MSc in Economic Policy
Course Overview
The MSc in Economic Policy at LSIBM is a postgraduate degree written for professionals moving into applied policy roles at UK regulators, Whitehall departments, senior consultancies and think tanks. Sitting in the Accounting, Finance & Economics faculty, it combines advanced applied economics with causal inference, sector economics and evidence review — with all of it framed for the UK policy machine.
Delivered as one year full-time (or two years part-time via online / distance routes), the MSc is shaped by working senior practitioners — a Government Economic Service senior economist, a regulatory-economics partner, a think-tank director — and closes with a substantial dissertation, sponsor consulting project or applied capstone defended in front of a working panel.
Key Features
- Curriculum reviewed against Government Economic Service economist-grade competencies and SBE senior standards.
- Three study modes — central London campus, fully online with UK / APAC cohort calls, or distance learning.
- Sponsor consulting project with a UK regulator, government department or Whitehall-adjacent consultancy.
- Empirical methods track — R, Stata, causal inference, machine-learning for policy.
- Dissertation supervised by a working policy or regulatory economist.
- Executive-application coaching in the final term.
What You Will Learn
The MSc treats economic policy at the level UK regulators and Whitehall expect — evidence rigour, causal reasoning, sector context and a paper that stands up to challenge. Research method is treated as a working craft, not a lecture theatre exercise.
- Advanced microeconomics and macroeconomics applied to UK policy questions.
- Applied econometrics — causal inference, panel data, machine-learning methods.
- Advanced HM Treasury Green Book appraisal and distributional analysis.
- Regulatory economics — Ofgem, Ofwat, CMA, FCA case work.
- Public finance — fiscal rules, OBR forecasts, HMT costings.
- Behavioural economics for UK policy design.
- Sector economics — energy, water, transport, financial services.
- Ethics and impartiality in the UK policy process.
- Advanced policy-paper craft — ministerial submissions and RPC-facing IAs.
- Research methods for a UK policy dissertation.
Who This Course Is For
- Assistant economists moving toward Government Economic Service economist grade.
- Regulatory economics analysts targeting associate-partner tracks in consulting.
- Think-tank researchers formalising applied-economics craft.
- Career changers with a first degree and three years of relevant analytical experience.
- International students planning careers with UK-facing multilaterals.
Career Pathways
Graduates typically move into economist-grade roles at UK regulators, Whitehall departments, senior consultancies and think tanks. The degree supports applications but does not by itself guarantee outcomes. Typical destinations include:
- Economist (Government Economic Service)
- Senior Regulatory Economist
- Consulting Economist (Senior)
- Sector Economist
- Think-Tank Senior Researcher
- Policy Adviser
The MSc is the natural step onto a UK doctorate in economics or a Government Economic Service senior economist competition.
Entry Requirements
- A UK 2:2 honours degree in a relevant discipline (economics preferred), or an equivalent international qualification. Applicants with three years of substantive professional experience in the discipline may apply on a portfolio route.
- GCSE English Language at grade 5/C (or equivalent) is required for domestic applicants; international applicants meet the language rule below.
- IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers.
- A short statement of intent (600 words) explaining research or applied interests, plus two references (one academic, one workplace or professional-body).
Why Study at LSIBM
The London School of International Business and Management (LSIBM) is a specialist business-education provider based in central London and part of Harold International College. Postgraduate cohorts run in small tutor-visible groups, are shaped by working senior practitioners (partner-level at a Big Four firm, Fellow-level at CIM or CIPD, CFA charter-holders in investment routes) and close with a substantial dissertation, sponsor consulting project or applied capstone defended in front of a working panel.
London puts the City, Canary Wharf, Whitehall, Companies House, the FCA, the Bank of England, the West End and the major consulting, banking and multinational headquarters within a short tube ride of every classroom. LSIBM postgraduates attend a fortnightly senior-practitioner clinic and a structured executive-application coaching programme in the final term.
Apply for the MSc in Economic Policy
Step into the senior track with the MSc in Economic Policy. Click Enrol Now and admissions will reply within one working day with intake dates, dissertation supervisor allocation guidance and the current fee schedule. LSIBM postgraduates are supported by dedicated executive-application coaching in the final term.
