MA in Political Theory
Course Overview
The MA in Political Theory at LSLPE is a UK Level 7 postgraduate degree running one year full-time or two years part-time across on-campus, online and distance-learning routes. The programme is aligned with Political Studies Association benchmarks on political theory, British International Studies Association guidance on normative international theory and Chatham House convening standards on political thought applied to policy. Teaching sits within a short tube ride of the British Library, Senate House and the Institute for Philosophy.
By graduation you will have argued a Rawlsian problem in seminar, produced a genealogical study of a contested concept, drafted a policy-facing normative brief and completed a substantial dissertation supervised by a practising political theorist.
Key Features
- Curriculum aligned with PSA political theory benchmarks and BISA normative international theory guidance.
- Case-room seminars in the Oxford tutorial and PPE tradition.
- Reading groups on Rawls, Nozick, Cohen, Nussbaum and contemporary political theorists.
- Policy-facing normative writing workshops.
- Named programme-tutor support across all three study modes.
- Dissertation supervision by a practising political theorist with policy links.
What You Will Learn
- Classical political theory from Plato through to Machiavelli and Hobbes.
- Modern liberal theory including Rawls, Nozick and Dworkin.
- Critical theory including the Frankfurt School and contemporary critical race theory.
- Feminist and post-colonial political theory.
- Global justice, cosmopolitanism and international normative theory.
- Democratic theory including deliberative and agonistic accounts.
- Applied political theory including migration, climate and technology ethics.
- Research methods for a political theory dissertation.
Who This Course Is For
- Policy advisers and civil servants needing normative rigour.
- Journalists and communicators covering political ideas.
- Third sector directors reasoning about mission and mandate.
- Recent BA graduates in politics, philosophy or PPE targeting a doctoral or think-tank track.
- International applicants studying UK political thought.
Career Pathways
- Political Analyst
- Think Tank Researcher
- Policy Adviser
- Political Communications Officer
- Public Affairs Consultant
- Political Consultant
- Public Leadership Fellow
- International Relations Analyst on normative issues
The LSLPE careers service holds at least one careers day each academic year connecting MA in Political Theory students with Westminster think tanks, university PhD programmes, editorial teams at policy magazines and campaign strategy houses.
Entry Requirements
- A UK Bachelor's degree (2:2 or above) or equivalent international qualification in a relevant discipline.
- IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers.
- Applicants without a Bachelor's degree but with five or more years of senior policy, editorial or think tank experience are considered on portfolio.
- One academic and one professional reference.
- A 500-word research proposal identifying a proposed dissertation topic in political theory.
Why Study at LSLPE
LSLPE is the specialist law, politics and economics division of Harold International College of London, teaching in small tutor-visible cohorts within a short tube ride of the British Library, Senate House and the philosophy quarter of Bloomsbury. The MA in Political Theory reads its subject in the case-room and tutorial tradition, keeping normative rigour close to live policy questions.
Three parallel study modes let progressors, working practitioners and portfolio-route applicants complete the MA without leaving employment, and the LSLPE careers service refreshes curriculum annually against Political Studies Association and BISA guidance.
Apply for MA in Political Theory
Applications for the MA in Political Theory open with rolling intakes and admissions responds within one working day. Enrol on an LSLPE Master's programme with a dissertation supervised by a practising political theorist, and take a credentialed UK step into normative political practice. Enrol Now
