LSE seeks to maintain the standards of its teaching and research by reference to the highest possible national and international comparators. We do this in a number of ways:
Internal systems
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All proposals by departments for new postgraduate courses and programmes are reviewed by a central committee.
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The relationship between student and supervisor is shaped by School-wide Codes of Good Practice.
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Courses and programmes undergo monitoring and review by departments.
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Departments undergo regular review by the School.
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Students' views and experience are an important part of the process of maintaining teaching quality. Reviews include confidential questionnaires, meetings to hear students' views, and each department also convenes a staff/student committee.
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The Dean of Graduate Studies chairs a forum of research students and a forum of master's students to discuss School-wide issues affecting them.
The School seeks to use these processes not just to maintain teaching quality but also to improve it.
Independent examiners and advisers
As with all universities in the UK, experienced examiners from outside the School help set examinations for taught programmes, review results and decide on the award of degrees and diplomas. These examiners report to the School, and their comments and suggestions on examinations, course content and structure are taken very seriously. Similarly, external experts examine and report on theses for research degrees.
Bologna Process
The United Kingdom is signatory to the Bologna Declaration, which was designed to facilitate greater comparability and compatibility between higher education systems across a European Higher Education Area of some 55 countries. The action lines include developing easily readable and comparable degree systems and adopting a common three cycle system of degree levels. LSE has been monitoring developments in the Bologna Process closely, and has already introduced the Diploma Supplements (enhanced transcripts) which form part of it.
Some of the School's master's programmes are nine or ten months in duration; and the School is currently reviewing how these fit in relation to the Bologna expectations on degree lengths and credits. The position is still unclear. However, if you are applying to these programmes, and in particular if you wish to proceed from them to higher study in EHEA countries other than the UK, you should be aware that recognition of these programmes for such purposes is not guaranteed.
Course capping (master's and diploma courses)
To keep within School guidelines on graduate class size (a preferred maximum of 15) and/or in the event of demand exceeding departmental expectations, the School may limit the number of places on certain optional courses.