MSc International Health Policy

Check further details on University website

For the Health Policy programme you need a first degree in a relevant academic subject (economics or other social sciences, medicine and some humanities subjects) whereas for the Health Economics programme you need a first degree in economics, mathematics, statistics or any other quantitative subject. For both, the first degree should be at a standard equivalent to British university upper second class honours.

2:1 or equivalent. For Health Economics, a first degree should be in economics, mathematics, statistics, or any other quantitative subject

English requirement:

If an applicant is offering IGCSE in English as a First Language without the optional component (as above), and has been educated in the medium of English during their five most recent years of study (prior to 1 October 2015), then we will accept the qualification as sufficient evidence of English language proficiency.

You can meet our language requirements in the following ways:

• Your first language is English, or
• Your current or previous degree is taught/assessed entirely in English (we will need official confirmation of this if it is not stated on your transcript), or
• You have passed a recognised Standardised English Language Test (SELT) at an appropriate level.

For degree programmes outside the UK you will need to obtain at least 70 per cent of the available marks in your final year examinations. If your institution uses the cumulative grade point average (GPA) system you should normally have a GPA of at least 3.5 (out of 4) or above.

Check further details on University website

For both programmes, you take taught courses to the value of four units consisting of compulsory and optional courses. Many courses are offered as half units thus enabling a wide range of subjects to be covered. In addition, both programmes require you to undertake a compulsory 10,000 word dissertation on a relevant topic which may be written in conjunction with a summer placement within a government department, international agency, private organisation, or academic research institution. The dissertation makes up the fifth unit of the MSc.

Students must take taught courses to the value of four full units and undertake a 10,000 word Dissertation which counts as the fifth unit. 

Compulsory courses
(* half unit)

• Financing Health Care* focuses on the health financing functions of collecting revenue, pooling funds and purchasing services, as well as on policy choices concerning coverage, resource allocation and market structure.
• Measuring Health System Performance* presents a framework to discuss the opportunities and challenges with performance measurement in health care.
• Dissertation

Two from:

• Foundations of Health Policy* provides a comparative approach to the development of health and healthcare policies in high, middle and low income countries, emphasising present and future policy options and problems.
• Health Economics* develops basic economic concepts as they are applied to the health sector, and provides for specialisation in health economics.
• Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy* introduces the economics of pharmaceutical markets and related policies that affect national and international markets.

Students will be expected to choose courses to the value of two full units from a range of options.

Check further details on University website

You must apply early, as competition for programmes at LSE is intense. Your application will not be considered until we have received all your supporting documents. Wherever possible you should submit all of your documents with your online application. You should expect to wait an average of 8 weeks for a decision when applying for a taught programme, decisions for a research programme may take longer than this.

Important: LSE expects all applicants to complete their application materials without the use of paid agents, credentials services, or other paid professional assistance. The use of such services may lead to the rejection of application materials, the revocation of an admissions offer, cancellation of admission, or involuntary withdrawal from the University.

You should also upload your supporting documents with your application. You should scan and upload your transcripts and request references to be submitted online. The online application allows you to submit your complete application securely and quickly. Your application will not be processed until we have received all the required documents.

Supporting documents

All applications must be accompanied by supporting documents. Some of these are required by all applicants, others are only needed for specific programmes. Details of specific requirements are given on the programme pages.

• Use common sense when reading this information. We are being as clear as we can about our requirements and there are no trick questions or hidden traps.
• We ask you to provide the documents as requested (or as close to them as you can manage) so that we can make a good decision on your application.
• Don't overload your application with extra documents - the selectors won't have time to read them and we really don't need them.
• Don't panic about the length of your personal statement or research proposal - just be sensible about what you want to write and how much a selector might want to read.
• We offer guidance to help you. Read it and act sensibly on it.
• Please do not send supporting documents directly to departments as this will delay your application.

Check further details on University website