MSc Health Policy, Planning and Financing

The MSc Health Policy, Planning and Financing teaches you to critically analyse issues in health policy, planning and financing. The programme enables students to devise appropriate health policy responses, and make valuable contributions to local, national, or international health services and system.

This is a joint programme co-designed and co-delivered with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), where students will benefit from the expertise, resources, and networks available at both institutions.

What you'll learn:

• Critically understand a diverse range of international and national health policies, including current and emerging trends
• Gain knowledge of selected topics related to the study of health policy, planning and financing, such as epidemiology, health economics, and social sciences
• Develop skills in applying conceptual and theoretical knowledge using a multidisciplinary approach to formulate, design, implement, evaluate and appraise health policies and plans
• Know how to assess and communicate empirical evidence, including critically appraising debates relevant to issues of health policy
• Grow your research and presentation skills, including the ability to plan and carry out a literature search to evaluate research findings.

For more details on programme structure, please visit the LSHTM website.

The LSE Department of Health Policy offers a wide range of programmes in health policy and health economics. Find out which programme is best for you

The department seeks to advance and challenge our collective understanding of health systems and the social, economic and political contexts in which they operate. Through our research, teaching and scholarship, we aim to influence and inform how health policy is designed, implemented and evaluated globally.

We apply rigorous social science research to emerging health and social care challenges, advising national and international agencies as well as government bodies. This world-leading research is conducted through two affiliated research centres: LSE Health and the Care Policy and Evaluation Centre (CPEC).

Our academics have made significant contributions to developing policies on global health, health equality, older adults, care and welfare.

The department’s research feeds into our multidisciplinary teaching, with an emphasis on health and social care policy, health economics and management. We offer a range of postgraduate master’s programmes and our MPhil/PhD programme. Students learn about healthcare systems around the world and develop skills that can be applied in many different contexts.

Our goal is to prepare the healthcare leaders of tomorrow for challenging and rewarding careers.

Department of Health Policy

Visit the LSHTM website for information about the application process

The programme is ideal for anyone interested in understanding policy making for health services from a nuanced position, to make effective decisions in the delivery of health services in low-, middle- and high-income settings.

Students come from a wide variety of backgrounds – most students have experience working in health policy or public health services, with at least one year’s experience a requirement for admission. This means you’ll be working alongside students who have an enormous wealth of expertise in clinical, policy, or research-related settings with relevance to health.

Applications for this programme are considered on a rolling basis. This means that applications will close once the programme is full.

There is no fixed deadline. However, if you’d like to be considered for any funding opportunities, you must submit your application (and all supporting documents) by the funding deadline. See the fees and funding section below for more details.

See fee information on the LSHTM website

See fee information on the LSHTM website

All taught courses are required to include formative coursework which is unassessed. It's designed to help prepare you for summative assessment which counts towards the course mark and to the degree award. LSE uses a range of formative assessment, such as essays, problem sets, case studies, reports, quizzes, mock exams and many others. Summative assessment may be conducted during the course or by final examination at the end of the course.All full-unit courses are assessed by three hour unseen examinations in the Spring Term. Half-units are assessed by two hour unseen examinations. Some of the half-unit optional courses also have group/individual project work as part of the assessment. An indication of the formative coursework and summative assessment for each course can be found in the relevant course guide.

Career destinations after graduation are wide and varied, reflecting the diverse international mix and multi-disciplinary nature of the Health Policy, Planning and Financing class. Graduates from the programme are typically employed by national governments, international organisations, research/management consultancy, industry and the voluntary sector.

Further information on graduate destinations for this programme

Mentorship Programme

As a student in the LSE Department of Health Policy, you'll be able to apply to take part in our Mentorship Programme. The programme connects current students with one of our alumni, active in a wide range of fields, to provide career mentoring as students graduate from the MSc courses. The programme gives students greater insight into career prospects after graduation and will help students build connections with current health policy leaders and experts to build their network.

Learn more about the programme and our mentors

From CV workshops through to careers fairs, LSE offers lots of information and support to help you make that all-important step from education into work.

Many of the UK’s top employers give careers presentations at the School during the year and there are numerous workshops covering topics such as job hunting, managing interviews, writing a cover letter and using LinkedIn.

See LSE Careers for further details.