• First class honours degree in economics or equivalent with concentration in economics and quantitative subjects. Successful candidates will typically have achieved very good examination results in university-level two-semester length courses in [a] mathematics (both advanced calculus and linear algebra), [b] econometrics and statistics, [c] intermediate macro and microeconomics.
• If your first degree is not in economics, you should apply to take the MSc Economics  (2 year) programme. Candidates with a technical degree and a strong quantitative background might wish to consider applying to MSc Econometrics and Mathematical Economics. 
• Competition for places at the School is high. This means that even if you meet our minimum entry requirements, this does not guarantee you an offer of admission.
• If you have studied or are studying outside of the UK then please have a look at our Information for International Students to find out the entry requirements that apply to you.

GRE/GMAT requirement

GRE is required for applicants without a UK undergraduate degree in economics. This must be no more than five years old on 1 October 2022, and must include full and percentile test scores for all three sections with their application. Please see Admissions Enquiries for more information.

We do not require a specific mark but the test gives us an indication of aptitude for economics. Typically we expect candidates to score at least 161 in the quantitative section of the test. A higher score will count in your favour, but other information, such as examination results and references will also matter in the overall evaluation. We recognise that if your first language is not English, the verbal test will be more demanding and we view your score on that basis.

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 Economics
Home students: £31,584
Overseas students: £32,208

Quick Careers Facts for the Department of Economics
Median salary of our PG students six months after graduating: £43,500

Top 5 sectors our students work in: 

• Financial service activities
• Legal and accounting activities
• Management consultancy activities
• Education
• Public administration and defence

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.
 

Our former students are employed as economists in a wide range of national and international organisations in government, international institutions, business and finance. In recent years, our graduates have gained employment in organisations such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Bank of America, Credit Suisse, NERA Economic Consulting, PwC, Deloitte, Compass Lexecon, McKinsey, IMF, World Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Bundesbank, Bank of England, and HM Treasury.
 

Approximately one third of students proceed to PhD programmes at LSE or other leading universities. In recent years, our MSc in Economics students have been placed at MIT, Princeton, Stanford, Chicago, Columbia, Yale, NYU, Northwestern, Penn, MIT Sloan, UCLA, Wisconsin-Madison, Cornell and many other top PhD programmes around the world.