How long is the BA in Political Economy Studies at LSLPE?

The BA in Political Economy Studies at LSLPE runs three years full-time, with part-time and accelerated routes available. The three-year plan includes a year-two placement in Whitehall, a think tank or a City research team.

How is the BA in Political Economy Studies delivered?

The BA in Political Economy Studies is delivered on-campus in central London, live online and by structured distance learning. All three modes share the same case-room seminar structure and named tutor.

Is the BA in Political Economy Studies recognised in the UK?

The BA in Political Economy Studies is a UK Level 6 honours degree benchmarked against Royal Economic Society and Political Studies Association guidance and articulates into UK Master's programmes at LSLPE and partners.

What are the entry requirements for the BA in Political Economy Studies?

BBB at A-level or equivalent, GCSE English and Maths at 4/C, IELTS 6.5 for non-native English speakers, and a personal statement. International applicants for the BA in Political Economy Studies receive dedicated support.

What does the BA in Political Economy Studies cost and is funding available?

Fees for the BA in Political Economy Studies are published on the LSLPE fees page. The programme is served by scholarship windows for international applicants and staged payment plans for domestic students.

BA in Political Economy Studies | LSLPE | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The BA in Political Economy Studies at LSLPE is a UK Level 6 honours degree running three years full-time, with part-time and accelerated routes available. The curriculum draws on classical political economy, the modern institutionalist tradition and applied macro and micro method, and situates each theory alongside its use in Whitehall, the Bank of England and the leading think tanks. Students take modules across the LSLPE Economics, Politics and PPE departments and are examined by staff who work across all three.

By graduation you will have run applied policy costings, produced comparative country case studies, presented at a moot public accounts committee, and completed a final-year dissertation supervised by a tutor with public-finance, central-bank or think-tank experience.

Key Features

Three-year Level 6 honours degree with a year-two placement in Whitehall, the Treasury-adjacent think-tank cluster or a City research team.
Reading list aligned with Royal Economic Society (RES), Political Studies Association (PSA) and Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) publication standards.
Weekly seminars taught in a case-room and select-committee tradition.
Modules shared with the LSLPE Economics and Politics departments.
Dissertation supervision in political economy, comparative political economy, or public finance.
Structured articulation into LSLPE MA in Political Economy, MSc in Economics, and MSc in Public Policy.

What You Will Learn

Read Smith, Ricardo, Marx, Keynes, Hayek and Ostrom against their institutional context.
Interpret Treasury Green Book, Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee and OBR outputs.
Build and defend a comparative political-economy case study.
Run applied macro and micro appraisals of policy proposals.
Design and complete an original dissertation of around 10,000 words.
Use qualitative and quantitative research methods.
Compare Anglo-American, European and East Asian political-economy models.
Present oral argument at select-committee standard.

Who This Course Is For

School leavers wanting a degree that combines political theory with rigorous economic method.
Career-changers moving from journalism, teaching or charity work into policy analysis.
International applicants seeking a London-based political-economy honours degree.
Aspiring policy advisers, parliamentary researchers and think-tank associates.
Progressors from LSLPE Higher Diploma routes.

Career Pathways

Policy Adviser
Public Sector Consultant
Think Tank Researcher
Government Affairs Manager
Political Analyst
Public Affairs Consultant
Programme Manager
Strategy Adviser

The LSLPE careers service runs annual employer days linking BA in Political Economy Studies finalists with Whitehall analytical services, IFS-adjacent think tanks, City research teams and international bodies.

Entry Requirements

A-levels (or equivalent) at BBB or above, OR a UK Access to HE Diploma with 45 credits at Level 3 in social science or economics.
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 explaining your interest in political economy.
International applicants receive dedicated visa and accommodation support from LSLPE admissions.

Why Study at LSLPE

LSLPE reads political economy as a discipline that only works when law, politics and economics are studied together. The BA in Political Economy Studies is taught in small, tutor-visible cohorts and shares its case-room seminars with the LSLPE Law, Politics and Economics departments.

Central London puts the Treasury, the Bank of England, IFS, ODI, Chatham House and the LSE-adjacent think-tank cluster within a short tube ride of every classroom. Three parallel study modes let progressors and working professionals complete the programme without leaving employment, and the careers service refreshes curriculum alignment annually against RES and PSA guidance.

Apply for BA in Political Economy Studies

Places on the BA in Political Economy Studies are offered on a rolling basis. Apply for the LSLPE Bachelor's programme, placement year in chambers, government or a think tank included, admissions responds within one working day. Enrol Now.