Program Overview

MSc International Social and Public Policy (Non-Governmental Organisations)

The MSc International Social and Public Policy (Non-Governmental Organisations) programme examines how societies respond to global challenges resulting from social, demographic, and economic change, and issues around poverty, migration, and globalisation. This broad-ranging programme looks at low, middle, and high-income countries, providing students with the skills to identify key social challenges and analyse the social and public policies designed to tackle these issues.

Introduction

This programme approaches the policy process from an international, interdisciplinary, and applied perspective. Students will delve into the differences between social policy development and implementation in different countries and the roles of stakeholders such as governments, NGOs, families, and markets. Building on this foundation, students will then follow one of seven streams, including the specialist stream in Non-Governmental Organisations.

Programme Structure

• The programme consists of three compulsory courses and a dissertation.
• Students will also choose courses from a wide range of options to the value of one and a half units.
• The compulsory courses include:
  • International Social and Public Policy
  • Understanding Policy Research
  • Non-Governmental Organisations, Social Policy, and Development
• The dissertation is on an NGO-related topic agreed with the supervisor.

Entry Requirements

• Upper second-class honours (2:1) degree or equivalent in a relevant social science.
• English language requirements: Higher.
• Competition for places at LSE is strong, and meeting the minimum entry requirements does not guarantee an offer of a place.

Fees and Funding

• Home student fee: £19,650 (2026/27).
• Overseas student fee: £30,750 (2026/27).
• Fee reduction: Students who completed undergraduate study at LSE and are beginning taught graduate study at the School are eligible for a fee reduction of around 10 per cent of the fee.
• Scholarships and other funding: LSE offers some needs-based awards for this programme, including the Graduate Support Scheme.

Learning and Assessment

• Contact hours and independent study: On average, students can expect 20-30 contact hours in total for half-unit courses and 40-60 contact hours in total for full-unit courses.
• Teaching methods: LSE employs a rich variety of teaching staff with a range of experience and status.
• Academic support: Students have access to an academic mentor, the Learning Lab, and the Disability and Mental Health Service.

Graduate Destinations

• Students who have graduated from programmes similar to this have gone on to work for:
  • Different UN agencies
  • A variety of small and large NGOs
  • Action international or intergovernmental organisations
  • Consulting companies
  • Government ministries.

Career Support

• LSE offers lots of information and support to help students make the step from education into work, including CV workshops, careers fairs, and careers presentations by top employers.

Related Programmes

• MSc Public Policy and Administration
• Master of Public Policy
• MSc European and International Politics and Policy
• MSc International Migration and Public Policy
• MSc Human Rights and Politics

About LSE

• The London School of Economics and Political Science is an internationally recognised centre of research and teaching excellence in social and public policy.
• The Department of Social Policy is rated number one in the UK for social policy and was awarded the highest UK ranking for research in the field of social policy in the most recent Research Excellence Framework.