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Department of Economics
Undergraduate Student Handbook
2017-18
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Welcome to the Department of Economics, 2017-18
We hope that you will be happy during your time in the Department, and will find it rewarding, stimulating and challenging, as well as enjoyable, of course!
Administrative support within the Department is provided by the Undergraduate Programme Manager, Sarah Burton. Academic support will be provided by class teachers, the Department’s Undergraduate Tutor, Dr Judith Shapiro, and your Academic Adviser (to be allocated early in the Michaelmas Term).
This handbook provides useful information, including Departmental details, procedures and policies. It should be helpful not only in guiding you through the initial weeks, but also for reference throughout the degree. If you have any questions it does not answer, please ask Sarah Burton, Programme Manager, 1st floor of 32 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, Room 1.02 ([email protected]).
Please note that the contents of this handbook are subject to change; the most up to date version of the handbook can be found on the BSc Portal on Moodle and the Departmental website: http://www.lse.ac.uk/economics/currentStudents/undergraduateStudents/home.aspx
Professor Frank Cowell (Undergraduate Programme Director) Dr Judith Shapiro (Undergraduate Tutor) Sarah Burton (Undergraduate Programme Manager)
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Contents
Section 1: Welcome 2017 and Essential Information for New Students
About the Department 5 Who’s who 5 Term dates 6 Welcome & Registration 7 Welcome Events Schedule 8 Programme Registration 9 Course Choice & Personal timetables 10 Information on Requesting Class Changes 10 LSE For You 11 LSE100: Understanding the Causes of Things 12 Fees (Including How to Pay Them) 14 Certificate of Registration (Proof of your Student Status) 14 The Academic Advisor System 15 Timeframe for Academic Advisor meetings 16 Staff-Student Liaison Committee 17 Undergraduate Students’ Consultative Forum 17 Public Lectures 17 The Economics Society 18 Moodle 18 Email and Further Communication 19 Section 2: Essential Programme Information for all Students BSc Programmes in the Department of Economics 20 Teaching Methods 20 Third year options in the BSc in Economics 21 Paper 12 exceptions 21 Programme Transfers 22 Interruption/Deferral/Withdrawal 23
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Examination entry 24 Progression to the next year of study 24 BA/BSc Classification Scheme 25 Results and Transcripts 26 Graduation Ceremonies 27 Degree Certificates 27 Departmental Prizes 27 Requesting Written References 28 Section 3: School Services, including Welfare and Support
Student Services Centre 29 International Student Immigration Visa Advice Team 30 (ISVAT) Financial Support 31 Language support 31 LSE Library 32 LSE Life 33 LSE Students’ Union 34 Careers Service 35 LSE Volunteer Centre 36 Student Teaching Surveys 37 Section 4: School-Wide Regulations
The Calendar (School and Programme Regulations) 38 Code of Good Practice 38 General School and Programme Regulations 39 What to do if you’re Ill during your Studies 39 Equality & Diversity at LSE 40 Plagiarism 41
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Annexes A Economics Department Assessment Criteria 43 B Alumni Association 44 C How to live sustainably at LSE 45
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Section 1: Welcome 2017 and Essential Information for New Students About the Department The Economics Department is the largest Department in the School and is also associated with a number of important research centres. All teaching staff hold weekly term-time office hours which you are welcome to attend. These are a means of additional guidance and support to individual students taking their course(s). Other members of the faculty can be contacted by e-mail or through their assistants.
Details of all staff room numbers, email addresses and office hours can be found via the following link: http://econ.lse.ac.uk/people/.
Who’s Who and Essential Departmental Contact Information
Undergraduate Programme Manager: Sarah Burton Office hours: Daily 10-12 + 2-4, or email for an appointment
Room 32LIF 1.02, tel:020 7955 7680 [email protected]
Undergraduate Tutor: Dr Judith Shapiro
Room 32LIF 1.32 [email protected]
Your regular contacts are likely to be with:
your Academic Adviser (see Academic Advisor System, page 15)
your class teachers your lecturers the Department’s
Undergraduate Tutor the Undergraduate
Programme Manager
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Office hours: Daily drop-in 3-3.30pm (5 min max), or book on LSE For You (daily, 3.30-5.30pm)
Director of Undergraduate Studies: Professor Frank Cowell Office hours: Thursday 12:00 - 1:00
Room 32LIF 3.25 [email protected]
Departmental Office (Econ Hub) The Department Office (room 32LIF 1.01) is where class teacher pigeon holes are located. You will normally be asked to submit class exercises to these. The office is open Monday - Friday 10am-5pm; please ensure that you submit any work before 5pm, as the office closes promptly. Staff in 1.01 can also be contacted via email at [email protected]. Study rooms for undergraduate Economics students are located in room 1.29. This is where course packs (where available) are usually kept. Term Dates: Academic year 2017-18
Michaelmas Term Thursday 21 September – Friday 08 December (teaching begins on Monday 25 September)
Lent Term Monday 08 January – Friday 23 March ((for departments with courses that will be examined in January, examinations will be held in week 0 – Tuesday 02 January – Friday 05 January, more information can be found here: http://www.lse.ac.uk/resources/calendar/CourseAndProgrammeInfo/LentTermWeek0Exams.htm) *
Summer Term Monday 23 April – Friday 08 June
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For those departments that operate them (not Economics), School Reading Weeks are the weeks beginning Monday 30 October 2017 and Monday 12 February 2018. The School will also be closed on English public holidays*. In 2017/18 these will be:
Christmas Closure Thursday 21 December 2017 – Monday 01 January 2018
Easter Closure Thursday 29 March – Wednesday 04 April 2018
May Bank Holiday Monday 07 May 2018
Spring Bank Holiday Monday 28 May 2018
Summer Bank Holiday
Monday 27 August 2018
*Some facilities, such as the Library, may open on some of these dates. The School will issue updates throughout the year. Departmental staff will not be around. Welcome and Registration Please refer to the Welcome Guide 2017 for information. This is available online. Hard copies are also available to collect from the Student Services Centre or at any of the Help Points which will be set up around campus during Welcome. A full Schedule of ‘Welcome’ events for all students in the Department can be found on the following page. Please read this information carefully. If you have any questions please contact Sarah Burton.
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Welcome Events specific to undergraduates in the Department of Economics:
Date and time Event Description Venue
Monday 18 September 10.00am-11.30am
School welcome presentation for undergraduate students in the Department of Economics
Presentation to introduce BSc students to the School.
Peacock Theatre
Monday 18 September 5.30pm-7.30pm
Fresher's reception
Evening reception for all new BSc programme students in the Department. A chance to meet other students over canapés and drinks.
The Bean Counter Café (Basement of 32 Lincoln’s Inn Fields)
Tuesday 19 September 10am-11.30am
School registration for all new BSc students in the Department of Economics
Registration on your programme of study
Hong Kong Theatre (Clement House)
Thursday 21 September 12.00pm-1.00pm
Departmental meeting for 1st year BSc students
Welcome to the Department led by Prof Frank Cowell, Programme Director
Old Theatre (Old Building)
Thursday 21 September 1.15pm-2.15pm
Departmental buffet lunch for 1st year BSc students
Informal lunch for new BSc students in the Department
Lower Ground floor of the New Academic Building (NAB)
Thursday 21 September 2.30pm-4.00pm
Course choice advice meeting for 1st year BSc students in Economics
An advice session on choosing an outside option run by Dr Judith Shapiro, Undergraduate Tutor
NAB.LG.08
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Important Note:
If you are unable to attend the Departmental meeting for new undergraduate students' on the 21 September please see Sarah Burton, Undergraduate Programme Manager. You must see your Academic Adviser at the appointed time (you will be provided with this information). You are required to attend this meeting, but if you can’t you must make sure you contact your Adviser immediately and arrange to meet as soon as possible.
Programme Registration Programme Registration: At the start of the academic year all new and continuing students need to formally register on their programme of study. New students need to do this in person (see chart on page 8). To ensure that new students are able to complete this process as quickly as possible, each programme is allocated a time slot (for large programmes these slots are further split by surname). At registration, you will be asked to provide proof of your eligibility to study in the UK and will be issued with your LSE ID card. For more information, including schedules and further details about how to provide your edibility to study in the UK, please see lse.ac.uk/registration.
2017 Christmas Reception for ALL students There will be a Christmas reception for all undergraduate students in the Department on Tuesday the 05 December. Full details will be advertised in due course.
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Course Choice and Personal Timetables You must choose all of your courses, including your three compulsory ones, in LSE for You. Please ensure that you attend Dr Shapiro’s Course Choice advice meeting on the 21 September. LSE Course Finder (https://apps.lse.ac.uk/coursefinder) will help you to choose your optional course. Course Finder allows you to browse available courses by unit value, keyword, department, and assessment type. You can build a shortlist of courses and compare the Lecture Timetable for that shortlist. Course Finder will be open from 10:00 on Monday 18 September 2017 to 12:00 on Monday 9 October 2017, and is available to registered students.
The deadline for course choice for undergraduate students is Monday 9 October 2017. Full information on how to select course can be found at lse.ac.uk/coursechoice Some departments have capped courses, which mean that places on these courses will be limited. On the LSE for You course choice system these courses are labelled as 'capped'.
These courses are offered on a first come first served basis and as soon as the number of students registered reaches the capped number, the status of these courses will change to "full" and no one else will be able
Online Course Registration tutorials: Helpful tutorials are available to guide you through the course choice process:
Select courses: https://lfy.lse.ac.uk/lfy/ap/lfy2/html/selectStudentTutorial.html
Select an unlisted course: https://lfy.lse.ac.uk/lfy/ap/public/lfytutorial/ugcourseselection/unlistedcourses/unlistedcourse.html
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to select them. For more information about capped courses please contact the department teaching the course. Personal timetables for first year students are published on LSE For You the week commencing the 18th September 2017* If you have made your course choices in LSE for You by the specified publication date but cannot view a personal timetable this may be because you either have a timetable clash or you have not registered for this academic year. If it is a timetable clash, you should see a message on LSE for You telling you the codes of the courses that are clashing. For further information on timetable
clashes please see the timetables web page: http://www.lse.ac.uk/intranet/diaryAndEvents/timetables/timetableClash.aspx After the publication dates above for personal timetables, please allow three working days for any changes to your course choice to appear on your timetable. *Exact date will be published at lse.ac.uk/timetables at the start of term.
LSE for You:
LSE for You is a personalised web portal which gives you access to a range of services. For example, you can:
view or change your personal details
reset your Library and network passwords
monitor and pay your tuition fees online
check your exam results
You can also access online tutorials on how to navigate and personalise LSE for You via its login page. Use your LSE network username and password to login via lse.ac.uk/lseforyou.
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Information on requesting Class Changes The School’s Timetables Office uses an automated process to allocate undergraduate students to classes. In order to request a change to a scheduled class, you should apply using the LSE for You (LFY – see page 11) ‘class change request’ function. Online change requests are not available for LSE100 (please see below) due to the small size and group work element of classes. For more information, email [email protected].
If there are circumstances that prevent you from attending your scheduled class, you should include in your request full details of the dates and times that you are unavailable. Your request will then be considered by the Department responsible for teaching the affected course. You may be asked to provide documentary evidence in support of your application, and for EC (Economics) and FM (Finance) courses this is certain.
You will be notified of the decision via your LSE email account. If your request is approved, your LSE for You personal timetable will be updated within three working days of the date of approval.
For more information please see lse.ac.uk/coursechoice.
LSE100 The LSE Course: Understanding the causes of things LSE100, LSE’s flagship interdisciplinary course for all undergraduates, introduces students to the fundamental elements of thinking like a social scientist. As no complex issue can be fully understood through the lens of a single discipline, LSE100 gives you the opportunity to broaden your intellectual experience and deepen your critical understanding of your own discipline as you test theories, evidence and ideas from a wide range of disciplinary perspectives. In four five-week modules, you will explore ‘big’ questions, such as: ‘How should we address poverty and inequality?’ and ‘Should markets be constrained or unleashed?’ Using these and other issues as case
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studies, you will explore different types of evidence, forms of explanation and strategies for abstraction and modelling that are used
across the social sciences. LSE100’s focus on the core elements of social scientific reasoning will be accompanied by a strong emphasis on critical thinking, research and communication skills.
Drawing on contributions from leading academics from across the School, as well as 80-minute, MSc-style seminars, you will have the opportunity to collaborate with students from a wide range of departments to explore and debate the causes of and potential solutions to salient social issues. LSE100 does not follow the standard LSE approach of unseen examinations. Instead you will complete different forms of coursework that are designed to build critical methodological, research and communication skills. Building on a variety of formative work that you will complete in the classroom, summative assessments will include written academic arguments, group projects, and short weekly exercises designed to develop your analytical skills. LSE100 is taught over two terms: the Lent term of your first year and the Michaelmas term of your second year. Your classes for LSE100 will begin in January 2018 and finish in December 2018.
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Fees The School offers two options for payment of fees. You can either pay them in full prior to Registration or via payment plan: Full fee Information, including how to pay, can be found here: http://www.lse.ac.uk/intranet/LSEServices/financeDivision/feesAndStudentFinance/Paying%20fees/How_to_Pay.aspx Certificate of Registration (proof of your student status) A certificate of registration provides proof to organisations, such as Council Tax offices, Embassies and banks, that you are registered as a current student at the LSE. You can obtain a Certificate of Registration from the Student Services Centre during their opening hours (normally 11:00 to 4:00pm, Monday to Friday). If you are planning to use the document to open a bank account you must specify which bank it needs to be addressed to.
Tailored certificates: If you require a certificate with information beyond what is on the Certificate of Registration, please consult the following link for further information and an online request form: lse.ac.uk/registrydocuments.
Table of Fees: If you do not know the cost of your fees, please see the Table of Fees at lse.ac.uk/feesoffice.
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The Academic Adviser System All undergraduate students are assigned an Academic Adviser each year. The Programme Manager will email all 1st year students with details of their Adviser and first scheduled meeting. It is your responsibility, as well as that of your Academic Adviser, to make regular contact and to ensure both that she/he is aware of any particular problems and that your progress and attendance is monitored on a regular basis. Your Academic Adviser sees your class attendance and progress via LSE for You and is expected to provide a termly report on your progress. Your Academic Adviser also provides references (and input to references) - both during your stay at LSE and after you leave. These requirements and responsibilities are aimed at ensuring that everyone benefits from regular contact and a good student/Adviser relationship.
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Timeframe for meetings The suggested minimum number of meetings between Advisers and students is three; one per term. However, students are encouraged to see their advisers whenever they have a specific problem they wish to discuss.
For first year students, the first meeting of the year should ideally take place on the Thursday/Friday before the beginning of term (i.e. Welcome Week), or during the first week of term (i.e. when teaching starts). This meeting is important in introducing yourself to your adviser, and to discuss course choices.
This first meeting is usually in groups but all later meetings are usually one-to-one. All students may also attend their Adviser's office hours to raise specific issues as they emerge. Students may always make additional appointments to see their Adviser. Other questions may be dealt with appropriately by e-mail.
LSE defines the role of the Academic Adviser as follows:
To provide students with academic guidance and feedback on the students' progress and performance and to discuss any academic problems they may experience.
To provide pastoral support on non-academic issues and to refer students, as necessary, to the appropriate support agencies within the School.
To maintain regular contact with the student on academic and pastoral issues through direct one-to-one meetings and other means of communication, such as emails.
To implement the provisions outlined in LSE Inclusion Plans (IPs) for students with disabilities in liaison with the School's Disability Office.
Details of their roles and responsibilities can be found in the LSE Code of Practice.
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For the second meeting, it is expected that all students will see their advisers within the first three weeks of the Lent term. This is particularly important for raising any exam worries/issues. There should be a final meeting within the first week of the summer term, where progress towards exams and what action to take should any problems occur before or during the exams can be discussed. Where relevant, students may also wish to discuss reference requests with their advisers.
The Staff Student Liaison Committee The Programme Manager will contact all students at the start of the year with details of how to become a member of the Staff Student Liaison Committee. ‘Elections’ are normally held via Moodle. These are important Committees as they provide a forum for feedback from students on their programme and for discussion of issues which affect the student community as a whole. The role of an SSLC representative is therefore central to ensuring that courses and programmes in the School work efficiently. Those elected or chosen as a representative will be given training by the School.
Public lectures Throughout the year there are special School lectures, open to everyone. Upcoming lectures are advertised on the large computer screens around the School and on the School homepage under ‘Events’.
Undergraduate Students’ Consultative Forum: The SSLC also elects one representative to attend the School’s Undergraduate Students' Consultative Forum. More information can be found at: lse.ac.uk/studentrepresentation.
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You can also keep up to date with the latest information through the LSE Events email information service which enables you to receive email notification of new events and public lectures at LSE when they are announced: http://www2.lse.ac.uk/publicEvents/eventsHome.aspx. Moodle Moodle is LSE's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It is a password protected web environment that may contain a range of teaching resources, activities, assignments, information and discussions for your courses. The content of Moodle is the responsibility of your lecturer and so it will vary from course to course (not all lecturers choose to use Moodle). The Department’s BSc Portal is also on Moodle. This contains SSLC information, Extra-Curricular circulars (such as volunteering opportunities, surveys etc.) and various other items of interest. Log on Moodle at http://moodle.lse.ac.uk/, using your LSE user name and password. Contact the helpdesk with any problems [email protected]. A note on Copyright Please note that Moodle materials can only be downloaded or used for personal study by registered students on 2017-18 courses. Reproducing, posting, sharing or disseminating electronically or in any
The Economics Society: The LSE SU Economics Society is an important part of the Department’s learning and social environment, organising lively student-run events and an annual conference, both with well-known speakers, producing a magazine (Rationale) and running popular EC102 Help Sessions. For further information on other activities and on joining the Society please see: http://www.lsesu.com/activities/societies/society/6504/
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form or by any means without the written permission from the Department of Economics, London School of Economics, is an infringement of copyright. For enquiries, please contact [email protected]. Email & Further Communication The School and the Department will use your LSE email address to communicate with you so you should check it regularly; information will not be sent to any personal email address you may have. The email program Microsoft Outlook is available on all student PCs on the LSE network. You can also access e-mail off-campus using webmail and remote desktop or on the move, using email clients for laptops and mobile phones. For instructions on how to access your email off campus visit: http://www2.lse.ac.uk/intranet/LSEServices/IMT/remote. Both Dr Shapiro and Sarah will send regular emails with important news and information to your LSE email address throughout the year. It’s therefore especially important that you check your email regularly. Please also use your LSE email when you communicate with us, not your personal Hotmail/Gmail etc.
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Section 2: Essential Programme Information for all Students
BSc Programmes in the Department of Economics The three degree programmes within the Department involve required (core) courses together with optional courses which must be agreed with your Academic Adviser.
All course changes should be made, via LSE For You, by the 09 October 2017. Further details on selecting courses via LSE For You can be found here: http://www.lse.ac.uk/intranet/students/registrationTimetablesAssessment/Registration/Course/home.aspx
Consult the following links for programme regulations (all available at: http://www.lse.ac.uk/resources/calendar/undergraduate.htm):
BSc Economics including a list of courses approved for Paper 12 (taken in year 3)
Teaching Methods: Almost all of the courses undergraduate students take in the Economics Department require:
attendance at one or two lectures per week;
weekly exercises/online quizzes to be attempted (and often submitted) before each weekly class;
compulsory attendance at weekly classes;
sometimes additional written work;
sometimes remedial and revision classes.
It is extremely important that students keep up to date with their class exercises and discuss with the class teacher any problems they may be facing. It is just as important that students submit any work required on time so that they can receive appropriate feedback.
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BSc Econometrics and Mathematical Economics including a list of approved courses from outside the Department for the third year BSc in Economics with Economic History Core courses: Year 1:
o EC100 or EC102 o MA100 o ST102
Year 2: o EC201 or EC202 o EC210 o EC220 or EC221
Economics Reading Lists, Course Outline/Content, Lectures and Staff
Third-Year Options in the BSc Economics Students may choose four papers from the Economics Selection List or three papers from the Economics Selection List and one from a defined list of closely-related subjects from other disciplines, which are set out under Paper 12.
The BSc Economics is a "single honours degree", and this means that the final year is intended to be advanced and specialised: the Regulations are
Paper 12 exceptions: The final note in the Regulations does allow for the substitution of a different paper in exceptional circumstances. Its fundamental purpose is to allow a student to make a special case for permission to take an unlisted but relevant paper as Paper 12 that ensures a well-structured advanced economics degree specific to that student. Exceptional circumstances are rare, and to receive permission students are expected to explain exactly why their choice meets the standard laid out in the Regulations, namely, that the paper is both advanced and coherent with their overall choice of courses.
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designed so that you take a portfolio of subjects appropriate for training economists. For these reasons, the Regulations require at least three papers from the Economics Selection list. The same logic in the Regulations is the reason for the explicit rule that students are not permitted to take both FM300 and FM320 finance papers.
The degree is designed to be a progression. Therefore, students who choose in the second year to take as the outside option (Paper 8) one of the papers that is also listed on the third year selection lists cannot, in their third year, ask for the Paper 8 paper to be treated as if they had already taken a third year paper.
Assessment Criteria in the Department of Economics See Annex A (pg 43)
Programme transfers Students wishing to apply to transfer to an undergraduate degree programme offered by another Department at LSE may do so, as long as they meet any conditions set by the Department to which they wish to transfer. You should discuss this with the Departmental Tutor of the Department you wish to transfer into. Please consult the following link for further information on how to request to transfer to another programme: http://www.lse.ac.uk/intranet/students/registrationTimetablesAssessment/Registration/Changes/transfer.aspx
The Department of Economics does not permit transfers into the first year from students in other departments. Transfers to the second year will be conditional upon results from the students first year of their current degree programme:
A 1st in two of EC102/EC100, MA100 and ST102 and at least a 2:1 in the remaining papers. Or
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A 1st in all of EC102/EC100, MA107, ST107 and at least a 2:1 in the remaining 2 papers.
Students offering MA107/ST107 must take either ST205 (or ST201) and MA207 in year 2, or exceptionally, MA103. This allows no ‘outside option’ in year 2, including, of course, FM212.
Students already registered on a programme within the Department of Economics considering a transfer to another programme within the Department should contact Dr Shapiro, who will also explain applications to transfer into the third year of the BSc in EME.
All applications to transfer must be made after final results are released in the summer, and by no later than Monday the 30 July 2018 (for 2018/19).
Interruption / deferral / withdrawal Interruption: In the case of serious illness or personal problems you can request to interrupt your programme by taking a break in your studies, normally from the end of one term and for one calendar year. Please note that the Department of Economics does not under any circumstances allow interruptions for internships or study elsewhere, except for the rare exception of students accepted for LSE’s partnerships with Sciences Po and Berkeley. Withdrawal: withdrawing means that you are leaving the programme permanently. Before withdrawing you may want to consider interruption so that you have some time to consider your options. For more information, please see lse.ac.uk/registrationchanges. Deferral: if you complete the teaching year but have difficulties during the exams then in exceptional circumstances you can apply to defer an examination(s) to the following year. If you have any queries about this
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process during the exam period please contact the Programme Manager ([email protected]).
Examination entry Reliable and complete information is best obtained from the Student Services Centre website: lse.ac.uk/SSC
Examinations for all 1st and 2nd year Economics courses, such as EC100 and EC102, take place in week 0 of Lent term (Tuesday 02 January – Friday 05 January), and during the Summer Term (May/June). Currently, all 3rd year Economics courses are examined in the Summer Term only. Other Departments within the School hold either a combination of LT and Summer Term exams or just Summer Term exams, and/or other assessment methods. Full details on examinations will be sent to all students later in the Michaelmas term. The exam timetable is published on the LSE Website and after the final version is confirmed students can access their personal examination timetables through LSE for You.
Progression to the next year of study An LSE summary of the Regulations on progression to the next year is:
BA/BSc first year students can progress to their next year of study carrying one whole or two half-unit failed papers. BA/ BSc second year students can progress to their final year once they have passed examinations in courses to the value of at least seven course units.
If a student were to fail two or more exams, and thus not be able to progress to their next year of study, they would be contacted by the Student Service Centre and told about their options: http://www.lse.ac.uk/intranet/students/academicSupportServices/RTP/Options.aspx
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In preparing for examinations, students are reminded that the objectives of examinations are to test and challenge their knowledge and understanding, not simply to repeat class material. Examinations in other papers may draw on concepts and techniques taught in core courses and examiners attach importance to the evidence of original thought.
Equally, to help students prepare effectively for their examinations they should make themselves fully aware of the format and syllabus to be covered in the examinations. Specimen papers or guidelines to any changes are provided where appropriate and permitted materials specified early in the year. Past papers can be found at on the Library webpage: Past Exam Papers (access restricted to LSE network only).
A note on courses examined during both the Lent and Summer terms As mentioned on the previous page, some courses (such as EC100 and EC102) are examined both in the Lent and the Summer terms. If a student fails one of the exams, but passes the other and receives an overall pass for the course, they will not re-sit the failed exam (School regulations do not allow for this). If a student fails one of the exams, and passes the other, but receives an overall fail, they will need to re-sit the failed exam. Their mark for the passed exam will be ‘banked’ and averaged with the re-sit mark. If a student fails two exam components from two separate courses, and receives overall fails for both courses, this counts as two units’ worth of fails and a student cannot progress. If you have any questions about this please email the Programme Manager ([email protected]). Classification Schemes Undergraduate degrees are classified according to the Classification Scheme appropriate to the year in which the student commenced their programme of study. Classification Schemes are applied by the Boards of Examiners at their meeting in July each year.
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Please refer to the web link below for further details of the BA/BSc Degrees Classification Scheme: http://www.lse.ac.uk/resources/calendar/academicRegulations/BA-BScDegrees.htm Results and Transcripts The School releases confirmed marks once the relevant School Board of Examiners has ratified them. For further information, please see lse.ac.uk/results. To ensure that your results are released as scheduled, please check your balance on LSE for You to see if you have any outstanding tuition, halls or library fees. You should contact the Fees Office on [email protected] if you have any queries, as the School will not release your results if you have an outstanding debt. Transcripts for finalists are issued digitally within ten working days of final results being officially published. Continuing students will be able to request an 'intermediate transcript' of results as soon as they are officially published. For more information, please see lse.ac.uk/transcripts.
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Graduation Ceremonies Graduation ceremonies are held in July for undergraduate students. For more information, including the dates of future ceremonies and details of the School’s overseas ceremonies, please see lse.ac.uk/ceremonies. Departmental Prizes The Department awards several monetary prizes for students who have performed exceptionally well in their examinations. The prizes are awarded to both continuing students and finalists. Please consult the following link on the Departmental webpage for more details: https://www.lse.ac.uk/economics/internal/handbooks/ughandbook/EconomicPrizes.pdf A reception for all Departmental prize winners is held each year, usually within the first two weeks of Michaelmas term.
Degree certificates: The degree certificate gives your full name, level of award, programme of study, and class of degree or other award obtained. It will be available for collection on the ceremony days of the relevant graduation period in July. If you don’t collect it at the ceremony, it will be posted to your home addresses within eight weeks. It is therefore essential that you keep your details up-to-date on LSE for You. For more information, please see lse.ac.uk/degreeCertificates.
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Requesting written references If you are asking an academic to write a reference for you, you should be aware of the following guidelines: - Please give referees at least three weeks’ notice before the
reference is due. Senior members of staff in particular may well be asked to write scores of references every term. It is in your own interest to give the referee enough time to do it justice.
- Never put down someone’s name as a referee without asking them in advance.
- Provide all the information needed to write the reference. Make sure that you have filled out your part of any form you submit.
- It is helpful if you include all the information your Academic Adviser will need in a single email, with a clear subject line. You might, for example, wish to remind them of scholarships awarded or internships undertaken.
- Sometimes an application requires a reference from the Programme Director. If so, the usual practice is for your Academic Adviser to produce a draft which the Programme Director will then sign.
- Once someone agrees to be a referee, he or she has the obligation to do the job on time. Inevitably, busy people writing scores of references sometimes forget so gentle reminders are worthwhile.
By putting your CV on the CV builder on LSE for You, your referee will be able to see your work experience and extra-curricular activities, so enabling them to write a fuller reference for you.
If an organisation just wishes to verify your registration details, rather than ask for a full academic reference, they should email [email protected] and include signed proof that you are happy for the Registry to confirm your details to them.
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Section 3: School Services, including Welfare and Support
Student Services Centre (SSC) The Student Services Centre is located on the ground floor of the Old Building. It provides advice and information on the following services:
Certificates of Registration
Course choice and class changes
Examinations and results
Fees – process fee payments and distribute cheques (drop-in service)
Information for new arrivals
Programme Registration
Graduation Ceremonies
Transcripts and Degree certificates
Visa and immigration advice (drop-in service) The SSC also hosts a range of specialist drop-in sessions:
Erasmus and Berkley Exchanges
Financial Support Office
Fees Office
Graduate Admissions
International Student Visa Advice Team
These sessions run for an hour at various times during the week so be sure to check when the next session is running. In most cases you will need to sign up to attend a session. Follow the SSC at @LSE_SSC.
How to contact the SSC: The SSC provides a counter service for students between 11am and 4pm every weekday. You can also contact them by telephone. Details of who to contact and more information can be found on their website: lse.ac.uk/ssc
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Advice, Communications & Operations The Advice, Communications & Operations team provide advice to students on academic matters (particularly around non-progression, interruption and withdrawals), run the Student Services enquiry counter, co-ordinate Welcome and co-ordinate Student Services Centre communications: Their specific responsibilities include:
Providing the first point of contact for enquiries and signposting enquirers to the appropriate school services
Coordinating all School Welcome Week events, maintaining the Your First Weeks web pages and managing the Off Campus Support Scheme
Providing one-to-one advice on School Regulations and Codes of Practice
Processing applications to the Repeat Teaching Panel and monitoring attendance
Producing replacement student ID cards for undergraduate and taught maters students
Administering the School's student consultative fora and the Departmental Tutors Forum
Contact the Advice, Communications & Operations team with a general enquiry
In person: at the SSC counter during opening hours By email: [email protected] Over the telephone: 020 7955 6167
International Student Immigration Visa Advice Team (ISVAT) ISVAT provides detailed immigration advice for International Students on their website which is updated whenever the immigration rules change. They can advise you by e-mail (if you complete an online query form on the ISVAT web pages) or at the drop-in service at the Student Services Centre. ISVAT supports students applying to extend their stay
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in the UK; and in complex cases, they will make individual appointments. For more information including drop in times go to: lse.ac.uk/isvat. You can also follow us at @LSE_ISVAT ISVAT also manages student exchanges through the Erasmus + programme at LSE. For more information on our exchanges, go to lse.ac.uk/Erasmus.
Financial Support The Financial Support Office (FSO) is responsible for the administration and awarding of scholarships, bursaries, studentships and School prizes. It holds drop in sessions at the Student Services Centre. Advice can also be given by telephone on 020 7955 6609 (9.30am-5.30pm). FSO provide information about funds such as the Student Support Fund and LSE Access Fund. Full details and application forms are available from lse.ac.uk/financialsupport Language support As well as degree options the LSE Language Centre provides a comprehensive programme of support if English is not your first language and a range of extra-curricular courses designed for students of the social sciences: http://www.lse.ac.uk/language/Home.aspx
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LSE Library Your LSE student card is your Library card. No additional registration with the Library is required. All the information you need to get started is on the Library website at: http://www.lse.ac.uk/library. This is also where you access Library Search, your gateway to the Library’s print and electronic resources. Dimity Flanagan ([email protected]) is the department’s Academic Support Librarian. Dimity can help you use the Library’s resources effectively, as well as offering guidance on referencing and managing information. Get in touch for advice or to arrange a consultation. The Library also offers training sessions on literature searching, reference management, finding data and much more. You can sign up for a course at https://apps.lse.ac.uk/training-system/
Follow the Library at www.twitter.com\LSELibrary You can also contact the Library by emailing [email protected] or visiting the Enquiry Desk on the ground floor.
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LSE LIFE LSE LIFE is the School’s centre for academic, professional and personal development. They can help you find your own ‘best’ ways to study, think about where your studies might lead you, and make the most of your time here. LSE LIFE offers:
guidance and hands-on practice of the key skills you’ll need to do well at LSE: effective reading, academic writing and critical thinking
workshops related to how to adapt to new or difficult situations, including development of skills for leadership, study/work/life balance, and preparing for the working world
a place to meet and work together with your peers on interdisciplinary group projects and research
support in making the transition to (or back to) university life;
advice and practice on working in study groups and on cross-cultural communication and teamwork
ideas and inspiration about academic pursuits and pathways into professional life
LSE LIFE is located on the ground floor of the library and is your first port of call to discover what is available for you. The LSE LIFE team, together
34
with advisers and specialists from LSE Careers, LSE Library, the Language Centre and other parts of the School, will be on hand to answer your questions. Sign up for a workshop, come by for help with your homework, or just drop in. For more information you can also visit lse.ac.uk/lselife Student well-being one to one support LSE’s Student Counselling Service – http://www.lse.ac.uk/counselling – offers bookable one to one appointments and daily drop in sessions; its Peer Support scheme – http://www.lse.ac.uk/peersupport – enables students to talk with fellow students if they have any personal worries. The Disability and Wellbeing Service – http://www.lse.ac.uk/disability – provides advice to disabled students, makes LSE Inclusion Plans and helps with Individual Examination Adjustments. LSE Students’ Union The LSE has one of the most active student communities at any university. The Student’s Union is independent from the School. Here are some of the ways in which the Union supports students:
Student activities – the Union funds and supports over 200
LSE Personal Development Aide Memoire (PDAM): This is a record that you can access and build in LSE for You that enables you to keep track of the skills and experience you gain through any extra-curricular activity you undertake while you are at LSE, both within and beyond the School. The PDAM is automatically populated from a number of different LSE systems and can also be updated manually. Once completed, it will enable you to provide information and evidence about what you have done beyond your studies, making it useful for volunteering, internship and job applications. To find out more, see http://www.lse.ac.uk/apd/PDAM
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societies, sports clubs, Media Group societies and Raising and Giving charitable fundraising
Campaigns and democracy – getting students together to take action on and influence the issues they care about within the School and wider society
Representation – led by a Student Executive, working with representatives across the School, you influence and shape the decisions and direction of the School
Welfare and student support –Independent, legally-trained advice workers offer free, confidential advice when things go wrong or you need help
The Union runs a bar, some shops and the only gym on campus all designed for LSE students.
Find out more from their website: www.lsesu.com Careers Service LSE Careers offers a wide range of seminars, employer presentations, fairs and face-to-face career discussions to help you at every stage of your career planning process - from deciding what you want to do to preparing for interviews and settling into your first job. The LSE Careers website (lse.ac.uk/careers) and blog are also full of tips, advice and information about every stage of the careers process from CV writing to interviews, and information about a wide range of employment sectors. LSE Careers also works with us to deliver events and services tailored to you. We have our own Departmental Careers Consultant, Viki Chinn ([email protected]). She specialises in Disability and Employment and runs bespoke appointments for disabled students. She also runs events throughout the year for Economics undergraduates only. The events line-up for 2017-18 includes:
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Careers with Economics Panel event- Thursday 12th October
Q&A for Economics Undergrads - Michaelmas Term
Repeat teaching support session - Lent Term
Interview Skills for Economists - Lent Term
No internship no panic - Lent Term Marketing yourself with Confidence - Lent Term
Details of these events will be circulated to students nearer the time they are due to run. LSE Volunteer Centre The LSE Volunteer Centre is based within LSE Careers and is here to help you develop new skills and new friendships while making an impact through volunteering. They advertise volunteering opportunities at different charities across London and internationally, with positions ranging from one-off opportunities to part-time internships with charities. The annual Volunteering Fair takes place at the beginning of Michaelmas term and is a great opportunity to meet a wide range of charities and get a feel for the work they do. You can find out more, as well as tips and advice about volunteering, on the LSE Volunteer Centre website lse.ac.uk/volunteercentre or @LSEVolunteering
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Volunteering with LSE’s Widening Participation (WP) team WP aims to raise aspiration and attainment in young people from London state schools. They deliver a number of projects that encourage young people from under-represented backgrounds to aim for a university education. They need enthusiastic LSE students to be inspiring role models and to contribute to the success of our programmes. Visit lse.ac.uk/wideningparticipation or email [email protected] for more information.
Student Teaching Surveys The Teaching Quality Assurance and Review Office (TQARO) conducts two School-wide surveys each year to assess students’ opinions of teaching, one in each of the Michaelmas and Lent Terms.
Teaching scores are made available to individual teachers, Heads of Departments, and the Director of the Teaching and Learning Centre and Pro-Director (Education). In addition to producing reports for individual teachers, TQARO produces aggregated quantitative data for departments and the School, which provide important performance indicators. These can be found on the TQARO website: http://www2.lse.ac.uk/intranet/LSEServices/TQARO/TeachingSurveys/Results/Home.aspx. Results of the 'course' section of the surveys are made available to students through the online course guides.
Quality Assurance: The School’s approach to quality assurance is set out in the document “Strategy for Managing Academic Standards and Quality”: http://www2.lse.ac.uk/intranet/LSEServices/TQARO/InternalQualityAssurance/StrategyForManagingAcademicStandards.aspx It sets out broad principles and processes for assuring academic standards and for enhancing the quality of educational provision.
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Section 4: School-Wide Regulations Code of Good Practice The Code of Practice for Undergraduate Programmes explains the basic obligations and responsibilities of staff and students. It sets out what you can expect from us as your Department in relation to the teaching and learning experience. The Code cover areas like the roles and responsibilities of Academic Advisers and Departmental Tutors; the structure of teaching at the School; and examinations and assessment. It also sets out your responsibilities, i.e. what the School expects of you: https://info.lse.ac.uk/Staff/Divisions/Academic-Registrars-Division/Teaching-Quality-Assurance-and-Review-Office/Assets/Documents/Calendar/CodeOfGoodPracticeUndergraduate.pdf All students should read The Ethics Code and guidance. The Ethics Code and guidance sets out the core principles by which the whole School community (including all staff, students and governors) are expected to act www.lse.ac.uk/ethics. We recommend that you also read the School’s Student Charter, which sets out the vision and ethos of the School - http://www2.lse.ac.uk/intranet/LSEServices/policies/pdfs/school/stuCha.pdf
The Calendar: For all programme and regulatory information please consult the School Calendar: http://www.lse.ac.uk/resources/calendar/
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General School and Programme Regulations The School has Regulations, policies and procedures covering many aspects of student life and you should familiarise yourself with them. Some of the regulations explain the organisation and conduct of your academic study. These include information about the structure of programmes, assessment, graduation and what to do if illness affects your studies. The following web links detail the School’s Programme Regulations.
Regulations for First degrees
Regulations for the consideration of appeals against results
Regulations on assessment offences: other than plagiarism (i.e. Exam Misconduct)
And the following web link gives you an A-Z list of relevant regulatory documents where you can find further details of all School Regulations. http://www2.lse.ac.uk/intranet/LSEServices/policies/home.aspx What to do if you are ill during your studies: Information about the School’s procedure can be found here:
http://www.lse.ac.uk/intranet/students/registrationTimetablesAssessment/examinationsAndResults/exceptionalCircumstances/illnessExceptionalCircumstances.aspx
Submitting your Exceptional Circumstances and evidence to the Student Services Centre by the deadline is the only way to make the Exam Board aware of your circumstances when considering the treatment of failed courses or your overall classification. It is essential that you submit information about your circumstances within this deadline and before your results are known even if you think you may
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have done well. Your circumstances cannot be considered once the Exam Boards have met and your results have been formally released. Fit to sit policy By entering the exam room, the School considers that you are declaring yourself fit to sit your exam. The same policy applies to all summative assessments; by submitting the assessment you are declaring that you are fit enough to do so. If you have experienced disruption to your studies, e.g. illness/injury, personal difficulties, prior to the exam you must think carefully about whether you should attempt the assessment or whether you should discuss deferring your exam (with the Programme Manager, Sarah Burton, in the first instance). Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at LSE To uphold the School’s commitment to equality of respect and opportunity, as set out in the Ethics Code, we will treat all people with dignity and respect, and ensure that no-one will be treated less favourably because of their role at the School, age, disability, gender (including gender identity), race, religion or belief sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and social and economic background. In practice, this means we expect you to:
Treat all members of the School community fairly and with respect;
Act courageously and openly, with respect for the knowledge and experience of others;
Play your part in creating an environment that enables all members of the School community to achieve their full potential in an environment characterised by equality of respect and opportunity; and
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Actively oppose all forms of discrimination and harassment, including challenging and/or reporting unacceptable behaviour. Details of how to report harassment and bullying online can be found at lse.ac.uk/reportit
The School is committed to embedding and mainstreaming equity,
diversity and inclusion. In 2017/18, we are initiating a programme of
training on consent and positive bystander interventions, in
partnership with the LSE Students’ Union.
For further advice or information, please visit the School’s Equality and
Diversity website (http://www.lse.ac.uk/equityDiversityInclusion), see
our blog, and follow us on Twitter @EDI_LSE.
Access Guides to LSE buildings DisabledGo have produced detailed access guides to the LSE campus and residences, and route maps between key locations. These are available at lse.ac.uk/DisabledGo Important Notes on Plagiarism The work you submit for assessment must be your own. If you try to pass off the work of others as your own, whether deliberately or not, you will be committing plagiarism. If you are found to have committed an assessment offence (such as plagiarism or exam misconduct) you could be expelled from the School. Any quotation from the published or unpublished works of other persons, including other candidates, must be clearly identified as such, being placed inside quotation marks and a full reference to their sources must be provided in proper form. A series of short quotations from several different sources, if not clearly identified as such, constitutes plagiarism just as much as does a single unacknowledged
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long quotation from a single source. All paraphrased material must also be clearly and properly acknowledged. Any written work you produce (for classes, seminars, examination scripts, dissertations, essays, computer programmes and MPhil/PhD theses) must be solely your own. You must not employ a “ghost writer” to write parts or all of the work, whether in draft or as a final version, on your behalf. For further information and the School’s Statement on Editorial Help, see link below. Any breach of the Statement will be treated in the same way as plagiarism. You should also be aware that a piece of work may only be submitted for assessment once. Submitting the same piece of work twice will be regarded as an offence of “self-plagiarism” and will also be treated in the same way as plagiarism. Examiners are vigilant for cases of plagiarism and the School uses plagiarism detection software to identify plagiarised text. Work containing plagiarism may be referred to an Assessment Misconduct Panel which may result in severe penalties. If you are unsure about the academic referencing conventions used by the School you should seek guidance from your Department (webpages, Moodle, Programme Manager), Academic Advisor, the Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) the Library as soon as possible. Please see the assessment regulations for assessed coursework below. The Regulations on Plagiarism can be found at the following web links: http://www.lse.ac.uk/resources/calendar/academicRegulations/RegulationsOnAssessmentOffences-Plagiarism.htm http://www.lse.ac.uk/resources/calendar/academicRegulations/statementOnEditorialHelp.htm
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Annex A
Economics Department Assessment Criteria
BSc Answers Quality of argument
A Good
First >75 Perfect
Extremely clear and
logical, demonstrating
near perfect understanding
A- First 70-
75 Very few minor errors
Very clear and logical;
very good understanding
B+ 2.1 60-
69
Largely correct; some
minor elements missing or
unclear
Clear; good understanding
B 2.2/2.1 57-
59
Mostly correct but with
some gaps in
understanding which could
be readily improved to a
2.1
Largely clear; student
probably understands
most things but sometimes
fails to convey this
B- 2.2 50-
57
Correct in many places but
with several gaps and
errors
Sometimes unclear; gaps
in understanding
C Third 40-
49
Some correct answers or
parts of answers; large
number of gaps and errors
Some correct arguments,
but major gaps in
understanding
D Fail 20-
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Little that is correct; many
gaps and errors but makes
some attempt Shows very little
understanding
D- Bad
Fail
0-
20
Might not be counted as an
attempt
Students should be aware that a high proportion of their formative and summative assessment will consist of quantitative questions, for which their marks will depend on demonstrating an understanding of the correct method of solution rather than on verbal reasoning. We would also draw the attention of students to the ‘threshold’ and ‘typical’ standards described in the QAA subject benchmark statements for economics.
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Annex B
Alumni Association The international LSE alumni community comprises more than 142,000 people in over 200 countries. The Alumni Relations team works to keep the LSE alumni community engaged with each other and with the School at every stage, from student to new graduate to post-retirement, providing a programme of communications, events, services, volunteering and opportunities to connect. As a current student, there are many opportunities for you to get involved with the alumni network:
Register for LSE Alumni Online- The alumni website and networking community features news from campus, our world leading academics and alumni all over the world, and provides access to the alumni programme offered by the School. To use this service, please register for a student Alumni Online account with your Student ID number.
Alumni Professional Mentoring Network - This career networking resource allows LSE alumni to share their valuable professional experience and expertise with current students.
Alumni groups - LSE's network of regional and special interest alumni groups organise regular professional and social events that students can attend. There are more than 80 regional groups and 11 special interest groups.
Involve alumni in your events - Looking for alumni speakers? Wish to invite alumni to a networking session or event? Want to learn from the experiences of LSE alumni in a wide range of industries? Connect with alumni through the Alumni Relations team for your events and other endeavours.
What do LSE graduates do? Find statistics about the careers undertaken by graduates and also many alumni career profiles.
Social Media- Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with alumni events and activities. Students are welcome to join the official LSE Alumni LinkedIn group. There are also a
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number of LSE alumni groups on LinkedIn, many of which accept students as current members.
For more information about the benefits and services available, please visit lse.ac.uk/alumni or contact the Alumni Relations team on [email protected].
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Annex C
How to live sustainably at LSE LSE recycles! Make sure your waste sorting is first class:
Mixed recycling –
GREEN (The ‘default’
bin)
Plastic
Paper (including
paper cups)
Metal
Glass
Tetrapak cartons
Drain liquids into the sink.
Rule of thumb: If you
can tip your food
container upside down
and nothing falls out, it’s
clean enough for the
recycling bin.
Paper – BLUE
All paper
Envelopes
Thin card
Compost – BROWN
All food:
– Teabags & coffee
grounds
– Fruit & veg
– Meat
Used tissue paper
Wooden stirrers
Cardboard
boxes:
Flatten and leave
folded by bins.
Non-recyclables – GREY (The ‘last resort’ bin)
Polystyrene
Gum
Crisp packets and
sweet wrappers
Make your mark at LSE
Join a Green Impact team in
your academic department.
Join the Student Switch Off
competitions in halls.
Contribute your research and
views to the LSE
Sustainability Blog.
Get your hands dirty at the
roof gardens.
Volunteer at green events.
Apply for funding for your own
project through the
Sustainable Projects Fund.
Get in touch
Website: lse.ac.uk/sustainableLSE Blog: blogs.lse.ac.uk/sustainability Facebook: facebook.com/ SustainableLondonSchoolofEconomics Twitter: @SustainableLSE
Top tips:
Switch off!
Use a reusable coffee cup / water bottle – available on campus.
ReLove your old stuff at the ReLove fair – see website for details.
Take a short shower.