MSc Law and Finance

Overview

Introduction

Introduction

This bespoke new interdisciplinary programme aims to equip you with the skills and knowledge necessary for professionals in roles at the interface of law and the financial markets, allowing you to operate effectively in a globalised market and enhancing your adaptability and competence in a wide range of functions.

The programme offers a comprehensive and rigorous curriculum that delves into the intricate intersections between legal frameworks and financial markets, providing a comprehensive understanding of fundamental concepts and principles of finance and their relevance for both legal rules and legal practice.

Taught jointly by the LSE Law School and Department of Finance, you'll have the opportunity to study in two of the most highly rated departments in their subject areas in the world.

Central to this programme are how closely the core courses are integrated: these have been carefully designed by academics in both departments to ensure students can review common situations in companies from both a legal and financial perspective, and ensure a holistic understanding of how corporations raise capital and complete transactions.

Access to a range of courses, both from the Department of Finance and the LLM programme, will enable you to complement the core Law and Finance modules with a wide range of specialised legal and financial courses, adding additional depth to your knowledge in your chosen specialist areas.

Entry requirements

A high standing undergraduate (LLB or equivalent) or postgraduate degree in law. In addition, applicants require GCSE level maths (or equivalent), with A-level maths (or equivalent) preferred.

Applicants without an educational background in law may apply, but would need to demonstrate a high level of professional or academic experience in areas closely related to the subjects they wish to study in order to be considered for a place.

Please select your country from the dropdown list below to find out the entry requirements that apply to you.

Overseas

Overseas

English language requirements

The English language requirement for this programme is Law. Read more about our English language requirements.

Competition for places at LSE is strong. So, even if you meet the minimum entry requirements, this does not guarantee you an offer of a place.

However, please don’t feel deterred from applying – we want to hear from all suitably qualified students. Think carefully about how you can put together the strongest possible application to help you stand out from other students.

Programme content

You'll attend a full-time pre-sessional programme starting in early September. This will consist of preparatory academic classes, the Professional Development Programme, and opportunities to get to know your fellow classmates.

We recognise that students will come to this degree with a broad range of prior academic and professional experience. The pre-sessional course we offer brings everyone up to a common level of knowledge in critical concepts and knowledge. As such, this degree is suitable both for those moving on from recent undergraduate study, and those with professional experience making a career pivot.

The preparatory academic classes will cover materials in both law (an introduction to common law legal systems and the law of contract in these systems, as well as legal financial concepts and rules) and finance (quantitative methods; financial modelling; interpreting financial statements).

The Professional Development Programme is designed to provide a high level of careers support to new students, providing opportunities to develop their career skills, to receive personalised careers support in the form of one-to-one sessions with dedicated Careers Consultants.

Year 1

Year 1

In the first term, you'll take several courses, including "Corporate Finance: Law" and “Principles of Corporate Finance for MSc Law and Finance", two core courses unique to the programme. These courses have been carefully designed to ensure you can competently navigate complex transactions from both legal and financial perspectives. This includes a holistic understanding of how corporations finance their operations and how – and why – they acquire other businesses.

In the second term, you'll build upon this foundational knowledge. You'll transition to the bespoke “Corporate Transactions: Law" and “Corporate Transactions: Finance” courses, which will look at a variety of corporate transactions and offer practical insight into real-world transactions and their documentation. Designed specifically for the Law and Finance programme, this cutting-edge course is unique in its structure, interweaving faculty expertise from both the Law School and Department of Finance to provide students with a 360-degree perspective which encompasses an in-depth analysis of financial and legal factors, as well as the interplay between these two considerations. Exposure to practical, real-world scenarios and case studies is key here, with faculty leveraging their professional networks, bolstered by LSE’s position, close to the legal and financial hubs of London, to provide insight into how top firms assess and execute deals at the highest level.

You'll also take several other courses, as listed below.

By the end of the year, you'll have taken courses to the total value of four units.

FM473

Half unit

Financial Markets

FM479

Half unit

Principles of Corporate Finance for MSc Law and Finance

LL4FA

Half unit

Corporate Finance: Law

LL4FB

Half unit

Corporate Transactions: Law

FM480

Half unit

Corporate Transactions: Finance

Law options - LLM

Half unit

Browse your options

For the latest list of courses, please go to the relevant School Calendar page.

A few important points you’ll need to know:

Please note that the nine-month and ten-month full time master's programmes are not compliant with the Bologna process, which may affect the extent to which they're recognised. For more information, see Bologna process.

We may need to change, suspend or withdraw a course or programme of study, or change the fees due to unforeseen circumstances. We’ll always notify you as early as possible and recommend alternatives where we can.

The School is not liable for changes to published information or for changing, suspending or withdrawing a course or programme of study due to events outside our control (including a lack of demand, industrial action, fire, flooding or other damage to premises).

Places are limited on some courses and/or subject to specific entry requirements so we cannot therefore guarantee you a place.

Changes to programmes and courses may be made after you’ve accepted your offer of a place – normally due to global developments in the discipline or student feedback. We may also make changes to course content, teaching formats or assessment methods but these are always made to improve the learning experience.

For full details about the availability or content of courses and programmes, please take a look at the School’s Calendar, or contact the relevant academic department.

Some major changes to programmes/courses are posted on our updated graduate course and programme information page.

Why study with us

This programme is taught jointly by the Law School and the Department of Finance.

Law School

Ranked in the top five law schools worldwide (Complete University Guide 2024), the Law School is one of the largest departments at LSE, bringing together students, alumni and staff from all over the world. We have an unparalleled range of events, seminars and experiential learning opportunities, which enrich students’ learning. For more than 100 years, our faculty have been at the forefront of research in their fields, playing a significant role in policy debates, policymaking, and research globally.

Learn more about our programmes and our research.

Visit the Law School website

Department of Finance

The Department of Finance is one of the largest and most highly respected finance groups in the UK and Europe. With a longstanding reputation for excellence in both teaching and research, our faculty members work closely with national and international institutions, informing policy at the highest levels.

The department was ranked the top place to study finance in the Good University Guide 2024.

Learn more about our programmes and research.

Visit the Department of Finance website

Why LSE

Why LSE

Carbon Neutral In 2021, LSE became the first Carbon Neutral verified university in the UK

Overview

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.

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 or professional references (ideally one of each)
CV.

See further information on supporting documents.

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

Fees and funding

The table of fees shows the latest tuition fees for all programmes.

You're charged a fee for your programme. At LSE, your tuition fee covers registration and examination fees payable to the School, lectures, classes and individual supervision, lectures given at other colleges under intercollegiate arrangements and, under current arrangements, membership of the Students' Union. It doesn't cover living costs or travel or fieldwork.

Home
Overseas

Home

£48,500

Home student fee (2025/26)

For this programme, all students pay the same tuition fees, regardless of their fee status.

Deposit

To secure a place on the programme offer holders will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit of 10% of the tuition fee.

For offers issued before May, the deposit will be due within 28 days of receiving the offer.

For offers issued from May onwards, the deadlines are as follows:

May: within 21 days
June: within 14 days
July and August: within 7 days

Fee reduction

Students who completed undergraduate study at LSE and are beginning taught graduate study at the School are eligible for a fee reduction of around 10 per cent of the fee.

Scholarships and other funding

We recognise that the cost of living in London may be higher than in your home town/city or country and we provide generous scholarships to help both home and overseas students.

We offer some needs-based awards for this programme, including the Graduate Support Scheme, Master's Awards, and Anniversary Scholarships. Competition for these awards and scholarships is strong. To apply for an award, you must have an offer of a place and submit a Graduate Financial Support application before the funding deadline.

The funding deadline for needs-based awards from LSE: 24 April 2025.

In addition to our needs-based awards, we offer scholarships for students from specific regions of the world and awards for certain subjects.

You can’t apply for a Graduate Support Scheme or LSE scholarship once you’ve joined the School.

Please note: we do expect students who register for a programme to have sufficient funds for the duration.

Government tuition fee loans and external funding

The UK Government offers a postgraduate loan for eligible students studying for a first master’s programme. This is designed to help with fees and living costs. Some other governments and organisations also offer tuition fee loan schemes.

Find out more about tuition fee loans.

Further information

Learn more about fees and funding opportunities.

Learning and assessment

How you learn
How you're assessed

How you learn

Our philosophy of education is based on the belief that a sound basis in academic theory is crucial for long-term success. By teaching the theory and concepts first, we equip you with the life-long tools to respond intelligently and dynamically to any future professional scenario you may encounter in your career. We blend the teaching of concepts with the frontier research developed by our faculty, who are leaders in their respective fields. We emphasise the practical application of theory and concepts to real-world scenarios, especially in the “Deals” course, which consists of the Corporate Transactions: Law and Corporate Transactions: Finance courses. Through this practice and case-study teaching, we ensure that your professional profile for future employers is rounded and prepares you to make an immediate contribution once you enter the workplace.

You'll be taught in a range of whole-group, small-group and plenary sessions relevant to the content being delivered. Some courses will be taught as traditional lectures, some in break-out groups to examine case study material, and some in interactive, discursive seminars, or in real-world simulation exercises.

Independent study outside of class time is an essential part of the programme. The nature of the required independent study varies for each course, but overall, the requires you to manage the majority of your study time yourself, engaging in activities such as reading, note-taking, thinking, class preparation and research.

All academic faculty schedule weekly office hours in which any student may visit them to discuss academic issues. In some cases, students may be able to arrange a time to meet with a member of faculty outside their office hours.

The MSc Law and Finance Associate Programme Director acts as academic and pastoral supervisor for all students on the programme. The Associate Programme Director has extensive professional experience in law and finance, enabling a high level of careers support, and practitioner insight to help students plan their future career path.

Other academic support: at LSE, we offer lots of opportunities to extend your learning outside the classroom.

LSE LIFE is a great place to get advice and practise the skills you’ll need during your studies and beyond.

Through LSE LIFE, you can:

attend workshops on developing leadership skills, finding the right study/work/life balance and preparing for the world of work
develop your reading, academic writing and critical-thinking skills
gain experience of working in study groups and develop your cross-cultural communication and teamwork skills.

Disability and Mental Health Service: we want all LSE students to achieve their full potential. Students can access free, confidential advice through our Disability and Mental Health Service. This is the first point of contact for students.

Graduate destinations

Overview
Career support

Overview

Graduates of both the Law School and the Department of Finance have excellent career prospects relative to their peers. Our graduates take up demanding positions across a diversity of organisations spread around the globe.

We expect graduates of this degree to place into jobs in prestigious law and finance firms, as finance professionals or in-house counsel of private equity funds and investment banks, in M&A, consultancy, policy-making, risk management and regulation.

Career support

Support and advice for your career starts in the pre-sessional weeks of teaching, before the start of the first term of formal teaching. We know that many students will choose this degree for the career opportunities it opens up, and we support you in each step of that careers journey. By choosing this degree between two of LSE’s leading academic departments, you benefit from the careers support and networking opportunities of both.

The Department of Finance has historically run an extensive Professional Development Programme to support and prepare students to enter the job market. Starting in the pre-sessional course in September, Finance students have been given a wide range of careers support, from CV workshops and application advice to sector overviews and opportunities to meet and network with recent LSE alumni who are working in London.

LSE Careers, the Law School Careers Advisor and Department of Finance Careers Advisors are together invaluable sources of advice and insight, dedicated to advising students on how to develop their careers with deep knowledge of the evolving hiring practices of top law and finance firms.

Together with the Associate Programme Director and in combination with the great programme of support offered centrally by LSE Careers, we prepare you to enter this highly competitive job market ready not only with the academic skills but also with knowledge of the market to take your next career step.

The existing and well-established master’s programmes within the Law School and the Department of Finance means you have the best of both. We have a large and wide-ranging alumni network in these sectors.

With alumni in top jobs and senior positions in London and overseas, this great international network has brought employment opportunities directly to our current students as former graduates and their employers look to hire the very best.

LSE Careers is a far-reaching resource available to LSE students and alumni, and is one of the best in the UK. Once registered at LSE you'll be able to access the variety of resources and services it provides. These include:

Recruitment fairs
Company presentations
Interview and application skills sessions
Personal careers meetings
CV checking
Advice sessions

LSE is very fortunate in attracting the top recruiters in many sectors which enables the careers service to run an LSE-exclusive vacancy board full of internships, voluntary, part-time and graduate positions.

Find out more

Explore LSE

MSc Law and Finance

Overview

Introduction

Entry requirements

Overseas

Programme content

Year 1

Two half-unit courses from the following options:

Programme regulations at LSE

Why study with us

Why LSE

University of the Year 2025 and 1st in the UK

1st in London for the 13th year running

6th In the world

Carbon Neutral In 2021, LSE became the first Carbon Neutral verified university in the UK

Your application

Overview

When to apply

Fees and funding

Home

Overseas

Fee status

Scholarships, bursaries and loans

Learning and assessment

How you learn

Teaching methods

Academic support and mentorship

How you're assessed

Graduate destinations

Overview

Career support

Departmental career support

Alumni network

LSE Careers

Find out more

Explore LSE