Frequently Asked Questions

No, many of our students live and work overseas and travel to London just for the three two-week teaching blocks.   

Both the Executive MSc Behavioural Science and the full-time MSc Behavioural Science will give students a rigorous grounding in behavioural science.

The Executive programme is aimed at working professionals, with teaching delivered during three two-week intensive blocks, whereas the full-time version is delivered with weekly teaching over a standard academic year. Therefore, the Executive programme typically attracts slightly older students with more work experience. You can expect to be part of a geographically diverse cohort of people from many different professional and academic backgrounds. This means that you will leave the programme with a fantastic network of behavioural scientists from all over the world. 

Most students will be able attend this programme on a Standard Visitor visa. Please refer to this page for detailed information about visas for Executive students. If you have any queries regarding visas, please contact LSE’s Student Advice and Engagement Team. 

This programme has a rolling admissions process, meaning that offers are given throughout the year. There is no fixed deadline, but we close once we reach capacity.   

For this programme we require either one professional and one academic reference, or, if you graduated from your most recent academic study more than five years ago, two professional references. 

Although we do not require students to have a quantitative background, research methods is a core component of the programme. This is essential in order for you to be able to conduct rigorous and credible research in Behavioural Science. The training will start at a level that enables all students to participate. However, if you do not have previous exposure to quantitative methods you may find that you need to invest additional time developing you skills in this area throughout the programme. 

The cohort size is normally 40-50 students. 

There are no LSE scholarships available for this programme. 

Yes, you will be able to indicate on the Financial Undertaking Form that your employer will sponsor you. They will be issued with an invoice at the start of the programme. 

The average age tends to be around 37, with students ranging from mid-20s to mid-60s. 

Our students come from a wide range of industries, such as finance, marketing, communications, NGOs, public policy, insurance, healthcare, education, management consulting etc. They have in common a passion for behavioural science and a desire to better understand how behavioural insights can be applied in their professional (and personal) lives. 

Accommodation is not included in the tuition fees, and students are required to make their own arrangements. There are a number of hotels in close vicinity to LSE, and many students also rent private apartments. 

Teaching takes place Monday to Friday during the teaching weeks. You will have classes from around 9am to 5pm, with guest lectures and social events on some evenings. You will also be required to do some work in the evenings to prepare for the next day’s classes. 

All teaching takes place during the teaching blocks. In between these sessions you will have various assessments to complete individually.  

Students should expect to dedicate 10-15 hours per week to self-study on average. This may vary from person to person and week to week. 

For each taught course you will have one formative assessment and one summative assessment. The formative assessment is an opportunity to get feedback and does not count towards your overall degree classification. The summative assessment is assessed and contributes towards your overall degree. The format of the assessments ranges from traditional essays to reports, case studies, video presentations etc.  

Your dissertation will be supervised by a member of academic staff. You will be allocated to a supervisor based on your topic.  

You can find out about past dissertation topics on this page. 

Many of our alumni have gone on to set up and lead behavioural insights units within their organisations, or moved to roles where they have been able to apply principles of behavioural science within their professions. Read more about how the EMSc has impacted our alumni's careers here. 

Yes, the Executive MSc Behavioural Science can prepare you for a PhD. Several of our alumni have gone on to pursue PhDs in various topics both in the UK and overseas. 

Do you have a question that hasn't been answered here? Join one of our information sessions to meet the team and learn more about the programme.

Alternatively, please do not hesitate to contact us on pbs.emsc@lse.ac.uk.