How long does the MSc in Economics take?

The MSc in Economics runs one year full-time or two years part-time. Distance students on the MSc in Economics typically complete over the two-year part-time schedule.

Is the MSc available online?

Yes. The MSc in Economics is delivered on-campus in central London, online with live seminars, and by distance learning. All modes include the dissertation.

What are the entry requirements?

You need a UK Bachelor's in economics or a related quantitative subject (2:2 or above), plus IELTS 6.5 where relevant. Senior practitioners without a Bachelor's may apply on portfolio for the MSc in Economics.

What are the fees and is funding available?

Fees for the MSc in Economics vary by mode and are published on the LSLPE fees page. Instalment plans, employer sponsorship and postgraduate loan guidance are handled by the admissions team on request.

MSc in Economics | LSLPE | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The MSc in Economics is a UK Level 7 research-informed postgraduate degree running one year full-time or two years part-time across on-campus, online and distance routes. It covers advanced microeconomics, macroeconomics and econometrics as its three core pillars, alongside elective modules in policy, industrial or behavioural economics, aligned with Government Economic Service technical framework and Royal Economic Society applied standards.

By graduation, students on the MSc in Economics are producing peer-review style working papers, running instrumental-variable, panel-data and structural econometric exercises on published UK and cross-country datasets, and completing a substantial dissertation on a live economics question aligned with IFS or NIESR-style methodological standards.

Key Features

Postgraduate modules mapped to Government Economic Service technical framework and Royal Economic Society applied standards.
Case teaching on Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee, Office for Budget Responsibility and IFS commentary.
Guest sessions from Whitehall economists, City strategists and academic researchers.
Applied econometrics seminars using UK microdata and cross-country panel data.
Dissertation supervision by tutors active in economics research or practice.
Small cohort model with named programme tutor for every student on the MSc in Economics.

What You Will Learn

Handle advanced microeconomics including game theory and contract theory.
Model macroeconomic dynamics with DSGE and time-series frameworks.
Estimate instrumental-variable, panel-data and difference-in-differences models.
Handle applied questions in labour, industrial or behavioural economics.
Draft policy-relevant working papers to publishable standard.
Handle research ethics and reproducibility in economics.
Design a supervised dissertation project with a defensible methodology.
Present dissertation research to research-audience standard.

Who This Course Is For

Bachelor graduates in economics moving into research, City strategy or government economics.
Working professionals in Whitehall economics, Bank of England or think tanks.
City analysts and consultants seeking senior research grounding.
International applicants preparing for policy roles in ministries of finance or central banks.
Aspiring PhD candidates in economics.

Career Pathways

Government Economist in a Whitehall department or devolved administration.
Econometrician in an IFS or NIESR-aligned research team.
Central Bank Analyst on a Bank of England graduate scheme.
Investment Analyst on a City macro or quantitative desk.
Economic Consultant in a regulatory or competition practice.
Behavioural Economist on a trials-based programme.
Research Economist on a policy or academic programme.

The LSLPE careers service supports every MSc in Economics student on applications into Whitehall economics, central-bank research, City strategy and academic PhD-track routes.

Entry Requirements

A UK Bachelor's degree (2:2 or above) in economics, mathematics or a related quantitative discipline for the MSc in Economics.
IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers.
Applicants without a Bachelor's degree but with 5+ years of senior professional experience in economics, quantitative analysis or public policy are considered on portfolio.
One academic and one professional reference.
A 500-word research proposal on the intended dissertation theme.

Why Study at LSLPE

LSLPE reads economics alongside law and politics, giving research economists a sense of the legal and political environment their models feed into. Central London places HM Treasury, the Bank of England, IFS-aligned research and City analytics teams within a short tube ride, and every MSc cohort is taught in the small select-committee format that defines the school.

Three parallel study modes allow serving analysts, City economists and international applicants to complete the MSc in Economics without stepping away from live desks. Dissertation supervision draws on practising economists at the Treasury, the Bank of England, City firms and think tanks.

Apply for MSc in Economics

The MSc in Economics closes with a dissertation, capstone or sponsor project supervised by practising barristers, policy advisers and City economists across the LSLPE portfolio. Enrol on an LSLPE Master's programme. Enrol Now.