London School of Economics and Political Science

Summary

History

The LSE was founded in 1895 by Beatrice and Sidney Webb, Graham Wallas and George Bernard Shaw after a bequest to the Fabian Society of £20,000 to advance the Fabian Society’s objectives.

The aim of the School was the betterment of society. By studying poverty issues and analysing inequalities, the Webbs et al. sought to improve society in general, with a vision, not only of lectures, but of students being directed and supported in doing their own original work.

The School held its first classes in October 1985, and by 1900 had joined the University of London (UoL). At the same time, the LSE began expanding into other areas of social sciences, including geography, philosophy, international relations, history, law, psychology and sociology. In 1902 the School moved formally to its present site, in Clare Market and Houghton Street, with the foundation stone of the Old Building, laid by King George V in 1920.

The School has a history of economic debate and rivalry between Cambridge University, for example the question of the economist’s role, and whether this should be as a detached expert or a practical adviser. LSE’s Robbins and Hayek, and Cambridge’s Keynes were chief figures in the intellectual disagreement between the institutions. The controversy widened from deflation versus demand management as a solution to the economic problems of the day, to broader conceptions of economics and macroeconomics. Robbins and Hayek’s view emphasised free trade and anti-interventionism, while Keynes advanced a brand of economic theory which advocated active policy responses by the public sector.

By 2007, students were awarded LSE degrees, as opposed to those awarded by UoL.

The top 10 employers of LSE graduates are principally accounting, investment banking, consultancy and law firms, with around 30% of graduates going into banking, financial services and accountancy.

University Environment

The School is based between Kingsway and the Royal Courts of Justice, consisting of approximately thirty buildings. The School started off with the Old Building, with surrounding buildings having been consistently bought as the School has expanded. These buildings are connected on an ad-hoc basis, often by extension bridges built between the buildings created high on the upper floors. (Nearest underground stations: Holborn, Temple, Charing Cross).

Recent renovations have included the £35 million modernisation of the Lionel Robbins Building, which houses the British Library of Political and Economic Science, LSE’s Library and a brand new Student Services Centre in the Old building. The New Academic Building, costing £45 million, opened in 2008 and has increased the campus space by 120,000.

Academics

Departments

• Accounting
• Anthropology
• Economics
• Economic History
• European Institute
• Finance
• Gender Institute
• Geography & Environment
• Government
• International Development
• International History
• International Relations
• Language Centre
• Law
• Management
• Mathematics
• Media & Communications
• Methodology Institute
• Philosophy, Logic & Scientific Method
• Social Policy
• Social Psychology
• Sociology
• Statistics

Research

In the 2014 REF LSE came top in the UK based on the proportion of world-leading research and second in the UK when universities are ranked using a 'grade point average'. It further can top in the social science disciplines. 

Fees & Finance

Scholarships & Bursaries

The LSE Bursary offers students on household incomes of £42,611 or less up to £4,000 per year. 

In addition to the LSE Bursary, the School also makes available a range of scholarships for its new undergraduates from the UK, EU and overseas. These scholarships are donated by external organisations or alumni of the School. Eligibility is often limited by, for example, place of residence or programme of study. However, all scholarships are awarded on the basis of financial need.

Facilities

Learning Facilities

The LSE’s Library was founded in 1896 and is the major international library of the social sciences. It has been recognised by the Higher Education Funding Council as one of only five National Research Libraries in England and its collections have been designated by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council as being of outstanding national and international importance. The Library’s collections cover the social sciences in the widest sense; being particularly strong in economics, sociology, political science and the social, economic and international aspects of history. The Library has an exceptional electronic collection containing over 60,000 e-journals and e-books. These are available alongside printed collections of government publications, a wealth of statistical materials, manuscripts, archives and rare books that total over four million separate printed items.

The Library also benefits from the “Escape” area in the Library entrance which lets students take a break from studying, relax, and have something to eat. There are also have different zones for group, quiet and silent work, and hundreds of study spaces and PCs.

There are approximately 1,000 PCs on campus with a range of specialist software. There are also laptops available for LSE students to borrow.

A fully-automated lecture recording system is installed in all of the lecture theatres and most of the larger teaching rooms which means that the content can be distributed via the Schools’ VLE, Moodle. Moodle also allows tutors to provide access to a range of learning resources, such as weekly lecture notes and on-line reading, blogs and on-line discussions.

Most undergraduate degree programmes allow students to take optional courses, and one option is to undertake another language. The LSE offers courses in Russian, French, Mandarin, Spanish and French at a number of different levels from 'beginner' to 'mastery'. If your degree programme doesn't allow you to take optional courses, you can study a further language outside your timetable under the MFL Certificate Course Programme. Languages offered include Arabic, Business Chinese, Mandarin, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish at a number of different competency levels.

Sporting Facilities

Facilities at the LSE include a 25 acre sports ground in New Malden, Surrey, called Berrylands which is a short train journey away from campus. Berrylands caters for a variety of outdoor sports including rugby, football, and cricket. On campus there is a gym, as well as facilities for martial arts, table tennis and squash.

Students' Union

Students' Union

The Students’ Union has an active media group which include the weekly newspaper, the Beaver; the radio station, Pulse; the student film group, LooSE TV; and the Clare Market Review, a termly journal.

All registered students of the School are automatically members of the University of London Union (ULU) and are entitled to make use of ULU's extensive facilities without payment of any extra membership fee. ULU is housed nearby in Malet Street, Bloomsbury, and the premises include a number of facilities shared by University of London students, including a swimming pool, bars, cafés, shops and other recreation facilities. The newspaper London Student is also run by ULU. ULU runs sports leagues and competitions across London universities, and is responsible for the management of shared University of London sports facilities, such as the University of London Boat House at Chiswick. ULU offers a number of specialist sports clubs that cannot be catered for at single colleges.

Student Support

Religion & Spirituality

LSE will be opening its state-of-the-art Faith Centre as part of the new Students’ Centre in 2013/2014 academic year. This will be a place for quiet meditation and will house a large multi-faith room and purpose-built Islamic prayer rooms. The Chaplain is available to students of any faith or none for pastoral conversation, and regular services and special events are organised by the Chaplaincy.

Health & Wellbeing

A Medical Centre is situated at LSE which provides full NHS services to registered patients and medical care to anyone who becomes ill or needs medical advice while at the LSE campus. A dental service is available at the School.

The Disability and Well-being Service provides a first point of contact for prospective and current disabled students, including students with long term medical conditions and/or dyslexia. There are advisers for students with mental health and well-being issues, specific learning differences/neurodiversity, such as dyslexia and autism, and other impairments or long term medical conditions.

Disabled students have access to all LSE services and any activities located in rooms with poor physical access will be relocated as required. Additional facilities include: resources via Moodle and the brainhe.com website; accessible and adapted rooms in halls of residence; a Neurodiversity Interest Group; and readers, note-takers and support assistants.

The LSE Counselling Service is a free and confidential service for all LSE students, which aims to help them cope more effectively with any personal or study related difficulties.

Career Facilities

LSE Careers offer a wide range of information and advice about graduate occupations, employers and graduate study, as well as part-time and vacation work, both in the UK and overseas. LSE students have access to one-to-one careers appointments whilst at LSE and for up to two years after graduation. LSE students and alumni can make appointments with their experienced team for careers advice, CV and cover letter advice and practice interviews.

Each academic department has a dedicated careers adviser who runs specific careers information sessions and students have exclusive access to extensive online careers information resources, researched and written by LSE careers service staff, and targets that the career needs of LSE students.

The School offer a wide ranging programme of events designed to prepare students from the world of work, including master classes focusing on developing entrepreneurship and communication skills and a programme of seminars and workshops designed to help students market themselves to employers and to succeed at interviews and assessment centre.

They also run an extensive programme of careers fairs and forums, themed to match the career aspirations of LSE students, and host many employer presentations, skills sessions and recruiter-in-residence sessions with top employers. Each year they host sector specific careers fairs and forums including advertising, banking, media, entrepreneurship, international organisations, law, policy and consultancy.

Venture@LSECareers, the entrepreneurship and enterprise service, helps students develop their entrepreneurial skills and develop your ambitions to work in social enterprise or start up your own business venture.

Students can also look for current job vacancies, including graduate vacancies, internships, work experience, vacation work or part-time work.

Accommodation

LSE has over 4,000 accommodation places across 17 locations in the centre of London, giving you  unique access to a broad variety of student rooms that suit different preferences, needs and budgets. This variety includes either with or without en suite, shared rooms and studios, whilst utility bills, internet access and content insurance are included in your rent. Most residences are within walking distance from the LSE, saving you money on travelling, and contracts are available on a 30, 38 or 50 week basis. Halls are available as either catered, with an evening meal for those who don't want to cook, and self-catered which provide you with a communal kitchen and living area. A mixture of home and overseas students, men and women, and in some residences undergraduate and postgraduate students live in each hall. 

International

English Language Requirements

Scholarships

There are a number of scholarships and bursaries for overseas students. This includes the LSE Undergraduate Support Scheme which is designed to help overseas students who do not have the necessary funds to meet all their costs of study. In 2013, the School disbursed nearly £750,000 in entrance awards available to self-financing students of all nationalities. The amount of assistance will vary according to individual financial needs but awards are usually between £6,000 and £15,000.

International Facilities

There are over 150 countries represented on campus.

Each summer, the School's alumni around the world organise pre-departure events for those students joining LSE for the first time. These events provide an opportunity to network with others who are about to embark on the same adventure and to meet with alumni and current LSE students. Offer holders will be able to find out what studying at the School is really like and can learn more about living in London, careers and employment after LSE, and their particular LSE course or programme.

The School also informs students on visas and immigration.

Media