The London School of Economics and Political Science - LSE - offers a unique opportunity to study with a university renowned for its worldwide academic reputation.

Founded in 1895 by Beatrice and Sidney Webb, LSE seeks to promote the impartial pursuit of knowledge and understanding about how people organise themselves into, and interact within, social groupings. The social sciences offer a number of ways of investigating and thinking about these questions. The focus of LSE´s programmes is on helping you to learn some of the different ways to test your - and other people´s - ideas. As our motto says, rerum cognoscere causas, we seek help our students´ to understand the causes of things´.

LSE specialises in the study of social sciences, and has a global standing in the field. The Higher Education Funding Council in the UK has rated the great majority of the LSE´s research in its top two categories of excellence, and a range of independent and authoritative assessments have judged the LSE to be among the world´s leading institutions for the study of social sciences.

Several subjects have been pioneered at LSE, including International Relations and Social Policy, Thirteen Nobel Prize winners in economics, literature and peace have been either LSE staff of alumini. Around 28 past or present heads of state have studied at LSE, and 30 members of the House of Commons and 34 members of the House of Lords have either studied or taught at LSE.

While among for the highest academic standards, we seek to make our qualifications practical and relevant to the real world. The teaching materials offered to our students are informed by research of the highest calibre into the topical and practical concerns of our world today. Past and present staff act as expert advisers to political parties, the Civil Service and policy pressure groups. LSE´s outstanding reputation ensures that, at times of crisis, it is the LSE that the media turn to first for a response.

Few university institutions are as international as LSE. The study of social, economic and political problems covers not only the UK and European Union, but also countries of every continent. LSE´s staff and students come from all over the world, and from all social, educational and ethnic backgrounds.

LSE has a long tradition of welcoming students without conventional qualifications. LSE is extremely proud of its work to widen access to higher education, both for students without the traditional qualifications and for those who, due to financial, career or family commitments, cannot come to London to study.

LSE is responsible for the External Programme´s qualifications in economics, management, finance and social sciences, and the same rigorous research that informs LSE´s teaching also shapes the materials sent to External students to guide them through their studies. LSE´s academic staff take an active interest in the development of all the degrees and the Diploma offered to External students, and they are scrupulous in ensuring that the standard of the qualifications studied by External students is the same as those taken by students studying in London.

LSE offers you the opportunity - and the challenge - to study different ways of understanding human society, to seek solutions to problems and to question ideas. We know this will stand you in good stead for your future and look forward to welcoming you.

LSE website: www.lse.ac.uk