BA in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Course Overview

The BA in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences at the London School of Law, Politics and Economics is a three-year UK Level 6 honours degree building integrated capability across politics, economics and public policy methods. Part-time and accelerated routes are available, and the syllabus is informed by the working focus of the Political Studies Association, the Royal Economic Society, CIPFA, the ODI and the Institute of Development Studies.

By graduation you will have written mixed-methods research reports, produced comparative country studies, delivered a policy pitch at a simulated inter-departmental review, and completed a placement year in a think tank, NGO, public-affairs consultancy or research institute. The final-year dissertation defends original interdisciplinary work on a substantive UK or international question.

Every intake of the BA in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences joins the same LSLPE weekly rhythm, whether on-campus, online or by distance learning, and students are placed in small named cohorts from week one. Reading is drawn wherever possible from primary UK sources including Green Book appraisals, Magenta Book evaluations and evidence-review syntheses, giving honours students a direct working relationship with the evidence base used by the Political Studies Association and the Royal Economic Society. Assessed work rewards clean writing and structured argument over volume, and tutors emphasise the everyday drafting skills that honours practitioners use in first practice.

Key Features

• Syllabus informed by PSA, RES, CIPFA, ODI and IDS analytic frameworks.
• Mixed-methods research workshops including qualitative and quantitative techniques.
• Placement year in a think tank, NGO, public-affairs consultancy or research institute.
• Named programme-tutor support with active social-science research profiles.
• Case-room and select-committee seminars on real policy questions.
• Guest sessions from practising researchers across UK and international bodies.
• Dissertation on a substantive interdisciplinary question.
• Named tutor written feedback on every graded submission with an interim tutor review at the halfway mark.
• Structured induction reading list drawn from primary UK interdisciplinary sources including Green Book appraisals, Magenta Book evaluations and evidence-review syntheses.

What You Will Learn

• Design mixed-methods studies on public-policy questions.
• Apply comparative-politics frameworks to UK and international cases.
• Use applied econometric methods on social datasets.
• Read qualitative data using structured coding techniques.
• Interpret CIPFA and public-finance publications.
• Prepare integrated policy briefs drawing on multiple disciplines.
• Present analysis in seminar and simulated review settings.
• Build a dissertation from primary and secondary interdisciplinary sources.
• Read published UK interdisciplinary evidence sessions, working papers and reports at practitioner standard.
• Manage timed writing and oral defence under seminar and committee-style conditions.

Who This Course Is For

• School leavers targeting interdisciplinary policy, research or public-affairs careers.
• Career changers from journalism, communications or NGO roles.
• Working researchers seeking a full honours BA with integrated methods.
• International applicants wanting a UK-recognised interdisciplinary BA.
• Public-affairs officers building analytical depth across disciplines.
• Applicants moving into the degree route from a UK Access to HE Diploma, a mature-applicant portfolio or a related LSLPE credential.

Career Pathways

• Policy Adviser in a Whitehall department or NGO.
• Think Tank Researcher covering interdisciplinary briefs.
• Development Analyst in an ODI-adjacent research team.
• Programme Manager for a civic-innovation or development body.
• Public Affairs Consultant in a public-affairs agency.
• Public Sector Consultant advising local and central government.
• Global Affairs Analyst covering interdisciplinary international dossiers.
• Strategy Adviser to charities and civic-society bodies.
• Support-role progression across think tanks, government departments and civic-innovation bodies and interdisciplinary-policy adjacent teams in central London.

The LSLPE careers service coordinates placements with think tanks, NGOs and public-affairs consultancies concentrated in central London. The service runs at least one careers day each academic year specifically for degree students on the BA in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, connecting them with employers across the Institute for Government, Whitehall, think tanks, government departments and civic-innovation bodies and the wider LSLPE alumni network.

Entry Requirements

• A-levels (or equivalent) at BBB or above, OR a UK Access to HE Diploma with 45 credits at Level 3.
• GCSE English at grade 4/C and Mathematics at grade 4/C or equivalent.
• IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers.
• Two academic references and a personal statement on your interdisciplinary interests.
• International applicants receive dedicated visa and accommodation support from LSLPE admissions.

Why Study at LSLPE

The London School of Law, Politics and Economics teaches interdisciplinary social sciences within a short tube ride of Parliament, Whitehall, the ODI, Chatham House, the IFS, the Institute for Government and the wider UK think-tank ecosystem. BA students engage directly with the researchers running the same integrated policy analyses their syllabus interprets.

Every intake, on-campus or remote, joins the same weekly seminar structure with named programme-tutor support, and curriculum alignment is refreshed annually against Political Studies Association, Royal Economic Society and CIPFA guidance.

Study skills teaching is embedded across the BA in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, covering scholarly referencing, timed writing under committee-style time pressure and the reading of published UK interdisciplinary materials. International applicants receive additional English-language coaching from the LSLPE admissions team, and mature applicants without recent formal study join a bridge-week before term begins to consolidate written English and note-taking habits. Tutors provide named written feedback on every submission, and every graded piece is reviewed by a second tutor for consistency across cohorts and study modes. Students shadow LSLPE tutors on structured observation sessions at Institute for Government events and public-consultation briefings where relevant, and are encouraged to follow live UK debate through the UK policy press and the What Works network commentary.

Apply for BA in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Applications for the BA in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences are reviewed on a rolling basis and admissions responds within one working day. Apply for the LSLPE Bachelor's programme, placement year in chambers, government or a think tank included. International applicants receive dedicated visa and accommodation guidance from the LSLPE admissions team throughout the enrolment cycle, and progression maps into an LSLPE Master’s programme are set out in writing at offer stage. Enrol Now.