Program Overview

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MSc Culture and Society

The MSc Culture and Society examines how cultural trends and practices shape and are shaped by society. Drawing on leading-edge cultural theory and innovative methodologies, you’ll have the freedom to study and research any social processes that fall within our broad understanding of culture. You can delve into topics such as identity and globalisation, gender and sexuality, nature and more-than-human world, or disability and embodiment.

Introduction

The programme is distinctive for its interdisciplinary and international approach. You’ll be encouraged to think and research globally and draw on our expertise in sociology, anthropology, material culture, media studies and many other disciplines. The curriculum includes a blend of core and optional courses, allowing you to tailor your studies to suit your interests. You’ll also develop your qualitative research skills, enhancing your professional skills further.

Preliminary Readings

• Ahmed, S. 2004. "Affective economies", Social text , 22: 117-139.
• Ahmed, S. (2006) Queer Phenomenology: Orientations, Objects, Others. Durham: Duke University Press.
• Anzaldúa, G. (1987) Borderlands: The New Mestiza / La Frontera. San Francisco: Aunt Lute Book Company
• Appadurai, A. (1990) Disjuncture and Difference in the Global Cultural Economy. Theory, Culture and Society , Vol 7, 295-310
• Bourdieu, P. (1984)Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste. London: Routledge.
• Featherstone, M. (1990) Consumer Culture and Postmodernism. Sage, London.
• Hall, S. (1992) New Ethnicities in Donald, J and Rattansi, A (eds.) (1992) “Race”, Culture, Difference, London: Routledge.
• Haraway, D. (2003) The Companion Species Manifesto: Dogs, People, and Significant Otherness. Chicago: Prickly Paradigm Press.
• Haraway, D. (2016) Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene. Durham: Duke University Press.
• Hennion, A. (2001) Music Lovers: Taste as Performance. Theory, Culture and Society , 18(5): 1-22
• Jameson, F. (1984) Postmodernism, or the cultural logic of late capitalism. New Left Review 146, 53–92.
• Kafer, A. (2013) Feminist, Queer, Crip. Bloomington: Indiana UP
• Latour, B. (2004) Why Has Critique Run out of Steam? From Matters of Fact to Matters of Concern. Critical Inquiry 30 (Winter 2004), 225–248.
• McRuer, R. (2006) Crip Theory: Cultural Signs of Queerness and Disability. New York: New York University Press.

Key Information

Study Mode / Programme Availability

• Home full-time students (12 months) Open
• Home part-time students (24 months) Open
• Overseas full-time students (12 months) Open

Academic Year

2026/27

Start Date

28 September 2026

Location

Houghton Street, London

Application Deadline

None – rolling admissions. However, please note the funding deadlines

Entry Requirements

Upper second class honours (2:1) degree or equivalent in a relevant social science, art or humanities discipline.

Overseas

Select a country to find out the entry requirements that apply to you.

English Language Requirements

The English language requirement for this programme is Higher.

Programme Content

Year 1

You take two compulsory courses, and choose courses from a range of options. You also write a dissertation of 10,000 words on an aspect of cultural practice or theory.

• SO4D3: Half unit, Culture and Society
• SO492: Half unit, Qualitative Social Research Methods
• SO493: One unit, MSc in Culture and Society Dissertation
• Courses to the value of two units from a range of options

Why Study with Us

Meet the Department

The Department of Sociology conducts world-class research and teaching on some of the most challenging social and ethical issues facing society today.

Why LSE

• University of the Year 2025 and 1st in the UK
• 1st in London for the 14th year running
• 6th In the world
• Carbon Neutral In 2021, LSE became the first Carbon Neutral verified university in the UK

Your Application

Overview

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified prospective students. At LSE, we want to recruit students with the best academic merit, potential and motivation, irrespective of background.

When to Apply

Applications for this programme are considered on a rolling basis. This means that applications will close once the programme is full.

Fees and Funding

Home

£18,300 Home student fee (2026/27)

Overseas

£30,400 Overseas student fee (2026/27)

Fee Status

At LSE, your tuition fees, and eligibility for any financial support, will depend on whether you’re classified as a home or overseas student.

Scholarships, Bursaries and Loans

• Fee reduction for LSE alumni
• Scholarships and other funding
• Government tuition fee loans and external funding

Learning and Assessment

How You Learn

• Contact hours and independent study
• Teaching methods
• Academic support

How You're Assessed

All taught courses are required to include formative coursework which is unassessed. LSE uses a range of formative assessment, such as essays, problem sets, case studies, reports, quizzes, mock exams and many others.

Graduate Destinations

Overview

Graduates have gone on to a diverse range of destinations including doctoral degrees, cultural policy and management jobs, teaching, creative industries (including advertising and marketing), performance arts and more.

Career Support

From CV workshops through to careers fairs, LSE offers lots of information and support to help you make that all-important step from education into work.

Related Programmes

• MSc Media and Communications
• MSc Social and Public Communication
• MSc Social Anthropology
• MSc Sociology
• MSc Media, Communication and Development
• MSc Social and Cultural Psychology
• MSc Politics and Communication
• MSc Media and Communications (Data and Society)
• MSc Gender, Media and Culture