PhD

If you have not been receiving our post-offer emails, please contact the MPhil/PhD Programme Support team at socialpolicy.phd@lse.ac.uk who will be more than happy to help!

Below, is the link to the programme regulations for the 2024/25 academic year. 

MPhil/PhD programme regulations

You can find a full list of information from Graduate Admissions here. If you need to contact Graduate Admissions you can find information on how to do this here, the best way is to fill out the enquiries form as the phone lines are incredibly busy. If you want to check if your documents have been received and processed, you can check the current processing times. 

As part of your PhD you will be able to take courses which may be useful to you in your research, as well as have a compulsory seminar which you will attend in your first year. You don’t have to make any decisions about selecting courses until you arrive at the School – although you can of course look at the individual courses and decide what interests you before then! More information will be provided on course selection in our Offer holder emails and when you arrive.

We would recommend in the meantime that you familiarise yourself with the regulations for your programme. Listed in the programme regulations you will find course guides which include information on the content and assessment criteria for each course. This is a great place to start shortlisting which courses may be of interest to you.

You can find the term dates here. Lectures and seminar timetables will be published here in mid-August so you will be able to see what days and times courses are timetabled for courses you wish to sign up to. Lectures and classes are scheduled on weekdays and there are no classes at the weekend.

Once you are registered as an LSE student and enrolled to classes, you will also receive a more detailed, personal timetable to help you plan your week.

If you are studying part-time you will usually attend your compulsory course (SP501) in the first year and submit your Major Review document at the end of your second year. 

Although the School expects you to register on time, you can register late. Further information should appear on the School’s registration pages in due course about late registration sessions but we would also advise visiting the PhD Academy if you are unsure where/when to register when you do arrive. Please feel free to contact socialpolicy.phd@lse.ac.uk if you have any questions.

The Disability and Wellbeing Service supports students with disabilities and long-term medical conditions. We recommend you contact them before you start your studies at LSE, or as soon as possible afterwards, so they can work with you to put appropriate support in place for you at the very start of the academic year.

You can find out more about DWS here

Your health and wellbeing are extremely important to us and the School has lots of support available to students during your time here. Take a look here, where you will find a wealth of resources.

The Student Support Map can help you navigate the sources of help and support at LSE, from your studies and your finances, to your health and wellbeing and what to do in emergency situations.  

Both your Programme Support Team and the Academic staff within the Department are here to offer pastoral support throughout your studies.

• The Postgraduate Programme Support Team are available for you to come and see at any time and also offer bespoke appointment slots so you can discuss any concerns and ask them any questions on a 1:1 basis.
• All Department of Social Policy students can book student and community Wellbeing support appointments with Clare Gorman, the Department's Student Community and Wellbeing Manager.
• You will also have two supervisors who can support and advise you!

There are many opportunities for our students to gain practical skills and knowledge which promote academic and professional success at LSE and beyond. 
Find out more here.

There are also a number of opportunities for Social Policy students to get involved with the Department and its activities. Find out more here.

We do hope that you will get involved in some of the opportunities which enrich the Department and also give you some great experiences - and experience for your future!

Take a look at some of the developments which our students have helped to shape in the Department within the last couple of years.

• The LSE Students’ Union (LSESU) offers many opportunities to get in involved with the wider student community. For example, there are a variety of different societies you can join – from sports societies through to cultural interest societies or charity, faith or campaigning and many more besides. Don’t forget to also join our Social Policy Society! 
• LSE’s volunteer centre (part of LSE Careers) advertise a whole host of different regular volunteering opportunities you can get involved with during your time at LSE, within charities and not-for-profit organisations based in London and overseas. As Social Policy students, we know you are passionate about the issues affecting the world we live in and our global community and these could be great opportunities for you, not only to connect with your community but also gain some valuable life skills along the way!

• Change Makers offers a great opportunity to undertake a research project and boost your research skills whilst also finding our more about LSE and its community.
• Find out more about campus life and student activities here  

Our Department and School community is one which aims to be inclusive and to celebrate its diversity. You can find more information about equity, diversity and inclusion at LSE here 

As a community, we work together to make sure all students are valued, respected and safe and will not stand for bullying, harassment or intolerance in our community.  The ‘Making a Choice’ webpage gives lots of information and sources of support on EDI within LSE, including EDI champions, safe contacts and sources of support, reporting tools and much more.

The Department of Social Policy is a global community. Have a look at this map of where our Social Policy community comes from. 

Visit the LSE Student Accommodation pages for more information on accommodation. 

You can keep up to date with Department news by following our webpage here.

Make sure you also follow us on Social Media via X, Instagram, Facebook and Linkedin.