A PhD offers the chance to undertake a substantial piece of supervised work that is worthy of publication and which makes an original contribution to knowledge in a particular field. Research programmes (leading to a PhD) are designed to produce professional social scientists well versed in a range of social science techniques and methods, in addition to having an in-depth knowledge of a particular area in global health.
Students studying for a PhD are required to carry out research (both from documents and in the field) and collect data from which they must write a thesis of approximately 100,000 words. Students in some departments may be permitted to submit a final thesis by a series of papers, with a linking introduction and conclusion. In addition, all students will normally be required to attend certain taught courses. More information is available here.
The information on this page summarises the Research programmes LSE offers with relation to global health. Programmes are organised within the host Department. If you are interested in applying, you are encouraged to contact the Departments directly for more information. In some cases, you may be required to attend an interview if your application is shortlisted.
Research programmes offered in the 2021/2022 academic year:
The MPhil/PhD programme in Health Policy and Health Economics is an integral part of the academic environment at LSE, producing doctoral graduates of the highest quality. The programme draws upon multidisciplinary perspectives, notably from economics, social policy, and public policy.
As a student on this programme you will be equipped with the critical, conceptual, and analytical skills to understand the key theoretical frameworks and analytical methods to undertake high-quality research. More details here
The MPhil/PhD Programme aims to foster your scholarly and career interests and to prepare you for the world of academic and policy research in the form of courses, workshops, and professional training experience over your first three years. You will receive core gender theory, epistemology and methodology training in your first year to prepare you for research and writing, and ongoing training across the period of your studies in and outside the Department. You will also attend fortnightly PhD workshops throughout the programme in years 1 to 3. You will be ‘matched’ with your main Supervisor who will guide you through the various stages of your research and form the consistent point of contact during your time in the Department, along with the Director of the Doctoral Programme. More details here
The PhD in Environmental Policy and Development aims to provide a rigorous, research-based approach to the social scientific study of environmental change and development. The doctoral programme provides you with advanced and up-to-date teaching in environmental governance and development studies as well as tailored research skills training. Moreover, the doctoral experience at LSE exposes you to an international, vibrant and multidisciplinary research environment.
The programme is run by the Environmental Economics and Policy cluster of the Department of Geography and Environment. The cluster brings together experts in environmental change, geography, political science and economics, with an interest in advancing empirical understanding and in the theory of environmental performance, behaviour and governance across a range of geographic scales. More details here
The MRes/PhD in International Development is a one-year research Master's linked to a four-year PhD. The programme grounds students in a common academic heritage while providing them with significant flexibility appropriate to their research interests. Students are equipped with advanced methodological and theoretical skills within disciplinary specialisms, with the aim of producing graduates who go on to be excellent, well-rounded and intensively trained social scientists. To this end, the first year of the programme combines intensive coursework (through taught courses) with research design (preparation of a 10,000 word research proposal). This proposal forms the basis of the student's subsequent PhD research. More details here
The MPhil/PhD programmes in Social Policy and Demography aim to provide research students with the skills and competencies to undertake a substantial piece of work that is of publishable quality and which makes an original contribution to the broad field of either Social Policy or Demography.
In the first year students follow a compulsory seminar course (covering the MPhil/PhD process, ethics, risks, research skills etc.). They must also present their work to fellow students and staff, prior to updgrade to PhD status which follows a formal assessment of their proposed doctoral research. Students may attend courses in the Methodology Department. There is also a seminar course for second and third year students; the key element of this involves third year PhD students presenting their work to fellow students and staff in advance of submitting their Third Year Review. More details here
The MPhil/PhD Sociology programme offers you the chance to undertake a substantial piece of work that is worthy of publication and which makes an original contribution to sociology. You will begin on the MPhil, and will need to meet certain requirements to be upgraded to PhD status. LSE Sociology embraces a theoretically and methodologically diverse range of approaches. There are four research areas which constitute our strategic priorities and reflect overall a balance between "traditional" sociology and "innovation": economy, technology and expertise; politics and human rights; social inequalities; and urban sociology. More details here
More information on funding and studentships are available here.
The PhD Academy is a dedicated space and services hub for doctoral candidates studying at LSE. Current students are enouraged to contact the PhD Academy for any further queries.