LSE-Fudan Double Degree in the Global Political Economy of China and Europe

The double degree programme in Global Political Economy of China and Europe from LSE and Fudan University offers a multi-disciplinary analysis of key political and economic processes and issues in Europe and China within a global context.

As a student, you'll spend your first year studying Political Economy of Europe in the World at LSE in the European Institute, followed by the Master of Management Science in Public Policy at Fudan University in Shanghai in your second year.

The programme is taught in English, but students are expected to acquire some knowledge of Chinese. The curriculum in the first year includes core courses on the foundations of political economy and specialist courses on a wide range of topics, including welfare states and labour markets, finance, varieties of capitalism, migration, European policymaking and governance, and global trade. The programme's unique Policy Incubator replaces the traditional dissertation, and the European Institute also offers an exciting programme of events, including guest lectures by leaders from business, politics, and European civil society. With world-leading experts in political economy and public policy teaching this programme, you'll have an opportunity to gain unparalleled knowledge and insight.

• R Baldwin and C Wyplosz The economics of European integration (McGraw-Hill Education, 6th edition, 2019)
• C Bickerton European Integration: From Nation States to Member States (Oxford University Press, 2012)
• M Blyth Austerity: the History of a Dangerous Idea (Oxford University Press, 2013)
• W Carlin and D Soskice Macroeconomics. Imperfections, Institutions and Policies (Oxford University Press, 2006)
• B Clift Comparative Political Economy: States, Markets and Global Capitalism (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014)
• D Dinan Europe Recast: A History of the European Union, Houndmills (Palgrave Macmillan, 2004)
• D Dinan Ever Closer Union: an introduction to European integration (4th edition, Palgrave MacMillan, 2010)
• S Durlauf and L Blume (eds) The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics Online (selected entries, 2008)
• B Eichengreen The European Economy Since 1945: coordinated capitalism and beyond, (Princeton University Press, 2007)
• B Hancké, M Rhodes and M Thatcher. (eds) Beyond Varieties of Capitalism: Conflict, Contradictions, and Complementarities in the European Economy (Oxford University Press, 2007)
• C Hay and D Wincott The Political Economy of European Welfare Capitalism (Palgrave, 2012)
• A Hemerijck Changing Welfare States (Oxford University Press, 2012)
• G Majone Rethinking the Union of Europe Post-Crisis: Has Integration gone too far? (Cambridge University Press, 2014)
• J Pelkmans European integration: methods and economic analysis (3rd edition, Prentice Hall, 2006)
• G Roland Transition and Economics: politics, markets and firms (The MIT Press, 2000)
• B Rosamond Theories of European Integration (St Martin’s Press, 2000)
• H Wallace, M Pollack  and A Young Policy-making in the European Union (7th edition, Oxford University Press, 2014)
• H Zimmermann and A Dür (eds) Key controversies in European integration (2nd edition,Palgrave Macmillan, 2016)

First year at LSE

The first year is spent at LSE, studying the MSc in the Political Economy of Europe in the World (LSE and Fudan). You'll take one unit of semi-compulsory courses and choose from a range of options up to the value of two units. In addition, you'll complete a Policy Incubator project as part of your first-year studies.

Mandarin language course

If you're not a native Mandarin-speaker, you're eligible to be reimbursed for the cost of taking a Mandarin language course via the LSE Language Centre’s non-degree language standard course offering. Mandarin courses are offered to help non-native speakers in their second year of the programme. You may not take an alternative language (eg, French, German, Arabic, etc) in place of Mandarin.

Second year at Fudan University

You'll join the Master of Management Science in Public Policy, and be expected to write and orally defend your thesis during the second year.

Note, the below course listings are for indicative purposes only, and subject to change.

Chinese Government and Governance (3 credits)

This course is designed to enhance the students' understanding of the history, context, and current issues of public administration in China, with a focus on changes since 1978. Core issues of China's public sector, such as party-state relation, reform path since 1978, developmental state phenomenon, intergovernmental relations, government-business relation, government-society relation, civil service reform, corruption/anti-corruption, and China's engagement in global governance, will be discussed. Besides obtaining knowledge of China's public sector, students are expected to develop capacities to analytically write and debate China's governance issues.

Chinese language I and II (2+2 credits)

Students need to elect two Chinese language courses from among courses at basic, intermediate, and/or advanced levels. (Exemption provided for native speakers, who are PRC nationals)

International Relations of China (3 credits)

This course will examine the causes of China's changes in its foreign policy goals, values, and strategies and how these changes have reshaped China's foreign policies and international relations. Beyond these general analyses, the course will discuss important themes and topics in China's international relations such as Sino-US relation, China's relation with Zhoubian countries, decision making and implementation systems, global economic and environmental strategies, etc. The course intends to explore as a global player how China has exercised its comprehensive powers in ways to achieve its goals.

Chinese Public Policy (3 credits)

The course is designed to develop student's skills to analys ecomplex policy problems in the modern Chinese contexts. Students are trained to critically think the necessity, appropriate forms, and effects of governmental intervention into public issues; to apply analytical methods and techniques to specific policy problems; and to understand the multiple factors that affect Chinese government's decision making, implementation, and evaluation. The course will expose students to policy analysis issues contingent on contextual factors.

Policy and Program Evaluation (3 credits)

This course will provide students with an introduction on theories of program evaluation, evaluation design, and a variety of methods used to assess public programs and policies. Students in the course will learn how to distinguish high quality from low quality evaluations. They will also learn how to conduct and design evaluations, and how to employ tools to measure whether programs and policies have achieved their objectives. Much emphasis of this course will be on basic program theories, designing evaluative research, and specific analytical tools, both quantitative and qualitative.

Global Public Policy (3 credits)

This course is designed to examine general trends of public policy with a comparative and global perspective. The course intends to disclose the commonalities, differences, competition, and cooperation in global policy practices. Consequently, the course will examine policy learning and diffusion, regional and global policy cooperation, global policy actors and institutions, global civil service, agenda setting and policy making, and comparative policies, etc. The course will do case studies in areas like international environmental regime, crime-control cooperation, social policy, and industrial policy, etc.

Practical Research Methods in Public Policy (3 credits)

This course provides a hands-on introduction to quantitative and qualitative research methods in social sciences, especially in Public Policy. This course is composed of three modules, an introduction to quantitative research methods, that to qualitative research methods and thesis writing. This course is intended to provide students with an understanding of the major approaches in Public Policy to the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, and the specification and testing of hypotheses. The course covers the logic of scientific inquiry and various research techniques. Multiple research tools used to conduct empirical analyses in Public Policy would be introduced, such as STATA.

The European Institute is a multidisciplinary centre for the study of European politics, economics and culture.

Founded in 1991, the institute is the UK's leading centre for the study of Europe, offering a range of master’s programmes and an extensive MPhil/PhD programme. Every year, we welcome more than 200 master’s and 30 doctoral students from all regions of the globe.

Our research spans four key themes – political economy, politics and policy, culture and society, and migration. Teaching and research draw on the expertise of staff from many different disciplines across LSE, including politics, economics and sociology.

The institute is outward facing. We run dozens of events each year, with workshops, seminars and presentations, welcoming high-profile speakers, including former presidents, prime ministers, foreign and finance ministers, distinguished scholars and influential commentators.

Internationally, we’ve forged close links with several partner institutions, including Sciences Po (Paris), Bocconi University (Milan), Fudan University (Shanghai), and Columbia University (New York) with whom we run double master’s programmes.

• Experience the European Institute through our videos and blogs
• Find out more about our Alumni
• Video Highlight | LSE European Institute: An Introduction
• Video Highlight | Welcome to LSE: Our official campus tour video
• Find out more about out faculty
• Connect with us on social media

European Institute

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified prospective students. At LSE, we want to recruit students with the best academic merit, potential and motivation, irrespective of background. Applications are administered by a joint admissions board of representatives consisting of both LSE and Fudan University. Successful applicants will be notified by email and post.

We carefully consider each application and take into account all the information included on your application form, such as your:

• academic achievement (including predicted and achieved grades)
• statement of academic purpose
• two academic references
• CV.

See further information on supporting documents.

You may need to provide evidence of your English language proficiency. See our English language requirements.

Applicants from Chinese mainland

University students who are citizens of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), including students who are already enrolled in undergraduate programmes in Fudan University and other prestigious Chinese mainland universities, are eligible to apply to this programme through the recommendation (推荐) system, which enables qualified undergraduate students to participate in graduate programmes without taking the National Postgraduate Entrance Examination.

Interested applicants should first apply in September to Fudan University. Applicants are required to have, or expect to have, a minimum GPA 3.5 (or equivalent) from their previous study, as well as meeting the necessary language entry requirements.

Further information on application requirements and procedures for students from Chinese mainland

Applicants from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau

Applicants from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, are required by Chinese law to complete the National Postgraduate Entrance Examination for Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau applicants and meet all the requirements, before their applications are jointly reviewed by Fudan University and LSE. For details see the link below. Note: All potential applicants from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao should contact the IGPP Administrative Office at Fudan (see the contact us accordion) before commencing on their application.

Further information on application requirements for students from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao

Application contact at LSE

European Institute
London School of Economics
Houghton Street, London, WC2A 2AE
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0)207 849 4646
Email: europeaninstitute@lse.ac.uk

Application contact at Fudan

Administrative Office
Institute for Global Public Policy
Fudan University
Room 801A, West Sub-building of Guanghua Towers, Fudan University, No.220
Handan Road, Yangpu District, Shanghai, 200433, China
Telephone: +86 21 6564 2019
E-mail: igppadmin@fudan.edu.cn

Data sharing

Double degrees and certain other degrees and scholarships require that LSE shares personal data with another university or partner. In our agreements we will use the School’s standard data sharing template for universities and partners in the EU and EEA and in an adequate country. Standard contract clauses will be used for any other country. If you have any questions about this or how your personal data will be treated by LSE, please contact the Data Protection Officer via glpd.info.rights@lse.ac.uk or check our Student Privacy Notice.

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.

Year 1 (at LSE, 2025/26):

Home students: £28,900

Year 2 (at Fudan, 2026/27):

Overseas students (ie, non-Chinese nationals): to be confirmed, but for reference in 2024/25 students paid RMB120,000 (2026/27 at Fudan) (provisional)

Please note that all students are also expected to pay an application fee of approximately CNY 800 (provisional) in the second year of the programme.

Year 1 (at LSE, 2025/26):

Overseas students: £28,900 (2025/26 at LSE)

Year 2 (at Fudan, 2026/27):

Overseas students (ie, non-Chinese nationals): to be confirmed, but for reference in 2024/25 students paid RMB120,000 (provisional)
Chinese nationals, second year (2025/26 at Fudan) - fee set by Chinese Ministry of Education (Contact Fudan for further details)

Please note that all students are also expected to pay an application fee of approximately CNY 800 (provisional) in the second year of the programme.

All taught courses are required to include formative coursework, which is unassessed. It's designed to help prepare you for your summative assessments, which count towards the course mark, and to the degree award. LSE uses a range of formative and summative assessments, such as essays, problem sets, case studies, reports, quizzes, exams, online assessments, and many others. Summative assessment may be conducted during the course or by final examination at the end of the course. An indication of the formative coursework and summative assessment for each course can be found in the relevant course guide.

Graduates of the programme can expect to pursue successful careers in politics, business, diplomacy, consultancy and journalism, and in international organisations and financial institutions.

Further information on graduate destinations for this programme

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.