Frequently asked questions

Submit your application via LSE’s Online Application System.

The School’s Graduate Admissions Office will handle your application.

Before contacting the Graduate Admissions Office

Check if the information you are looking for can be found on:

• LSE's Graduate Study page 
• LSE General Admissions Enquiries page
• Graduate Admissions Office’s tailored guidance pages for Prospective Applicants and Applicants in Progress

Tracking your application

Find out the status of your application via Track your Application.

Further information

Use the ‘How Do I' page to carry out the most common tasks online.

Further details on how to apply

Depending on the PhD programme you are interested in applying to, the entry requirements differ.

Find detailed information on the individual programme pages.

If your degree is from outside the UK

Read about the equivalence of non-UK qualifications

Research Degree Programme entry requirements

MRes/PhD – Organisational Behaviour

Upper second class honours (2:1) degree in any discipline, or the equivalent.

GRE or GMAT test score is required.

MRes/PhD – Employment Relations and Human Resources

Upper second class honours (2:1) degree in any discipline, or the equivalent.

GRE or GMAT test score required.

MRes/PhD – Marketing

Upper second class honours (2:1) degree in any discipline, or the equivalent.

GRE or GMAT test score required.

MPhil/PhD – Information Systems and Innovation

2:1 bachelor’s degree or equivalent in computer science or a social science discipline, plus high merit (65+) in a Master’s degree or equivalent in information systems or management or a related discipline.

GRE or GMAT test score is recommended but it is not an entry requirement.

For a full explanation of what you need to supply, please see Graduate Admissions advice on How to Apply and guide to Supporting Documents.

See the 'Assessing your application' accordion under the programme page of your choice:

MRes/PhD – Organisational Behaviour

MRes/PhD – Employment Relations and Human Resources

MRes/PhD – Marketing

MPhil/PhD – Information Systems and Innovation

Submit questions about the mechanics of the application process to LSE’s central Graduate Admissions Office.

Please see LSE's website index for graduate applicants as well as Graduate Admissions Office’s tailored guidance for;

• prospective applicants
• applicants in progress 
• applicants under consideration
• track your application

If you are applying to one of our MRes/PhD programmes, it is an entry requirement that you submit a GRE or GMAT test score with your application.

The GRE/GMAT is required for all MRes/PhD applicants.

We do not require a specific GRE/GMAT overall score, but the test gives us an indication of your aptitude for our programmes.

There is no preference for GMAT or GRE but all applications must submit scores at the time of application.

Your score should be less than five years old in October 2021 and must show full and percentile scores for all sections.

If you are applying to the MPhil/PhD in Information Systems and Innovation, a GRE or GMAT test score is recommended, but not mandatory. It must be no more than five years old in October 2021 and show full and percentile scores for all sections.

LSE GRE and GMAT requirements and submission of test scores, including LSE’s institution codes.

We do not require a specific GRE/GMAT overall score, but the test gives us an indication of your aptitude for our programmes.

There is no preference for GMAT or GRE but all applications must submit scores at the time of application.

Our programmes are designed to be studied on a full-time basis on campus at LSE. 

Our programmes are designed to be studied on a full-time basis at LSE.

For our MRes/PhD programmes, the first two years of these programmes are taught. You will therefore participate in lectures and seminars on campus.

This is a full-time requirement. 

Our programmes follow LSE’s academic year and run from September (Michaelmas term) until June (Summer term), with all students starting at the same time.

The only exception for this is for students who have applied to study as a Visiting Research Student. Visiting students can start their studies in either Michaelmas term, Lent term, or Summer term. 

If your native language is not English, or if the language of instruction of your previous degree is not English you will need to demonstrate that you have a high level of English proficiency.

You do not need to provide this at the time of your application to LSE, but we recommend that you do.

Please see the School’s English Language Requirements.

The research proposal and statement of academic purpose are both important aspects of your application.

Read detailed information from the Department of Management on the purpose and expectations for the research proposal and statement of academic purpose.

For the content of your personal statement and research proposal, please see Graduate Admissions advice on How to Apply and guide to Supporting Documents.

Read detailed advice from the Department of Management on how prospective research students can prepare for their interview and what to expect.

All applications should include a sample of academic writing.

You are encouraged to use something you have already written and an example of your best academic work. There is no word limit, but 2-3 pages would be sufficient/suitable.

This enables our selectors to assess your writing style and academic writing communication skills.

Read information for funding your studies.

Find further information from LSE’s Financial Support Office. 

Find information on how much it costs to study in the Department on our individual programme pages, and here.

Look at our funding information page.

Yes, fully funded scholarships and funding opportunities are available.

Find information on our funding page.

Please note, although full scholarships are available these are limited.

Please note, funding is very competitive, and we would also encourage you to also explore external scholarships when submitting your application.

We also offer financial support each year to our PhD students to support their research and fieldwork costs, and to support conference attendance.

Yes, we welcome Visiting Research Students (VRS) to the Department. Learn more about our VRS programme.

Before applying, identify a supervisor able and willing to support your application, and who will supervise you during your studies at LSE.

Please note that fees are charged to all VRS students.

Submit your application via LSE’s Online Application System.

Applications are handled by the School’s Graduate Admissions Office.

Details on how to apply

No. Admission to our MRes/PhD programmes is based on you undertaking a two-year taught MRes, and upon successfully completing this, progression to the PhD for three years.

The MRes element of our programmes are designed to prepare you for your three years as a PhD student in the Department.

Throughout your time as an MRes student you will have the opportunity to work with leading academics in the field, develop critical analytical skills, attend seminars and research practicums, undertake study in courses related to your research interests, enhance your methodological skillset, and engage with peers.

You will also have the unique opportunity to work and learn in our Behavioural Lab.

When applying for the MRes/PhD programmes you are committing to study in the Department of Management, and at LSE for the full duration of your studies.  

Although each ERHR and OB faculty member focuses on their respective research areas and interests, both faculty groups generally draw from similar disciplines (e.g., psychology, sociology, or economics), theoretical underpinning, and literatures that guide their multi-level (e.g., individual, groups, organisational, and/or institutional) quantitative and qualitative scholarship. In addition to the previous listed disciplines, some faculty from the ERHR research group additionally draw from industrial and labour relations and/or critical perspectives. Therefore, applicants are encouraged to investigate ERHR and OB faculty CVs to discern potential faculty who they may have the best fit given their current respective research interest. Some applicants may find that they could fit in either the ERHR or OB group. As any LSE PhD applicant can apply and be considered for at least two programmes, we encourage applicants to apply to both if they see potential fit in both the ERHR and OB groups.

No. Our MRes/PhD programmes are comprised of a two-year MRes, and upon successfully completing the MRes, progression to the PhD for three years.

The taught element of these programmes is essential for helping you develop critical analytical skills and methodological tools that you will need to apply to your doctoral research. During your MRes studies, you will have the opportunity to work with leading academics in the field, develop critical analytical skills, attend seminars and research practicums, undertake study in courses related to your research interests, enhance your methodological skillset, and engage with peers.

You will also have the unique opportunity to work and learn in our Behavioural Lab.

Therefore, all MRes/PhD students must participate fully in the taught phase of their degree, and this is a condition of progression to the PhD.

MRes/PhD in Management programmes

Yes, all exceptional candidates with an undergraduate degree may apply to our MRes/PhD in Management programmes. Our minimum entry requirements for the MRes/PhD programmes is an Upper second class honours (2:1) degree in any discipline, or the equivalent.

We strongly encourage undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing their academic and research interests further to apply for the MRes/PhD in Management programmes.

MPhil/PhD in Management – Information Systems and Innovation programme

You will need a 2:1 bachelor’s degree or equivalent in computer science or a social science discipline, plus high merit (65+) in a Master’s degree or equivalent in information systems or management or a related discipline.

Unless you are applying as a Visiting Research Student, it is not necessary to contact potential PhD supervisors before applying.

Unfortunately, our academics time is very limited, and regrettably, they cannot respond to all requests.

We strongly recommend having a look at the Department’s faculty research group webpages so you can see the range of research interests and specialists in the Department, and familiarise yourself with individual faculty members before applying.

List of our faculty and staff 

Applicants to the programme are expected to have an area of interest that you will outline in your research proposal and statement of purpose, but we expect your interests to develop and expand when you join our programme.

During the MRes, you will have the opportunity to work alongside your faculty research group, and this will allow you to see the work faculty do.

This experience will expose you to a range of faculty in the Department and research areas and methods you otherwise might not have access to, and this will help you to develop the research subject you want to explore in your thesis.

The research proposal you submit for your PhD upgrade will be in your chosen research subject area, and this will be with support from your supervisors and the Programme Director.

You can work part-time alongside your studies.

All full-time LSE students are generally restricted to working a total of 15 hours per week to enable them to focus on their studies.

We would strongly advise that as our PhD programmes are full-time, you would not be able to exceed 15 hours of work per week as your study will be time intensive.

We are very proud of our PhD graduates, and many have taken on academic roles and research positions at institutions including:

• Aalto University
• Blavatnik School of Government
• Bocconi University
• University of Bournemouth
• ESCP Business School
• European Commission
• Harvard Business School
• Henley Business School
• IE University
• Iranian Research Institute
• KAIST
• Kings College London
• University of Liverpool
• LSE
• Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
• Regent’s University London
• Rotterdam School of Business
• University of Surrey
• Xi’an Jiaotong University

Learn more about our current PhD students, on the Department of Management’s People page.