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Offer Holders

A very warm welcome to all our students enrolling or re-enrolling in September. Below you will find useful information, advice and guidance if you are a current offer holder.

A very warm welcome to all our offer holders in the Department of Media and Communications starting in the new academic year

 

I've got my offer - what shall I do next?

  1. Graduate Offer Pack
     This is essential reading for all offer holders, and contains information on every step of the admissions process, including visas, financial support, accommodation and pre-arrival advice.
  2. Enrolment
    To become a fully enrolled student, new postgraduate students will be required to undertake a two-stage enrolment process: Online pre-enrolment and Campus Enrolment. You can find more details on the link above. Students in their second year of part-time study, or who are re-enrolling at LSE after an interruption, can view the Re-enrolment webpage.
  3. LSE Welcome
    LSE Welcome is a School-wide programme of orientation activities and events that will help you get ready to study at LSE, check out the link above to access the LSE Welcome Microsite.
  4. Departmental Welcome
    The Department of Media and Communications will also run Welcome events and activities which you can find at the above link.

What the MSc year will look like

The LSE academic year is separated into three terms: Autumn Term (AT) in September to December, Winter Term (WT) in January to March, and Spring Term (ST) in April to June. The year begins with Welcome.

You can find term dates online.

  • Welcome is the programme of activities and events that will welcome you to LSE before your studies begin. This period is sometimes called 'orientation' or 'induction' at other universities. Some Welcome activities and events are compulsory, such as online pre-enrolment, campus enrolment, your welcome presentation and departmental events. Other events are optional, such as getting to know LSE Service Divisions (like LSE Careers and the Library), so please do take time to browse what events will be of benefit to you during your time at LSE. Prioritise the events that are most relevant to your interests; whether you want information about living in London, joining clubs and societies, a headstart on developing your study skills, or a mixture.
  • Autumn Term (AT) consists of 11 weeks and begins directly after welcome. During AT you will receive teaching and submit formative (non-assessed) assignments to your seminar leaders. Some courses also have summative (assessed) assignments during term, such as in-class presentations, so you will be completing these too. Towards the end of term, if you are a full-time MSc student, or in your second year of part-time MSc study, you will submit a dissertation topic outline so that we can allocate you to a dissertation supervisor to work with in WT and ST. Note that there is a Reading Week in Week 6, when no teaching or office hours take place, and you will have a chance to catch up on course readings, and read ahead for future teaching. It is important to remember that Reading Week is not a vacation, and you are expected to concentrate on your studies during this time.
  • Following Autumn Term will be Winter Break, when you will be writing summative (assessed) assignments for courses with submission deadlines at the beginning of WT. There is also a January Exam Period, which takes place in the week prior to WT, so you will need to prepare for exams if you have any. Note that the exam for MC4M1 (the main methods course for MSc students in the Department) takes place in the January Exam Period.
  • Winter Term (WT) consists of 11 weeks and comes directly after the January Exam Period. During WT you will receive teaching and submit formative (non-assessed) assignments to your seminar leaders. Some courses also have summative (assessed) assignments during term, such as in-class presentations, so you will be completing these too. You will also begin working on your dissertation with your dissertation supervisor during WT, and you will receive further information, advice and guidance on writing the dissertation, including a series of helpful milestones to help you keep on track. There is another Reading Week in Week 6, when no teaching or office hours take place, and you will have a chance to catch up on course readings, and read ahead for future teaching. It is important to remember that Reading Week is not a vacation, and you are expected to concentrate on your studies during this time.
  • Following Winter Term is the Spring Break, when you will be writing summative (assessed) assignments for courses with submission deadlines at the beginning of ST. There is also a Spring Exam Period, which takes place from ST Week 2 onwards, so you will need to prepare for exams if you have any.
  • Spring Term (ST) consists of 7 weeks, and there is no Reading Week in ST. There will be no teaching during ST, except some revision sessions for exams which take place during the Spring Exam Period (Week 2 onwards). During ST, full-time and 2nd year part-time MSc students will mostly be focusing on planning and writing their dissertation and meeting with their supervisor.
  • Finally, there is the Summer Period, when full-time and 2nd year part-time MSc students will write their dissertation for submission in mid-August (the deadline is around two months after the last day of ST). During the Summer Period, students can book to see our Dissertation Officers, who will be available throughout - these are doctoral researchers in the Department with a wealth of knowledge and experience on research and academic writing.
  • Note: If you are a full-time MSc student, the Summer Period will still be considered term-time and visa-holders should bear this in mind, as it can have implications for you if you plan to engage in paid or unpaid work while you are a student. Please refer to LSE's International Student Visa Advice Team (ISVAT) website for details. Students are not required to remain in London during the Summer Period, but you must always be contactable via your LSE email during your time as a student.

Course selection and videos

Check out our Course selection and videos to browse courses and find the right ones for you. Note that you will need an LSE IT account in order to watch the videos.

Recommended reading

If you are keen to start reading around the topics you will be studying during your time with us, you can find some introductory readings below. 

  • Programme reading - There are preliminary readings listed on the prospectus page for each degree programme, so find your programme and check out the 'preliminary reading' section.
  • Course reading - Our course guides also give an indicative reading list for each individual course, so find the courses you are interested in and check out the 'recommended reading' section.

Please note that there is no expectation or requirement to complete any of these readings before you begin your studies.

Teaching timetables

LSE Teaching Timetables will be available on the Student Teaching Timetable webpage. Students can view their personal timetables on Student Hub and LSE for You after selecting their courses. 

Visit LSE Term Dates for term dates, public holidays and School closure dates.

Who can I speak to if I have questions?

The Department's professional services team is available throughout the year to help guide and support you, and to answer any questions you may have before your programme begins.

  • Email: You can write to Media.MSc@lse.ac.uk (for MScs) or Media.Research@lse.ac.uk (for PhDs) with any queries you have.
  • Offer Holder Information Sessions: You can attend offer holder webinars with our professional services staff during summer. Offer holders will receive the Zoom link via email.

Social media for offer holders

Before you arrive make sure you follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

If you use Facebook, you can also join our Facebook Group for Offer Holders coming to the Department.  We also have a Slack Channel for Offer Holders to meet and chat.

You can also stay up-to-date with the Department's research blogs: Media@LSEPolis and Parenting for a Digital Future.

Useful information

Accommodation

Visit the LSE Accommodation webpages for information, advice and guidance on LSE's halls of residence.

Careers

LSE Careers will provide a range of careers and professional development services and events online and through one-to-one appointments, coordinated by our Departmental Careers Consultant, Shayna Main.

Fees and financial support

See below for information about tuition fees, including instalment options, and the Financial Support Office, which is responsible for administering School funds and a variety of scholarships, studentships, prizes and awards.

Non-academic events and activities

The LSE experience would not be complete without a host of extra curricular events and activities for students to engage with.

There are various activities and initiatives students can benefit from, including LSE Events, the LSE Volunteer Centre, LSE Generate, LSE LIFE and the LSE Faith Centre. These will be fully operational during 2021/22 and will be available for students throughout their studies at LSE (and beyond).

In addition, the LSE Students’ Union (LSESU) and its numerous societies will continue to run activities and events throughout the year, both online and in person.

Visas and immigration

Students who have questions about immigration and visas should refer as soon as possible to the guidance from ISVAT (LSE's International Student Visa Advice Team). ISVAT is the only team at LSE trained and regulated to give immigration and visa advice to students.