Programme Specification: MSc Human Geography and Urban Studies (Research) (Previously MSc Human Geography (Research). Re-titled 2011/12)

1. Awarding Body / LSE
2. Details of accreditation by a professional body, eg ESRC; BPS etc / This is an approved programme of the ESRC 1+3 competition scheme (UK/EU only)
3. Name of final award / MSc
4. Programme title / MSc Human Geography and Urban Studies (Research) (Previously MSc Human Geography (Research). Re-titled 2011/12)
5. Duration of the course / 12 months full-time; 24 months part-time
6. Based in the Department/Institute / Geography and Environment
7. Relevant QAA subject benchmark statements / N/A
8. Application code / L8UH
9. First written/last amended / July 2003 / October 2011
10. The programme aims to:
  • Provide a critical appreciation of research in the field of human geography;
  • Provide a foundation in research methods and theoretical concepts in the field of human geography;
  • Enable students to progress to PhD level research in an academic, other public sector agency, or commercial setting relevant to a geography specialism;
  • To take students to the leading edge of research in one of the following areas: environmental assessment and evaluation, local economic development, or gender and development.

11. Programme outcomes: knowledge and understanding; skills and other attributes
Knowledge and understanding
At the end of the programme students will have a thorough understanding of:
  • Key concepts used in the study of contemporary human geography;
  • A critical appreciation of a range of research methods appropriate to human geography;
  • One specialist area of human geographical knowledge that will form the foundation for further research;
  • Critical and evaluative skills relevant to contemporary human geographical research and practice.
Skills and other attributes
At the end of the programme, students will be able to:
  • select, justify and deploy appropriate research methods to a human geographical research question;
  • frame, plan, manage and execute an independent piece of academic research;
  • critically engage with contemporary human geography theory and practice and to apply them to research;
  • write well structured and clearly argued research review papers;
  • evaluate the ethical, conceptual and practical dimensions of research questions;
  • progress to PhD level research.
See information relating to careers.
12. Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be achieved and demonstrated
1. Teaching and Learning Strategies
Students acquire their detailed knowledge and understanding of the course through lectures, seminars and guided independent study.
Many of those involved in programme delivery are at the forefront of research in the field – and as such, students have direct insight into current thinking in the field. This aspect of provision is further enhanced through specialist Departmental visiting lecturers that discuss on-going research, as well as the array of LSE public lectures, which include senior national and international policy makers, politicians and researchers in this and related fields.
Students are strongly encouraged to make extensive use of electronic information sources available through the BLPES; in particular the extensive resources for international bibliographical research and on-line publications.
All course reading lists include references to current research, and other primary sources including official documents and web references, as well as original academic works.
Skills are developed through guidance and feedback from tutors in the context of:
One-to-one tutorials, regular lectures, seminars and the preparation of course essays and the dissertation.
Research skills are developed through both the listed Methodology courses, through additional workshops on specific skills and through the Contemporary Debates course in which attention is given to the methodological foundations as well as to substantive issues. All of these courses are taught by active researchers; in these courses students learn from, and apply their skills to actual examples of research methods.
The Contemporary Debates course also causes students to engage with seminal readings in the development of particular theoretical and methodological strands within the discipline. This develops students’ insight into the changing nature of the discipline, its central ideas and research culture.
2. Assessment Strategies
Most courses are assessed by 3 hour unseen written examinations, together with a course work component in the form of an essay. A quarter of the overall assessment is based upon a Dissertation.
Formative assessment takes the form of feedback from tutors on course work and within classes and is central to student development. Students are required to write a dissertation that draws together a number of their intellectual skills as well as their understanding of fundamental issues. This piece of work may be based on one or all of the following: original data collection analysis, original fieldwork, or novel conceptual and theoretical critique. This piece of work is an opportunity for students to practically demonstrate their research skills as applied to a specific topic (see course regulations for details).
13. Programme structures and requirements, levels, modules, credits and awards
See theMSc Human Geography and Urban Studies (Research)programme regulations.

Additional information

14. Criteria for admission to the programme
The current requirements for those not previously taught in English before are 6.5 in IELTS or
603/250 in TOEFL. There are no requirements with regard to GMAT or GRE.
At least an upper second class degree, or its international equivalent in human geography or cognate subjects; candidates will be preferred from the upper portion of this range, and those who have excelled in research components of their first degree.
15. Indicators of quality
RAE rating 2001: 5
ESRC recognition for the 1+3 PhD Research Training Programme
The LSE Careers Centre website provides data on career destinations of LSE graduates.
16. Methods for evaluating and improving the quality and standard of teaching
  • The Teaching and Learning Centre is available to monitor and observe teaching and offers constructive advice on how to improve the standard of teaching and quality;
  • The Teaching Learning and Assessment Committee which regulates all aspects of teaching quality;
  • Departmental TLAC review once every five years;
  • The Graduate Studies Sub-Committee which oversees all graduate programmes and ensures that significant changes to programmes and courses pass through a sequence of formal stages, so that curricular changes are appropriate and compatible with other developments;
  • Departmental Teaching Committee;
  • SSLC meetings;
  • Course teaching surveys by TQARO;
  • The Department’s system of periodic review for its programmes.