| Full-Time Master's Economics |
Career prospects: with just the M.Sc. you can work as a professional economist
in consultancy, forecasting, research, equities, and governmental work. And
people do. If you go on to get a Ph.D., you can still do all the same work plus
work in academia (LSE has excellent placements in top 20 research universities
in
the U.S.); and you'll probably be paid a bit better with a Ph.D. than with an
M.Sc, but you will also lose three or more years of earnings.
The problem for non-EU (European Union) students is that getting jobs in England
is pretty darned hard. So you should consider your home country and the respect
that LSE has there before you come here. In general,LSE has a great name in all
Commonwealth countries. In America, LSE has a great name among Economists and
perhaps in East Coast cities. Elsewhere nobody's heard of it. So Americans
particularly beware.
Also: Another caveat. In America, the good economics departments only offer a
Ph.D., and no master's. Master's in Economics in America are "remedial" or
perhaps very applied in nature. LSE provides very solid theoretical training.
This is especially true of the level II classes. Basically you'll know most of
the stuff that someone who has done their first year of Ph.D. study in Econ
does.
The problem is that employers might not be aware of the difference in standards.
Perhaps you'll need to convince them of the specialized nature of the European
educational system and the relatively hi-tech nature of your coursework. If you
can, then I think with just the master's, you can have a very good career ahead
of you.
For European students, I think the campus recruiting is quite good. The
economics department has added a new M.Sc. tutor who works quite energetically
to
market the program. I think LSE has a great reputation in the City, London's
financial hub. So no worries about getting a good job, I'd imagine.
Who hires? Think-tanks, government agencies, consultancies, especially economics
consultancies, and investment banks. All the big names come to campus, if you're
interested.
LSE also enjoys a good reputation among Ph.D. economics admissions committees in
the US. This is something to keep in mind, although if you are at all mindful of
doing a Ph.D, you should aim for at least an overall "merit" on the master's,
otherwise it's not going to happen. If you're caught between a Ph.D. and
employment, like many are, then first focus on doing the master's and getting a
merit. If you do this, it will not hurt you for employment purposes one bit. And
it will leave the Ph.D. door open. So don't go looking for jobs during the
school
year. The job hunt will NOT allow you to focus on your studies adequately.
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London School of Economics: Graduate Business/Economics Degress (Non-MBA) Admission & Application Surveys
