MSc Social and Cultural Psychology

You’ll explore the complex relationships between social and cultural norms and individual human behaviour, and learn how we can apply this knowledge to tackle pressing social problems.

The programme blends sociological, anthropological and economic perspectives to investigate topics such as social identities, inter-group relations, and social representation.

You’ll gain a solid grounding in the theoretical aspects of social and cultural psychology while also completing comprehensive training in both quantitative and qualitative research methods.

This master’s degree, offered at our campus in London, is unique in its blend of social and cultural psychology, covering both theoretical and applied issues. You can tailor your studies to suit your specific interests, with optional courses covering topics such as political psychology and conflict and negotiation.

The programme has a strong focus on real-world applications. You’ll have the chance to apply your theoretical insights and research skills to a dissertation that addresses a specific research question on social or cultural psychology.

When you graduate, you’ll be equipped with all the critical skills and tools for a career in policymaking, international development, and many other roles in NGOs, not-for-profits and academia.

Our department was recently ranked first in the UK for psychology (Complete University Guide 2025). So, you’ll be studying at a top-rated university.

• M Cole Cultural Psychology: a once and future discipline (Harvard University Press, 1996)
• S. Jovchelovitch Knowledge in Context: Representations, community and culture (Routledge Classics, 2019)
• S Kitayama and D Cohen Handbook of Cultural Psychology (Guilford Press, 2010)
• S Moscovici Social Representations: explorations in social psychology (Polity Press, 2000)
• R Schweder Why Men Barbecue: recipes for cultural psychology (Harvard University Press, 2003)
• M Tomasello The Cultural Origins of Human Cognition (Harvard University Press, 1999)

Selected readings of research by faculty:

• K Corti  and A Gillespie Revisiting Milgram’s Cyranoid Method: experimenting with hybrid human agents (The Journal of Social Psychology, 2015)
• C Howarth, W Wagner, N Magnusson & G Sammut ‘It’s only other people who make me feel black’: acculturation, identity and agency in a multicultural community (Political Psychology, 2014)
• S Jovchelovitch and J Priego-Hernandez, Underground Sociabilities: identity, culture and resistance in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas (Brasilia, 2013)

You'll take two compulsory courses (one theoretical and one methodological), a research dissertation of 10,000 words and options to the value of one unit from a wide range of courses.

You'll leave the department equipped with conceptual and research skills, the ability to assess and analyse evidence, critical judgement and experience of working individually and in teams.

Browse examples of previous PBS dissertations

The Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science is a growing community of researchers, academics and students who explore the human mind and behaviour in a societal context.

From our early beginnings as a group of researchers studying psychology and society 50 years ago, the department is now home to an interdisciplinary faculty team conducting wide-ranging research.

Today, our research spans:

• social psychology
• behavioural economics
• political psychology
• organisational culture
• consumer behaviour
• public engagement
• community development
• global health, happiness and well-being
• planetary health.

Our research is connected with what is happening in the world today. The outputs impact policy, business and society at large. This focus on real-world issues sets our department, and LSE, apart from other institutions and our students inform and inspire the direction of our work.

We offer various taught programmes and research opportunities, ranging from our BSc in Psychological and Behavioural Science to doctoral training – all with an emphasis on practical, policy-related issues.

By maintaining this focus on real-world issues and societal impact, our department leads the way with innovative research in the field, the lab and everywhere in between.

So, whether you want to study, research or teach, you’ll find a supportive and inspirational community where you can contribute to global debates and change.

Learn more about our programmes and research.

Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science

Who's who

Sandra Jovchelovitch

Programme Director and Professor of Social Psychology

Alex Gillespie

Programme Director and Professor of Psychological and Behavioural Science

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 references
• CV.

See further information on supporting documents.

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

Contact us

Contact Postgraduate Programme Manager Louise Millar at pbs.msc@lse.ac.uk.

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.

For this programme, the tuition fee is different for home and overseas students depending on their fee status.

For this programme, the tuition fee is different for home and overseas students depending on their fee status.

All taught courses are required to include formative coursework which is unassessed. It's designed to help prepare you for summative assessment which counts towards the course mark and to the degree award. LSE uses a range of formative assessment, such as essays, problem sets, case studies, reports, quizzes, mock exams and many others. Summative assessment will consist of examinations, essays and a dissertation. An indication of the formative coursework and summative assessment for each course can be found in the relevant course guide.

This programme is intended to equip you for a career in business organisations, communities, health, the media, development and international agencies, government or in research.

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.