BA in Political Economy
Course Overview
The BA in Political Economy at LSLPE is a three-year UK Level 6 honours degree with part-time and accelerated routes available. The programme treats political economy as the study of how power and prices interact: how legislatures set the rules that markets operate under, and how markets create the wealth, inequality and dependency that legislatures must respond to. It is aligned with the guidance of the Political Studies Association and the Royal Economic Society.
By graduation you will have produced comparative country studies, written policy-economy briefings for hypothetical Treasury or think-tank clients, contributed sustained oral argument in the select-committee tradition, completed a placement year in Whitehall, a think tank or a City firm, and defended a final-year dissertation on a political-economy question.
Key Features
- Placement year in Parliament, Whitehall, a think tank, an NGO or a City policy team.
- Curriculum benchmarked to Political Studies Association (PSA) and Royal Economic Society (RES) undergraduate frameworks.
- Applied methods stream covering both econometrics and political science research design.
- Comparative teaching across UK, EU, US and emerging-market political-economic settlements.
- Dissertation supervised by a practising researcher or policy adviser.
- Careers days linking students to Chatham House-adjacent think tanks, City policy teams and Whitehall recruiters.
What You Will Learn
- Classical, neoclassical and heterodox political-economic thought applied to current UK debates.
- Comparative political economy across advanced and emerging systems.
- The politics of fiscal policy, the Treasury Green Book and CIPFA-aligned public finance.
- Regulation, competition policy and the state's role in market design.
- Trade politics, international economic institutions and the WTO framework.
- Distributional analysis, inequality measurement and IFS-style microsimulation.
- Political-science research methods including case study, process tracing and quantitative modelling.
- Dissertation design and defence.
Who This Course Is For
- School-leavers wanting a degree that treats politics and economics as inseparable.
- International applicants comparing their own political economies against UK and global settlements.
- Career changers moving from journalism, campaigns or finance into policy work.
- Working professionals studying part-time through the distance route while employed in adjacent roles.
- Applicants planning postgraduate progression to an MA in Political Economy or an MSc in Public Policy.
Career Pathways
- Policy Adviser inside a Whitehall department, executive agency or think tank.
- Political Analyst covering economic and fiscal policy for a research house or newsroom.
- Economic Policy Analyst inside the Government Economic Service or a regulator.
- Public Affairs Consultant advising City clients on Whitehall and Parliament exposure.
- Think Tank Researcher at institutions such as the IFS, NIESR or ODI.
- Development Analyst at a multilateral body or bilateral donor.
- Public Sector Consultant serving central and local government clients.
The LSLPE careers service coordinates the placement year and runs at least one careers day each academic year connecting BA students with think-tank principals, Whitehall recruiters and City policy leads.
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 outlining political-economy interests.
- International applicants receive dedicated visa and accommodation support from LSLPE admissions.
Why Study at LSLPE
LSLPE is a specialist division of Harold International College of London that reads politics, law and economics as three interlocking disciplines. The BA in Political Economy sits at the meeting point of all three: legislation is drafted by lawyers, argued by politicians, and constrained by economics. Small, tutor-visible cohorts, case-room seminars and named programme-tutor support run through every study mode.
Central London places Parliament, Whitehall, the Treasury, the Bank of England and the leading think tanks within a short tube ride of every classroom. The LSLPE careers service refreshes curriculum alignment annually against PSA and RES guidance, and the three parallel study modes let progressors, working practitioners and international applicants complete the degree without leaving employment.
Apply for BA in Political Economy
Apply for the LSLPE Bachelor's programme with a placement year in Whitehall, a think tank or a City policy team. Admissions responds within one working day. Enrol Now
