The LSE is a specialist school in the social sciences of which political science is the oldest component. The full title of the School is the London School of Economics and Political Science. The LSE is a world leader in its field.

The Department is one of the largest in the UK and offers graduate students an unrivalled choice of subjects in their various degrees taught by some of the best known academics in their field.

Our situation in London gives students opportunities to participate in political discussion on a scale difficult to find elsewhere. There is much interest shown in politics by most of our students and LSE is a Mecca for leading politicians, public figures and visiting academics. In both practical and theoretical terms LSE offers the student a complete experience of politics.

Why "Department of Government" and not "Department of Politics"?

It is purely a matter of tradition and usage. There is no truth in the old rumour that the founders of the department at LSE were in favour of Government, but suspicious of politics. The titles given to the academic study of government and politics vary from university to university. The School's full title is "The London School of Economics and Political Science", and "politics" and "government" and "political science" are often used interchangeably to cover everything from normative political theory to voting studies.

How will my voice be heard?

There are a number of means and channels of consultation and representation provided by the School, and the Department (in addition of course to the Students' Union itself: registered research students are automatically members of the Students' Union). The Department's own arrangements involve the holding of a Research Student Liaison Committee in each session (usually towards the end of the Michaelmas and Summer terms). All research students will be informed of, and invited to these meetings at which matters affecting them can be discussed. The Research Student Tutor and the Research Programme Administrator will normally attend.

In addition, Research Student Representatives of the first, second, third and fourth plus cohorts are elected to provide a regular channel of representation of research students' views and interests. To see further details of the staff student committees and notes from previous meetings click here| (you will need your LSE username and password).

What facilities does the Department of Government provide for its students?

Study Rooms

In addition to the range of facilities made available to all students at the School, the Department's research students have the sole use of rooms CON 3.03, CON 4.19, CON 5.03 and CON 5.21.

IT Facilities

In addition to IT facilities available in the rest of the School (including the Library), the Department's computing and printing machines for research student use are housed in each of the four research student research rooms:

CON 3.03 has four Dell PCs
CON 4.19 has sixteen Dell PCs and a laser printer
CON 5.21 has sixteen Dell PCs and a laser printer
CON 5.03 has four Dell PCs and a laser printer.

All PCs in the School are IBM; word-processing in the School is standardised to Windows XP, with a variety of software packages, notably Office 2003, including Word and Excel. There are also several Database packages available including SPSS and Access. Machines are fully networked with access to the Library's Unicorn catalogue system and the Internet. All LSE students are provided with e-mail accounts.

Instruction in research skills, including data analysis

The School's Methodology Institute has been set up specifically to advise/instruct in data-analysis skills and other research areas. The Institute's Quantitative Analysis in Social Research is also available to all research students. It caters for both beginners (MI451) and advanced students (MI452). In addition, the MI454 course offers training in basic computer use to analyse qualitative data. For further details see the methodology institute website|. Dr Cheryl Schonhardt-Bailey, Dr Paul Mitchell and Professor Simon Hix are among the Department of Government's experts in this area, and will give advice.

Alceste is statistical software that is available to Government Department Research Students. Only one computer in CON 3.03 has this software and it is necessary to obtain the dongle from CON 3.18 to operate it.

ECPR Summer School

There is also an annual ECPR Summer School| in Data Analysis at Essex University, to which the Department can nominate two students.

Library

It is difficult to underestimate the quality and scope of the LSE library: it is certainly the most important social science library in Europe. With around 1 million bound volumes and some 28,000 journals, the Library is one of the main centres of social science research. Its resources and how best to exploit them for research are discussed in both the Doctoral Programme Seminar and a number of the Methodology Institute's Seminars.

Resource support from the Data Library for the Department of Government.

The Data Library can provide access and support for Government Researchers who wish to use the following digital resources in either their teaching or research. Resources with an L tag are available locally at LSE. Most other data are available either on-line or through national data services. Note that this list can be regarded as "selected highlights" rather than a comprehensive guide. Any inquiries regarding these sources or other data should be directed to datalibrary@lse.ac.uk|.

For further details and a full list of available resources access the Datalibrary website|.

UK Micro-Data (Individuals)
British Household Panel Study
General Household Survey
Quarterly Labour Force Survey
Family Resources Survey
Family Expenditure Survey
Survey of English Housing
Health Survey for England
UK Census and Related Datasets
Social Opinion Data
British Social Attitudes Survey
International Social Survey Programme (some 14 International surveys)
Eurobarometer (European Opinion)
Gallup Opinion Poll Data
Election Studies
British Election Study
British Election Panel Study
Election Result Statistics (most available freely on the Internet)
European Data
European Labour Force Survey
European Household Budget Survey
European Community Household Panel Study
REGIO - European Regional Indicators
Eurostatistics
European Administrative Boundary Data (Digital Maps)

What are my chances of gaining some teaching experience?

Teaching experience is increasingly important for those who wish to pursue an academic career (job applications frequently ask about teaching skills) and is an additional source (albeit meagre!) of income. Accordingly, the Departmental Graduate Programme enables research students to gain experience of undergraduate teaching as teaching assistants. Such teaching will normally be available only to students who have been upgraded to PhD level. For further details refer to the class teaching page|.

How do I get business cards for taking to conferences or other networking events?

You can order and pay for business cards at the School's Reprographics Division|.

What activities does the Department offer beyond research?

The Department of Government has over 100 research students, and collectively their topics cover almost every area of political studies. The Department tries to ensure that the advantages of bringing together such a large group are maximised, while maintaining a friendly corporate spirit. A number of features help to create a sense of community and encourage an appreciation of the variety within political science.

Research students often gain as much intellectual and personal support from each other as from the academic staff. The Department's general arrangements are designed to encourage regular and easy contact between students, and between students and academic and administrative staff. With this in mind, a list of the names/research interests and addresses (the latter with permission) of all our Research Students will be made available early in the Michaelmas Term.

In addition to such purely social occasions as the party for Government Research students held early in the Michaelmas Term, we try to infuse a sociable element into our collective academic arrangements. Thus, for MPhil/PhD students, the Doctoral Programme Seminar is run in such a way as to promote personal contacts between students and between students and staff and the subsequent-year Workshops are intended to perform the same function.

Research students are strongly advised to attend the annual conference of the Political Studies Association| (the professional body of Political Scientists in Britain), which is held during the Easter vacation, separate additional sessions are usually arranged for graduate students. The PSA conference, like all good academic occasions, combines mind with social matter and is valuable for multiplying academic contacts with other institutions

The Schapiro Society is the Student Union club which many of the Government Department's students join. It arranges talks, debates and other social events during the session. Once again, the aim is to combine serious thought and informal socialising.

What career options exist for research students?

For information on careers support and career options refer to the careers page| or the School's Careers Service Site|.

Application questions

How to apply to the M.Phil/PhD in Government

The deadline for applying to the M.Phil/PhD programme and to the MRes programme is January 15 to also be eligible for LSE funding opportunities but applications will be consindered until April 30, for entry in October 2010. Please bear in mind that the deadline for applying for funding to the LSE Research Studentship Scheme is mid June 2009, and that you need an offer from us in order to apply.

You will find further details for the Scheme here|.

I. Admission criteria

(1) Previous education
You must have obtained an undergraduate degree with the equivalent of upper class second honours or a GPA of minimum 3.5, and must obtain a Masters Degree with an average of 65 or above. In addition, you must obtain a mark of at least 65 in their Masters dissertation. If you are on a MSc programme at the time of applying, and your results will not be known until September 2010, you may be made a conditional offer, and allowed to register provisionally in September. The offer will be turned into a unconditional offer once your final marks are known. However, if you do not meet the conditions asked of you, you will be withdrawn from the programme

(2) Language requirements

If English is not your first language, or if you have never taken a degree taught in English, we ask you to provide evidence of your command of English. You should include your test scores in the relevant section of the application form. If you receive an offer of admission, it will be subject to proof of your score. English tests must be less than two years old at the time of application.

The Department of Government requires the following test scores:

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) with normally a minimum score of 627 in the paper test or 263 in the computer-based test
IELTS (International English Language Testing System) with normally a minimum score of 7.0

These are minimum requirements. You may need additional language instruction before you register to be confident that you can participate fully in your programme. Please refer to Graduate Admissions| for further information.

II. Application form
You may either:
(a) download and complete the application form using the following link: http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/graduateAdmissions/apply/applyByPost.htm|. You should then send the application and supporting documentation as one package
(b) Complete the online application form at: http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/graduateAdmissions/apply/applyOnline.htm| and send us the supporting documentation as soon as possible.

III. Supporting documentation
We will require (1) a personal statement, (2) a research proposal, (3) written work, (4) two academic references and (5) degree/language tests transcripts.

(1) Personal statement
Researching for, and writing, a doctoral thesis is one of the most enjoyable intellectual experiences that there is; it is also one of the most demanding. It is crucially important, therefore, that you embark on this process, starting with the application, with realistic views of what doing a PhD actually consists in, as well as with a good sense of what your reasons are for doing it. Your personal statement should state clearly your motivation for applying for the MPhil/PhD. Approximately one half to a page of A4 is appropriate. We do not require or consider CVs.

For a good overview of what a PhD consists in, of the good and bad experiences doctoral students often have, you may wish to consult E. M. Phillips and D. S. Pugh, How to Get a PhD (Open University Press, 2005, 4th edition.).

(2) Research Proposal
The research proposal, which must be of approximately 3000 words, is absolutely crucial to the success of your application. You need to have more than a vaguely defined research topic. The proposal should include a working title and set of questions; a discussion of your proposed approach, with a brief critical survey of the key sources you already know, and an identification of those you intend to use; a brief account of current debate within the field and the strengths and limitations of existing work; an indication of the methods you intend to use in order to pursue this particular research. In addition, you should describe your reasons for selecting your topic (why do you want to spend four years on this particular topic? What is particularly interesting about it? Is it a new topic? A much researched topic which requires a new approach?) You should also indicate why, in your view, your proposed work will make a significant and original contribution to the field. Finally, a thesis should be able to be completed within four years. Whilst we appreciate that this proposal will change through the course of your research, you should endeavour to present a project which will be considered feasible within the framework of an MPhil / PhD programme, including a preliminary timetable.

The Committee places great importance on the originality, substance and feasibility of your proposal. Candidates are encouraged to take due care in the preparation of the proposal, to consult former academic advisors or to make contact with potential supervisors in the Department for advice on preparing a proposal. You will find a list of members of staff, with their research interests on the Academic staff (full-time) & Postdoctoral Fellows web page.

Applicants may wish to consult the following two books for advice on how to formulate a research problem and plan a doctorate: P. Dunleavy, Authoring a PhD: How to Plan, Draft, Write and Finish a Doctoral Thesis or Dissertation (Palgrave Macmillan, 2003); E. M. Phillips and D. S. Pugh, How to Get a PhD (Open University Press, 2005, 4th edition.)

(3) Written Work
Applicants must submit either two Masters degree essays of 5,000 or a Masters dissertation

(4) References
You should nominate two referees who are familiar with your academic work and ideally who know of your proposed field of research. It is your responsibility to make contact with your referees promptly to allow your application to be completed in time. Please note that outside term time many academics may be away from their department and therefore difficult to contact. Referees can complete their reference online.

(5) Transcripts
You must provide us with the original or certified copy (and translation if applicable) of your transcripts for all degrees obtained at the time of applying, with full results, in English.

You do not need to find a potential supervisor before you apply; however, some members of staff may be willing to have a brief email exchange with you about your plans and indicate whether or not they could supervise your topic. Nonetheless, final decisions on supervisors are not taken until formal applications have been received by the Department from the Graduate Admissions Office. In a large department like this, there may well be more than one appropriate supervisor within the Department for a proposed topic so incoming students are allocated to supervisors with reference to their current load. Individual academic members of staff are not able to make commitments to supervise prospective students outside of the formal application process.

You can identify potential supervisors by using key words in LSE Experts|.

What is the ratio of applications to offers?

For entry starting in October 2007 the statistics are as follows:

MPhil/PhD programme 87 applications received and 31 offers made.
MRes/PhD Stream A programme 32 applications received and 7 offers made.
MRes/PhD Stream B programme 81 applications received and 20 offers made.

How do I defer my offer?

If, having accepted an offer, you find you are unable to take up the place you have the option to put a request in writing to defer your entry to the following year. For details on how to do this and for other options refer to the Graduate Admissions| web pages.

How do I decide whether to apply for the MPhil or the MRes programme?

The department currently offers two PhD programmes, the MPhil/ PhD and the MRes/ PhD. The MPhil/ PhD degree is for those who already have a good Masters degree in a relevant subject and already have a fairly clear idea of what they want to research. This select group are chosen based on their intellectual merit and the quality of their PhD proposal. While students are expected to be active members of research seminars in each year of registration, the primary emphasis is on conducting research and writing the dissertation. The only examination is that of the final thesis.

The MRes/PhD is designed to provide a different experience to the traditional MPhil/PhD programme, with a more structured teaching programme, more collective and collaborative working, a broad training as a well-rounded political science professional, and a systematic emphasis on research design and methodology.The programme has two different streams. Students on both streams will be broadly trained in a range of methods in political science and will be able to apply quantitative and/or qualitative methods in their own research. In Stream A there is a greater emphasis in training in quantitative political science, while in Stream B there is greater emphasis on training in qualitative approaches to the study of politics as well as some quantitative methods. Both streams provide grounding in the scope and theory of political science and the challenges of research design. Students must meet high standards in all these fields and must apply their training to the construction of a research prospectus designed to underpin subsequent doctoral research. We welcome applications from students with a good undergraduate degree in political science or a closely related discipline (such as sociology, economics or history) and, preferably, an MA or MSc degree in political science or a closely related discipline. Please refer to the MRes/PhD page on this site for further information.

Is it possible to study by distance learning?

No, all students are required to attend workshops and have regular meetings with their supervisors so distance learning is not possible. The School's regulations state that it is a condition of registration for students to live either in London or within a reasonable distance from London during term time.

Visiting Research Student applications

Students already registered at other Universities may apply to visit the LSE. The procedure is to apply for the MPhil/PhD (as detailed in the Graduate Prospectus|) but to use the application code for visiting status - M1EG. The fee for 07/08 is £13,425.

Completion and submission questions

How long does it take to complete a PhD?

Students must be registered as PhD rather than MPhil for a minimum of 2 years full-time in order to submit their thesis. All students enter the programme as MPhil, the probationary stage of the degree, but this can be backdated to the time of initial registration where appropriate. The Department expects completion to be within 4 years in the case of full-time, and 5-6 years in the case of part-time students.

Where do I obtain the exam entry forms and guidelines?

The exam entry pack and guidelines are now available online from the Research Degrees Unit|.

Full guidelines are available in the School Calendar| and in Appendix V of the Department's Research Student Handbook.

Does the Department help with binding costs?

The Department pays up to £53 towards the cost of binding your thesis. The procedure is that you pay yourself initially then bring the receipt along to the Research Programme Administrator, Madeleine Bothe, and she will arrange to reimburse you.

What is the word count for the thesis?

Your thesis can be up to a maximum of 100,000 words including footnotes, references etc.

Where can I find information about Funding

This is a complex issue and requires some research on your part. A good place to start is to have a look at our departmental page Funding your Studies|. Also refer to the LSE Financial Support Office pages| which contain full details of all the different opportunities available to both prospective and current students.

Personal web pages

If you would like to be included in the Research Student section of 'People' in the Department site please provide your contact details, research interests and thesis title and send this to the Website Manager at Gov.website@lse.ac.uk|. The LSE IT Department are piloting a new scheme which enables students to create personal web pages. If this interests you go to http://www.lse.ac.uk/itservices/PersonalWebSpaceReg.htm| to register and inform the Website Manager of your web address if you'd like a link from your 'People' entry.

Useful web links

The Science Lab| - a directory of Social Sciences related websites

Policy Pointers| - an online gateway to think-tanks all over the world.

How can I get further information on the research programme?

Full programme information is available on the Department website on the PhD pages

For further information contact:

Research Programme Administrator, Madeleine Bothe
Tel: 020 7955 7651
Fax: 020 7955 6352
E-Mail: Gov.Research_Admin@lse.ac.uk|