How long does the MSc in Economic Systems take to complete?

The MSc in Economic Systems runs one year full-time or two years part-time at UK Level 7. Online and distance routes for the MSc in Economic Systems mirror the on-campus schedule.

How is the MSc in Economic Systems delivered?

The MSc in Economic Systems is available on-campus in central London, online and by distance learning, with the same weekly seminar structure and named tutor support across modes.

Is the MSc in Economic Systems recognised in the UK?

Yes. The MSc in Economic Systems is a UK Level 7 research-informed Master's aligned with NIESR, IFS and Royal Economic Society scholarship referenced across UK comparative-economics practice.

What are the entry requirements for the MSc in Economic Systems?

Applicants to the MSc in Economic Systems hold a UK 2:2 Bachelor's or equivalent, IELTS 6.5 for non-native English speakers, and submit a 500-word research proposal or practice statement.

What funding options are available for the MSc in Economic Systems?

LSLPE offers instalment plans, scholarship pathways and sponsor-project routes for the MSc in Economic Systems, with visa and accommodation guidance for international applicants.

MSc in Economic Systems | LSLPE | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The MSc in Economic Systems at the London School of Law, Politics and Economics is a UK Level 7 research-informed programme running one year full-time or two years part-time, with on-campus, online and distance learning routes. Themes align with the analytic focus of NIESR, the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the Overseas Development Institute and Royal Economic Society scholarship on comparative and institutional economics.

By graduation you will have modelled coordination and market-based systems, written a comparative institutional brief, analysed transition and reform episodes, and produced a dissertation, capstone or sponsor consulting project supervised by a City economist, policy analyst or academic.

Every intake of the MSc in Economic Systems 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 ONS releases, Bank of England Monetary Policy Reports and OBR Economic and Fiscal Outlooks, giving research-informed students a direct working relationship with the evidence base used by the Royal Economic Society and the Government Economic Service. Assessed work rewards clean writing and structured argument over volume, and tutors emphasise the everyday drafting skills that research-informed practitioners use in first practice.

Key Features

Syllabus themes aligned with NIESR, IFS and ODI comparative-economics research.
Case-room seminars on institutional design and comparative reform.
Guest sessions from public-finance economists and international-institution advisers.
Dissertation, capstone or sponsor consulting project supervised by practising economists.
Named programme-tutor support with active comparative-systems research.
Workshops on institutional-economics methods and comparative datasets.
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 economic sources including ONS releases, Bank of England Monetary Policy Reports and OBR Economic and Fiscal Outlooks.

What You Will Learn

Compare market, coordinated and mixed economic systems using institutional data.
Model economic transitions using reform-episode case studies.
Analyse property rights, contract enforcement and public-good provision.
Assess industrial policy in advanced and emerging economies.
Interpret comparative datasets from the OECD and World Bank.
Design a policy brief on institutional reform.
Read and reproduce econometric work on institutional variation.
Produce a dissertation or sponsor project of publishable or practitioner standard.
Read published UK economic 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

Working economists advancing into institutional or comparative policy work.
Development professionals and NGO analysts progressing into senior roles.
Public-sector officials designing reform programmes.
International applicants seeking a UK-referenced comparative-economics Master's.
Portfolio-route applicants with senior experience in policy or research.
Applicants moving into the Master’s route from a UK Access to HE Diploma, a mature-applicant portfolio or a related LSLPE credential.

Career Pathways

Economic Policy Analyst at a comparative or institutional research centre.
Development Economist in an ODI-adjacent research team.
Government Economist working on industrial-strategy briefs.
Research Economist at a Royal Economic Society research centre.
Trade Economist in a policy or industry body.
Economic Consultant to governments and international bodies.
Regulatory Economist advising on institutional design.
Support-role progression across City firms, government departments and consultancy teams and economic-policy adjacent teams in central London.

The LSLPE careers service links Master's students with sponsor-project opportunities at think tanks, government departments and international bodies. The service runs at least one careers day each academic year specifically for Master’s students on the MSc in Economic Systems, connecting them with employers across the Bank of England, HM Treasury, City firms, government departments and consultancy teams and the wider LSLPE alumni network.

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 but with 5+ years of senior policy or research experience are considered on portfolio.
One academic and one professional reference.
A 500-word research proposal or professional practice statement.

Why Study at LSLPE

The London School of Law, Politics and Economics teaches comparative economic systems within a short tube ride of NIESR, the IFS, the ODI, Chatham House and the Whitehall economic-policy community. MSc students engage with the analysts and economists working on the same comparative questions 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 Royal Economic Society guidance.

Study skills teaching is embedded across the MSc in Economic Systems, covering scholarly referencing, timed writing under committee-style time pressure and the reading of published UK economic 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 Bank of England open events, IFS briefings and Treasury committee sessions where relevant, and are encouraged to follow live UK debate through the Financial Times, the Economist and City research-note ecosystem.

Apply for MSc in Economic Systems

Applications for the MSc in Economic Systems are reviewed on a rolling basis and admissions responds within one working day. Enrol on an LSLPE Master's programme, dissertation, capstone or sponsor project supervised by practising economists and policy advisers. International applicants receive dedicated visa and accommodation guidance from the LSLPE admissions team throughout the enrolment cycle, and progression maps into further doctoral study or senior professional practice are set out in writing at offer stage. Enrol Now.