MPhil/PhD Economic Geography

About the MPhil/PhD in Economic Geography

The MPhil/PhD in Economic Geography aims to provide students with a rigorous and quantitative approach to the study of socio-economic phenomena that have a spatial and geographical nature, as well as their implications. This focus follows a general trend in the discipline and the growing need of policy advice to be solidly grounded in well-documented empirical regularities and properly established causal links. In order to satisfy these demands, the doctoral programme will provide students with advanced and up-to-date training in both traditional areas of economics – such as economic geography and spatial, urban and real estate economics – as well as more institutional approaches to these issues – such as those encompassed by regional science and local economic development. Moreover, the doctoral experience at the LSE will expose students to an international, vibrant and multi-disciplinary research environment.

Students can expect to leave the programme with a solid command of the following skills: (i) a critical understanding of the extent, nature and consequences of spatial disparities in economic performance, and the ability to identify appropriate policy responses; (ii) a rigorous analytical, methodological and quantitative approach to the subject; (iii) a solid understanding of the recent developments in the fields of economic geography and spatial economics; (iv) the ability to apply knowledge to new problems and contexts; and (v) the background required for a successful career in research and academia, as well as in consultancy or government policy.

Given the high profile of our programme, previous doctoral students in the 'Economic Geography' cluster have found employment in academic and public research institutions, as well as work in international organisations (e.g. OECD, UNCTAD/WTO, European Commission, World Bank), the private/consultancy sector (e.g. McKinsey, Ernst & Young), or in high profile positions in governmental institutions (e.g. regional development bodies, ministries of business, innovation and foreign affairs).

Research in Economic Geography at LSE is undertaken by Department of Geography and Environment staff as well as by colleagues in the Department of Economics. The MPhil/PhD in Economic Geography is offered by Geography and Environment, but potential applicants are advised to consider the research themes and staff expertise of both Departments before applying to the MPhil/PhD programme.

Structure of the Programme

The course can be accessed after entering and graduating from the MSc in Local Economic Development (LED) or the MSc in Real Estate Economics and Finance (REEF) offered by the Department. In this case students follow the 1+3 PhD programme structure. The course can also be accessed after obtaining a master's degree in related discipline (e.g. economics, economic geography, regional science, local economic development). In this case students follow the +3 PhD programme structure.

The 1+3 route is suitable for those individuals who do not hold a relevant postgraduate degree and is aimed at students graduating with an undergraduate degree in economics or closely related subject (economic geography, regional science, local economic development). In the first year of the 1+3 route, core research and subject-specific training will be provided within the framework of the MSc Real Estate Economics and Finance (REEF) or MSc Local Economic Development (LED). Students who have already completed a graduate degree in a relevant and related subject can apply directly to the +3 format.

The general structure of the programme is as follows.

Notes	Paper No	Course Code and Title	Core/Optional		Unit Value
Year One (of 1+3 programme):MSc Local Economic Development (LED) or MSc Real Estate Economics and Finance (REEF).
MSc LED	1 (Core)	GY404 - Seminar in Local Economic Development	Compulsory (examined)	0.5
	2 (Core)	Either GY407 – Globalization, Regional Development and Policy or GY408 – Local Economic Development and Policy	Compulsory (examined)	1
	3	One unit of research methods normally chosen from:   GY428 – Applied Quantitative Method GY460 – Techniques of Spatial Economic Analysis MY400 – Fundamentals of Social Science Research Design MY421 – Qualitative Research Methods MY426 – Doing Qualitative Fieldwork MY427 – Qualitative Research with Non-Traditional Data MY456 – Survey Methodology MY457 – Causal Inference for Observational and Experimental Studies MY459 – Special Topics in Quantitative Analysis: Models for Categorical and Discrete Variables   Other equivalent methods courses can be chosen subject to the supervisor's and the course manager's approval	Compulsory (examined)	1
	4	Courses to the value of half-unit from the list of options available for the MSc LED	Compulsory (examined)	0.5
	5	10,000-word Dissertation	Compulsory (examined)	1
	6	GIS workshop	Optional (not examined)
or
MSc REEF	1 (Core)	GY457 – Applied| Urban and Regional Economics	Compulsory (examined)	1
	2 (Core)	GY458 – Real Property Market Practice	Compulsory (examined)	0.5
	3 (Core)	GY462 – Real Estate Finance	Compulsory (examined)	0.5
	4	Half unit of research methods course, normally:   GY428 – Applied Quantitative Methods   Other equivalent methods courses can be chosen subject to the supervisor's and the course manager's approval	Compulsory (examined)	0.5
	3	Either FM429 – Asset Markets A or FM473 – Finance I	Compulsory (examined)	0.5
	5	10,000-word Dissertation	Compulsory (examined)	1
	6	GIS workshop	Optional (not examined)
Year Two (of 1+3 programme) or Year One (of +3 pathway):
+3 programme	1	Either GY457 – Applied| Urban and Regional Economics or GY407 – Globalization, Regional Development and Policy or GY408 – Local Economic Development and Policy	Compulsory (examined)	1
or
1+3 programme	1	Subject specific course(s) to the value of one unit for from the following list of courses and approved by supervisor and course manager:**   - GY457: Applied Urban and Regional Economics - GY404: Seminar in Local Economic Development - GY407: Globalization, Regional Development and Policy - GY408: Local Economic Development and Policy - GY447: The Economics of Regional and Urban Planning - EC411: Microeconomics for MSc students   Other relevant subject-specific methods courses can be chosen subject to the supervisor's and the course manager's approval	Compulsory (examined)   **Different from the one taken in Year One for those in the 1+3 pathway.	1
All students             2		Research methods course to the value of one unit from the following list of courses and approved by supervisor and course manager:**   GY428 – Applied Quantitative Method GY460 – Techniques of Spatial Economic Analysis MY500 – Fundamentals of Social Science Research Design MY521 – Qualitative Research Methods MY526 – Doing Qualitative Fieldwork MY527 – Qualitative Research with Non-Traditional Data MY556 – Survey Methodology MY557 – Causal Inference for Observational and Experimental Studies MY559 – Special Topics in Quantitative Analysis: Models for Categorical and Discrete Variables   Other equivalent methods courses can be chosen subject too the supervisor's and the course teacher's approval	Compulsory (examined)   **Different from the one taken in Year One for those in the 1+3 pathway.	1
3		GY502.B - Economic Geography Cluster Research Seminar	Compulsory (not examined)
4		GY500.B - Economic Geography Cluster Doctoral Student Research Presentations	Compulsory (not examined)
5		MY512 - Information Literacy: Tools for Research	Compulsory (not examined)
6		MY5A1 - Authoring a PhD and Developing as a Researcher: Getting Started	Compulsory (not examined)
7		GIS workshop	Compulsory (not examined) Unless taken in Year 1 for 1+3 students
Year Three (of 1+3 pathway) or Year Two (of +3 pathway):
1		GY502.B – Economic Geography Cluster Research Seminar	Compulsory (not examined)
2		GY500.B - Economic Geography Cluster Doctoral Student Research Presentations	Compulsory (not examined)
3		MY5A2 - Authoring a PhD and Developing as a Researcher: The Middle Years	Compulsory (not examined)
Year Four (of 1+3 pathway) or Year Three (of +3 pathway):
1		GY502.B - Economic Geography Cluster Research Seminar	Compulsory (not examined)
2		GY500.B - Economic Geography Cluster Doctoral Student Research Presentations	Compulsory (not examined)
3		MY5A3 Authoring a PhD and Developing as a Researcher: The End Game	Compulsory (not examined)

Progression and upgrade requirements:

Students progressing from the MSc LED or MSc REEF to the MPhil/PhD programme must complete their MSc programme with a minimum classification of 65% overall (a solid merit) and 70% (distinction) in the dissertation in order to be able to progress to the MPhil/PhD. Under exceptional circumstances, students not meeting these requirements will be considered for progress (e.g. on the basis of an outstanding dissertation not matched by a solid merit in the MSc programme overall; or on the basis of a narrowly missed distinction in the dissertation coupled with a remarkable performance in all other relevant courses).

Students in the MPhil/PhD programme will go through a First Year Progress Review taking place in the Summer Term of their first research year. This is Year 1 for students in the +3 programme and Year 2 for students in the 1+3 programme. For the First Year Progress Review, the student submits a written progress report containing an extensive and updated research proposal (typically including an introduction to the topic and motivation for the research; aims and objectives/research questions; contribution to knowledge; summary of methods to be used; and outline of the work to be done) and either a comprehensive literature review or a substantive draft of a chapter/paper as evidence of progress made during the year. Normally, there will be a progress review meeting between the student and the supervisors (main supervisor and review supervisor) to discuss the written material presented. The work has to reach an acceptable standard to enable the student to progress. There is provision for a second Supplementary Review in cases where there are doubts as to whether progress has been sufficient to allow the student to enter the second year (third year of the 1+3 programme). Progression to the second year (3rd year of the 1+3 programme) is also dependent on students having passed all required examinations and obtained at least one merit, and having presented their work satisfactorily in the doctoral presentation workshops.

All research students are initially registered for an MPhil and have to be upgraded to PhD status. The upgrade from MPhil to PhD usually occurs during the second year of full-time registration. This is Year 2 for students in the +3 programme and Year 3 for students in the 1+3 route. The exact timing depends on the student's progress. Students are required to submit a formal written upgrade report consisting of an extensive revised research proposal, two substantive draft papers/chapters, of which one can be a literature review, and a detailed plan for completion. Students are asked to discuss their research paper/thesis outline during an Upgrade Meeting in front of an Upgrading Committee normally formed by main supervisor, review supervisor and a third member of staff with relevant expertise. The material is evaluated by this Upgrading Committee who will recommend transferral to PhD registration if the work is judged to be of sufficient quality and quantity. The upgrade is also dependent on students having completed all required training courses and having made a satisfactory research presentation in their doctoral presentation workshop.

In addition to these formal arrangements, each year during the Summer Term and throughout the course of their studies, all PhD students and their supervisors have to complete a yearly Progress Report Form, detailing progress made, problems arising and plan/timeline for completion. The forms are sent to the relevant Doctoral Programme Director for approval before students are able to re-register for the following session. If perceived lack of progress is identified, it can trigger a more formal annual review of progress in which the student is asked to produce specific written documents to be evaluated by a review panel.

About the Department

The Department was ranked amongst the leading departments in the country in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise. It has for many years been a recognised ESRC research training outlet (full-time and part-time). The Department is distinctive in that it concentrates on the social scientific aspects of geography and environmental studies, places great emphasis on multi-disciplinary teaching and research and focuses strongly on policy relevant work.

Our research primarily takes place in three thematic clusters: Economic Geography and Regional Science; Environmental Economics and Policy; Cities and Development. The first two clusters are closely associated with two large externally-funded research centres: the ESRC Spatial Economics Research Centre (SERC) and the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment (incorporating the ESRC Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy), respectively.

Departmental staff are also actively involved with the School's other interdisciplinary institutes and research centres (including the Centre for Economic Performance, Department of International Development, LSE London, Media@LSE|, Gender Institute and Urban@LSE|) and undertake collaborative research with colleagues in other disciplines.

The Department runs PhD programmes in human geography, economic geography, environmental economics and environmental policy and development. There is one research-orientated master's degree (Human Geography Research) and a range of others focused on developing the ability to integrate theoretical developments with practical experience. Staff come from a wide range of subject backgrounds. Most of those involved in teaching graduate students have a wealth of experience in working for, or acting as advisers to, a range of international agencies – including the World Bank, United Nations Development Programme , United Nations Environment Programme , European Commission, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development – as well as governments across the world. Furthermore, the Department hosts a holder of the prestigious European Investment Bank (EIB) - European Prize in Regional Science, several holders of the Royal Society-Wolfson Research Merit Award, the August Lösch prize, the Geoffrey Hewings Award for Regional Science Research, the recipient of a Major Leverhulme Research Fellowship and three holders of the highly competitive Philip Leverhulme Prize Fellowships for researchers under 36.

About the Economic Geography Cluster

The Economic Geography and Regional Science Cluster – which is directly responsible for the management of the MPhil/PhD in Economic Geography – hosts what is considered the largest group of full-time academic economists in Europe working on the issues of economic geography, urban and spatial economics, regional science and local economic development and policy. The Economic Geography cluster has performed very well in international ranking of research groups in the fields of economic geography and spatial economics. A study for the European Economics Association in 2002 shows that the 'Economic Geography' cluster ranked as either 9th, 6th or 4th best 'economics sub-centre' in Europe depending on the weights attached to the various indicators used for the benchmarking exercise. This was ahead of any other economics group in the UK.

The cluster's research agenda covers a large number of topics, including: spatial disparities in income, earnings, employment and quality of life in the UK; spatial issues in entrepreneurship; skills, migration and labour market; agglomeration economies; institutions; housing and land use planning; regional and spatial evolutions; the spatial impact of globalisation; the geography of innovation and regional technological spillovers; trade, industrial organisation and development.

The vast majority of the staff in the cluster is also involved in the activities of the Spatial Economics Research Centre (SERC). This centre was founded back in April 2008 and awarded an initial £2.4m of funding jointly by the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC), the Departments of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). While the SERC is based at the LSE, it has close links with the universities of Oxford, Newcastle, Glasgow and Swansea.

Academic Interests of Economic Geography Staff 

• Dr Gabriel Ahlfeldt: Urban economics and land development, external effects of the built environment; economic impact of accessibility.
• Professor Paul Cheshire: Spatial aspects of economics, particularly urban economic growth in Europe; urban land and housing markets; land use regulation.
• Dr Riccardo Crescenzi: Economic growth; innovation; regional and local economic development; regional policy of the European Union.
• Dr Steve Gibbons: Spatial issues in labour and education economics; econometric methods and their application to the analysis of spatial relationships; the valuation of school quality, community human capital and neighbourhood crime.
• Professor Ian Gordon: Spatial labour markets and migration, urban and regional development, particularly in relation to metropolitan regions, urban policy and spatial modelling.
• Dr Christian Hilber: the role of housing supply for investment in local public schools and social capital; the determinants and consequences of home ownership; the determinants and consequences of land use regulation or the determinants of firm and household location choices.
• Dr Simona Iammarino: Economic geography of innovation and technological change; globalisation of technology, multinational corporations and regions; industrial clusters: theory, empirics and policy implications; regional and local economic development.
• Dr Giordano Mion: Regional and urban economics; international economics; heterogeneous firms models; labour markets; applied micro-econometrics.
• Professor Henry Overman: Location theory and urban economics; models of economic geography with emphasis on cities and regions; national and European regional policy.
• Professor Andrés Rodríguez-Pose: Economic growth, regional and local development, and global restructuring in Europe and Latin America; regional devolution and regional disparities and policy in Europe.
• Dr. Olmo Silva: Spatial issues in the economics of education, including school accessibility, school competition and neighbourhood effects; applied micro-econometrics; urban economics; entrepreneurship.
• Professor Michael Storper: Economic geography; globalisation, trade, location and specialisation; regional development in Europe, North America, Brazil.

Moreover, students can expect close interactions with members of other clusters within the Department of Geography and Environment, visitors of the ESCR Spatial Economics Research Centre – hosted by the Economic Geography cluster – as well as staff from the Economics Department of the School and affiliates of the Centre for Economic Performance with which the Department has close ties.

Opportunities for Research and Admission Criteria

Research in the Department concentrates on the socio-economic aspects of geography and environmental studies, and places great emphasis on quantitative, rigorous and multi-disciplinary research to address policy relevant questions.

The MPhil/PhD in Economic Geography aims for the highest international standards of training and competence. The intellectual climate benefits from a large number of highly motivated and international students, as well as close interaction with staff at the Department and related research centres, such as the Spatial Economics Research Centre and the Centre for Economic Performance.

For admissions to the 1+3 PhD programme via MSc LED or MSc REEF

For applicants who are graduates from British Universities, a good 2.i or equivalent in Economics (single of joint) or a closely related subject (economic geography, regional science, local economic development). Applicants with qualifications from other countries will be expected to have a similar academic background. They will also normally submit a GRE or GMAT score. There is no threshold score, but a high score will count in the applicants' favour (students are usually in the top 10% on the quantitative part and in the top 20% on the qualitative component of the tests). Applicants must also meet the School's minimum English language requirement.

For admissions to the +3 PhD programme

Students with MSc degrees in related disciplines (e.g. economics, economic geography, regional science, local economic development) are welcomed. It is normally expected that students will have achieved a solid overall merit (i.e. 65 out of 100 or equivalent) in the MSc classification and obtained a distinction in their MSc dissertation (i.e. 70+ out of 100 or equivalent) where this applies. Under exceptional circumstances, students not meeting these requirements will be considered (e.g. on the basis of an outstanding dissertation not matched by a solid merit in the MSc programme overall; or on the basis of a narrowly missed 70 in the dissertation coupled with a remarkable performance in all other relevant courses; or on the basis of an outstanding research proposal; see next). Students must also meet the School's minimum English language requirement.

All prospective students are expected to submit a three-page long (excluding references and appendix) research proposal, which will form part of their application package. Submitted proposals should briefly address: research questions and hypotheses; relevant literature and previous research in the field; potential contribution to knowledge; likely methods and approaches to be adopted; likely data and information sources to be used. An outline three-year research timetable must be included as an appendix. Note that we only accept PhD topics that are close to relevant staff interests, so we strongly advise prospective applicants to check our staff publications and current research agenda (our departmental web pages list key research topics).

Selection is based upon the quality of your research proposal, references, prior achievement, and the appropriateness of your research to the Department's research focus. While we normally interview prospective research students (in person or over the phone), your written proposal is of the utmost importance. This can be emailed to the Department for informal comment prior to your formal application.

ESRC funded students will take either the MSc in Local Economic Development (LED) or the MSc in Real Estate Economics and Finance (REEF) as part of their 1+3 programme of study. Most elements of the MPhil/PhD graduate programme are completed in Year 1 of the +3 pathway or Year 2 of the 1+3 pathway. Students take both subject-specific and methodological MSc and PhD level courses in order to reach the leading edge of their chosen discipline and topic. Students can select courses offered by other LSE's Departments, including Economics and Methodology Institute, subject to the supervisor's and course manager's approval. In addition, throughout the programme, we offer a series of study skills workshops, research seminar series (doctoral student research presentations) where graduates present their current research to staff and colleagues, and Departmental seminars where visiting speakers and staff present their work (Staff/Research student seminars).

We emphasise the importance of supervisors and students working together on research design, strategy and methodology, and the timetable and plans for dissemination of the work. Students receive regular feedback on their work and progress is monitored by an annual review.

Taught programme

• MSc Local Economic Development
• MSc Real Estate Economics and Finance