Key information
Duration
- Full-time
- 36 months
- Three to five years (minimum three) full-time.
Start dates & application deadlines
- Starting September 2027
- Apply before Dec 2026
Language
English
Delivered
On Campus
Campus Location
London, United Kingdom
Disciplines
Political Science
Overview
The Department of Government at LSE is one of the largest political science departments in the UK and covers almost all areas of politics. We offer a comprehensive range of academic approaches, from political theory, political economy, rational choice theory, public policy, nationalism, conflict studies, and comparative government to the history of institutions and policy. Many faculty members have particular regional expertise on Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and/or Latin America.
The Political Science programme at the London School of Economics and Political Science provides world-leading methods training, participation in a lively and open research culture, and the opportunity to be part of one of the best departments in political science and political studies in the world. You will join a small and highly selective entering class, of about 6-10 students, from a wide range of universities around the world. Together you will embark on the MRes portion of the programme, which is a structured route to the PhD.
Careers
Students who successfully complete the programme often embark on an academic career. Recent graduates have also gone on to careers in investment banking, auditing, consultancy and public sector and government.
Top 5 sectors our students work in:
- Government, Public Sector and Policy
- Education, Teaching and Research
- Consultancy
- Health and Social Care
- Accounting and Auditing
Programme Structure
Courses include:
- Research Design in the Social Sciences
- Applied Regression Analysis
- Causal Inference for Observational and Experimental Studies
- Quantitative Analysis for Political Science
- Applied Quantitative Methods for Political Science
- Quantitative Analysis
Admission requirements
Academic requirements
GPA: Required
Your GPA, or Grade Point Average, is a number that indicates how well or how high you scored in your courses on average. Usually a GPA scales between 1.0 and 4.0, however different countries and universities can have different grading systems.
English requirements
We are not aware of any English requirements for this programme.
Other requirements
General requirements
- First class or very good upper second class honours degree (normally 65+) and a taught master's degree (or equivalent) in political science or a closely related discipline (such as sociology, economics or history).
- For the MRes/PhD Political Science, your research prospoal should be about 2000 words. Your sample of written work should be either a degree essay of between 3000 and 5000 words, or a 3000-5000 word extract from a longer piece of work such as a dissertation.
- Competition for places at the School is high. This means that even if you meet our minimum entry requirement, this does not guarantee you an offer of admission.
Fees and funding
Tuition Fees
Tuition fees are shown in AUD and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.
International
International tuition fees apply to students who are not citizens or permanent residents of the study country. In some regions, like the EU/EEA, or under certain agreements, students from partner countries may also pay domestic fees.
48,150 AUD / year
≈ 25,300 GBP / year
Domestic
Tuition fee for the domestic students.
10,216 AUD / year
≈ 5,368 GBP / year
Living costs
London, United Kingdom
2,164-4,105 AUD / month
The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.
Funding
The School recognizes that the cost of living in London may be higher than in your home town or country, and we provide generous scholarships each year to home and overseas students. Find out more about financial support.
Scholarships Information
Below you will find PhD's scholarship opportunities for Political Science.
Available Scholarships
- Alumni and Friends of LSE Scholarship — London School of Economics and Political Science — Grant: 15,400 GBP — Deadline: 23 Apr 2027
- Lee Scholarship — London School of Economics and Political Science — Grant: Various benefits — Deadline: 23 Apr 2027
- John J Kerr Jr Scholarship — London School of Economics and Political Science — Grant: Various benefits — Deadline: 23 Apr 2027
- LSE PhD Studentships — London School of Economics and Political Science — Grant: 23,805 GBP — Deadline: 27 May 2027
- LSE Excellence Scholarship — London School of Economics and Political Science — Grant: 20,000 GBP — Deadline: 23 Apr 2027
- The John and Amy Phelan Family Foundation General Course Scholarships — London School of Economics and Political Science — Grant: Various benefits — Deadline: 30 Apr 2027 — Need-based
- Peter Bence Scholarship — London School of Economics and Political Science — Grant: Various benefits — Deadline: 23 Apr 2027 — Merit-based
- Firoz and Najma Foundation Scholarship — London School of Economics and Political Science — Grant: Various benefits — Deadline: 23 Apr 2027
- COLFUTURO/LSE Graduate Scholarship Programme — London School of Economics and Political Science — Grant: Various benefits — Deadline: Not specified — Need-based
- Higher Education Scholarships for Palestine (HESPAL) — London School of Economics and Political Science — Grant: Various benefits — Deadline: Not specified — Merit-based
- ServiceScape Scholarship — ServiceScape — Grant: 1000 USD — Deadline: 30 Nov 2026
- ACES Scholarships — ACES Education Fund — Grant: 3500 USD — Deadline: 15 Nov 2026
- Erasmus+ - Grants for study mobility — OeAD, Austria's Agency for Education and Internationalisation — Grant: Various benefits — Deadline: Not specified — Merit-based
- Scholarships for PhD Students — Junhua Li — Grant: 19000 GBP — Deadline: Not specified — Merit-based
- Boustany Astronomy PhD Scholarship — Boustany Foundation — Grant: Various benefits — Deadline: 28 Feb 2027 — Merit-based
- Amberscholar Scholarship — Amber Scholar — Grant: 6000 USD — Deadline: 31 Jan 2027 — Merit-based
- Voice Talent Online Scholarship — Voice Talent Online — Grant: 1000 USD — Deadline: 01 Mar 2027
- $1,500 Annual Video Contest Scholarship — IvyPanda — Grant: 1000 USD — Deadline: 31 Oct 2026 — Merit-based
- The PhD Prep Fellowship — Admit Lab — Grant: 10000 USD — Deadline: 01 Jun 2027 — Merit-based
- Dream Chaser Scholarship — Salvado Law — Grant: 1000 USD — Deadline: 13 Jan 2027 — Merit-based
- Scholarship for students with disabilities — Anonymous Hope Fund — Grant: 3000 USD — Deadline: 31 Dec 2026 — Need-based
- Commonwealth Shared Scholarship – University Bids — UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) — Grant: 22500 GBP — Deadline: Not specified
- CIAPS Commonwealth Scholarships for Postgraduate Professional Studies — CIAPS — Grant: 1000 USD — Deadline: Not specified
- Grants of the Leopold Figl Foundation for students with residence in Lower Austria — Leopold Figl Foundation — Grant: Various benefits — Deadline: 31 Dec 2026 — Need-based
- The Annual IELTS from 6 to 9 Scholarship — IELTS from 6 to 9 — Grant: 1500 USD — Deadline: Not specified
- Tobacco Harm Reduction Scholarship Programme — The Tobacco Harm Reduction Scholarship Programme — Grant: 12000 USD — Deadline: 11 Jan 2027