MPhil/PhD Health Policy and Health Economics

The MPhil/PhD Health Policy and Health Economics at LSE covers the choice, design, analysis, and evaluation of health and social care policies, institutions and practice in low-, middle- and high-income settings. This is an interdisciplinary programme, drawing on disciplines relevant to the research topic, and the health-specific and social care-specific application of an array of social sciences.

The programme trains students to undertake research that employs the tools of policy and economic analysis and qualitative and quantitative empirical techniques in order to understand, critically appraise, and evaluate the complexities of health and social care policy and practice in a global context.

You'll be exposed to a range of different theoretical frameworks and methodological approaches, and will be expected to learn technical and conceptual skills, so that you'll become autonomous in carrying out research in line with your progression, and will demonstrate deep and synoptic understanding of your field of study.

You're expected to take training and transferable skills courses, including the core course in Advanced Health Policy and Health Economics. You can choose other taught courses tailored to your existing academic foundations and research interests, and streamed around health policy or health economics subject areas.

You'll become a member of a vibrant and exciting research community, with access to the Department of Health Policy's affiliated research centres and supervision by expert faculty. The long-established and highly regarded research centres affiliated with the Department are: LSE Health, Care Policy and Evaluation Centre at LSE (CPEC), the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) School of Social Care Research (SSCR), the African Health Observatory, the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, and the Global Health Initiative (GHI), with a total of over 70 academic staff based across these centres.

The PhD programme will be centred around the core course Advanced Health Policy and Health Economics. Alongside a set of traditional and bespoke lectures, the course includes a series of seminars given by faculty in the Department of Health Policy and external speakers, thereby guaranteeing exposure to different materials, research areas, and theoretical and analytical techniques. The course will provide you with insights into the breadth of work in the areas of health and social care policy and health economics, and will act as a supportive critical forum for discussion of each PhD student's work-in-progress. The course features a journal club where key articles are critically appraised. In the second and third years of enrolment, full-time students will be required to participate in work-in-progress seminars where students present work relating to their theses and contribute fully to discussions on their colleagues' work, and will be encouraged to attend external conferences.

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

We welcome applications for research programmes that complement the academic interests of our staff at LSE. For this reason, we recommend that you take a look at our staff research interests before applying. If you share research interests, you're welcome to apply.

Please note that admission to the doctoral programme will not be made by prospective supervisors, but by the Department's PhD Programme Directors: Professor Andrew Street, Dr Mylene Lagarde, Dr Justin Parkhurst and Dr Huseyin Naci. Admission is subject to there being appropriate supervisory expertise and support available in the Department.

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

• academic achievement (including existing and pending qualifications with certified transcripts)
• statement of academic purpose
• references
• CV
• outline research proposal
• research proposal of maximum 2,500 words
• writing sample of between 2,500 and 7,000 words.

The writing sample must be typed in English. If not in English originally, you should translate the piece yourself. If an article, preference is for single-authored; if an essay, preference is for one from your most recent programme of study. The piece of written work is ideally related to your proposed topic of research or more broadly, to the discipline or area for which you are applying.

The above listed guidance is set by the Department of Health Policy and is specific to your application to the MPhil/PhD programme in Health Policy and Health Economics.

You may wish to review the School's central guidance on supporting documents here. The main steps of your application are outlined by the School. You can familiarise yourself with a range of likely interview questions ahead of writing your application as well. You may also have to provide evidence of your English proficiency. You don't need to provide this at the time of your application to LSE, but we recommend that you do. See our English language requirements for further information. LSE's International Students Visa Advice Team will be able to competently advise on any visa queries you may have.

Please note that LSE allows part-time PhD study only under limited circumstances. If you wish to study part-time, you should mention this (and the reasons for it) in your statement of academic purpose, and discuss it at interview if you're shortlisted.

Contact us

If you have any questions about the programme, please contact us at healthpolicy.phd@lse.ac.uk.

The application deadline for this programme is 25 April 2025.

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.

The fee is likely to rise over the full duration of the programme. The School charges home research students in line with fee levels recommended by the Research Councils.

Learn more about fee status classification.

The fee is likely to rise over the full duration of the programme in line with the assumed percentage increase in pay costs (ie, four per cent each year).

Learn more about fee status classification.

Progression and assessment

You're required to undertake Major Review (also known as the Upgrade) in the Spring Term of your first year. Following Major Review, a decision is taken whether to upgrade you from MPhil to the PhD programme. In order to earn the upgrade, you need to meet a number of criteria, including achieving a certain grade in taught courses and submitting a 5,000-word thesis document detailing your thesis proposal.

For students who successfully upgrade to PhD enrolment, there will be another review in the second and third year of full-time study. Students will need to meet specific criteria to progress to each following year.

Recent doctoral graduates who were supervised by staff in the Department of Health Policy went on to be employed in international organisations such as the WHO, IMF, World Bank, European Union, OECD, African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank and the United Nations. Some joined national and regional Ministries of Health, and the English NHS - and others went on to work with consultancy firms, pharmaceutical companies, and think tanks such as The King's Fund and the Health Foundation.

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.