How long is the MSc in Trade Economics?

The MSc in Trade Economics runs one year full-time or two years part-time, with online and distance routes available. All variants deliver the same MSc in Trade Economics dissertation and seminar programme.

Can I take the MSc in Trade Economics online?

Yes. The MSc in Trade Economics is available on-campus in central London, by live online seminar and by distance learning, with named tutor and dissertation supervision in all modes.

Is the MSc in Trade Economics recognised in the UK?

The MSc in Trade Economics is a UK Level 7 postgraduate degree aligned with Royal Economic Society, GES and ODI programming and valued across trade policy, consulting and multilateral employers.

What are the entry requirements?

A UK Bachelor's degree (2:2) or international equivalent, IELTS 6.5, one academic and one professional reference, and a 500-word proposal. Portfolio applicants with senior trade experience are considered.

What are the fees and funding options?

Fees for the MSc in Trade Economics are published on the LSLPE admissions page. Instalment plans, employer sponsorship, alumni bursaries and international scholarships are available on request.

MSc in Trade Economics | LSLPE London | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The MSc in Trade Economics is a UK Level 7 postgraduate degree running one year full-time or two years part-time, with online and distance routes available. The syllabus is aligned with the applied competencies referenced by the Royal Economic Society, the Government Economic Service and the ODI trade research programme, and covers advanced trade theory, gravity modelling, tariff and non-tariff analysis, services and digital trade, and the political economy of multilateral negotiation.

By graduation you will have built gravity models on WTO datasets, produced tariff schedule analytics, written a trade impact assessment, drafted policy briefs on live UK negotiations, and completed a supervised dissertation or sponsor consulting project for a government department, trade body or international body.

Key Features

Aligned with Royal Economic Society, GES and ODI trade research programmes.
Gravity modelling and applied tariff analysis with Stata and R.
Structured drafting of trade impact assessments and negotiation briefs.
Practitioner sessions from Department for Business and Trade alumni and ODI fellows.
Weekly case-room seminars in the select-committee tradition.
Supervised dissertation of 12,000 to 15,000 words.
Three parallel study modes for progressors and working professionals.

What You Will Learn

Estimate gravity models of bilateral trade using panel WTO data.
Analyse advanced trade theory including new new-trade and heterogeneous-firm models.
Model welfare effects of tariff, quota and non-tariff measures with identification strategies.
Interpret services, digital trade and rules-of-origin provisions in recent UK agreements.
Draft a trade impact assessment for a ministerial audience.
Evaluate multilateral negotiation strategy through political-economy lenses.
Present research findings in the case-room seminar tradition.
Deliver a Master's dissertation to research-informed senior-practice standard.

Who This Course Is For

Bachelor's graduates in economics, IR or PPE moving into senior trade policy work.
Working policy advisers and analysts in trade bodies and consultancy.
Junior desk officers moving to senior trade roles.
International applicants seeking a UK Master's in trade economics.
Portfolio-route applicants with senior trade policy experience.

Career Pathways

Trade Economist in a government department.
Government Economist on the GES senior track.
Research Economist supporting ODI-style programmes.
Economic Consultant on tariff and non-tariff files.
Development Economist at a bilateral agency.
Regulatory Economist at a UK trade regulator.
Economic Policy Analyst at a think tank.
Investment Analyst on trade-exposed sectors.

The LSLPE careers service maintains introductions to Department for Business and Trade alumni, trade bodies and ODI-adjacent programmes.

Entry Requirements

A UK Bachelor's degree (2:2 or above) or equivalent international qualification in economics, IR or a cognate 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 trade policy or research experience are considered on portfolio.
One academic and one professional reference.
A 500-word research proposal or professional practice statement on a trade economics question.

Why Study at LSLPE

LSLPE places the MSc in Trade Economics within a short tube ride of the Department for Business and Trade, Chatham House, ODI, the Treasury and the LSE-adjacent trade research ecosystem. That geography gives dissertation students direct access to the live UK trade research and policy communities.

Every intake shares the same weekly seminar structure with a named programme tutor. The LSLPE careers service refreshes curriculum alignment annually against Royal Economic Society and ODI programming so MSc in Trade Economics graduates step into senior trade work with a current, employable skill set.

Apply for MSc in Trade Economics

The MSc in Trade Economics is the Master's-level credential for senior UK trade policy and multilateral analytics work. Enrol on an LSLPE Master's programme, dissertation, capstone or sponsor project supervised by practising barristers, policy advisers and City economists. Enrol Now.