Key information
Duration
- Full-time
- 36 months
- Three to four years, minimum two years
Start dates & application deadlines
Starting September 2027. Apply before Apr 2027.
Language
English
Delivered
On Campus
Campus Location
London, United Kingdom
Disciplines
Economics, History
Overview
The Department is home to by far the largest group of researchers in economic history in the UK and one of the largest in the world. This is a pluralistic Department which encourages different approaches to the discipline: quantitative economic history; global history; history of economic thought; historical demography; historical economic geography; international economic history; business history; financial and monetary history; and social history. We also offer a wide chronological and…
geographical coverage of economic history, with specialists in almost every continent and any historical period from the medieval age onwards. For this reason, the Department is able to supervise a wide range of topics, in line with the research interests of the teaching staff.
We particularly value a comparative outlook on research, and the fruits of our research have been used by international agencies, such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, government departments and local communities. Our faculty have included among their research commitments the editorship of The European Review of Economic History and Economic History of Developing Regions.
All the students in the Economic History programme at the London School of Economics and Political Science are expected to gain a broad knowledge of the subject from graduate level course-work in the first year which complements the deeper knowledge gained from intense thesis research. In addition, many of our research students take the opportunity to gain valuable teaching experience on undergraduate courses.
Careers
Graduates of the programme have gone into a wide variety of careers, including university teaching and research posts, as well as jobs at international economic agencies such as the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.
Top 5 sectors our students work in:
- Financial and Professional Services
- Education, Teaching and Research
- Government, Public Sector and Policy
- Accounting and Auditing
- Consultancy
Programme Structure
Courses include:
- Approaches to Economic and Social History
- Historical Analysis of Economic Change
- Research Design and Quantitative Methods in Economic History
- Quantitative Analysis in Economic History
Academic requirements
GPA Required. Your GPA, or Grade Point Average, is a number that indicates how well or how high you scored in your courses on average. Usually a GPA scales between 1.0 and 4.0, however different countries and universities can have different grading systems.
English requirements
We are not aware of any English requirements for this programme.
Other requirements
General requirements
- Merit in LSE's MSc Economic History (Research). Direct entry for applicants with a merit in an master's in economic history or a similar field (Economics, History, and so on) subject to sufficient knowledge of Economic History, will be considered.
- Students are also accepted for the so-called 1+3 programme, a one year MSc in Economic History (Research) followed by a three year research programme.
- Competition for places at the School is high. This means that even if you meet our minimum entry requirement, this does not guarantee you an offer of admission.
Tuition Fees
Tuition fees are shown in AUD and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.
- International (Non-residents): 44,368 AUD / year (≈ 23,500 GBP / year)
- Domestic (Citizens or residents): 9,451 AUD / year (≈ 5,006 GBP / year)
Living costs
London, United Kingdom: 2,147-4,072 AUD / month
The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.
Funding
The School recognizes that the cost of living in London may be higher than in your home town or country, and we provide generous scholarships each year to home and overseas students. Find out more about financial support.
Scholarships
Below you will find PhD's scholarship opportunities for Economic History.
- John J Kerr Jr Scholarship — Grant, Various benefits, Deadline 23 Apr 2027 (London School of Economics and Political Science, London, United Kingdom)
- Alumni and Friends of LSE Scholarship — Grant, 15400 GBP, Deadline 23 Apr 2027 (London School of Economics and Political Science, London, United Kingdom)
- Lee Scholarship — Grant, Various benefits, Deadline 23 Apr 2027 (London School of Economics and Political Science, London, United Kingdom)
- LSE PhD Studentships — Grant, 23805 GBP, Deadline 27 May 2027 (London School of Economics and Political Science, London, United Kingdom)
- LSE Excellence Scholarship — Grant, 20000 GBP, Deadline 23 Apr 2027 (London School of Economics and Political Science, London, United Kingdom)
- The John and Amy Phelan Family Foundation General Course Scholarships — Grant, Various benefits, Deadline 30 Apr 2027, Need-based (London School of Economics and Political Science, London, United Kingdom)
- COLFUTURO/LSE Graduate Scholarship Programme — Grant, Various benefits, Deadline Not specified, Need-based (London School of Economics and Political Science, London, United Kingdom)
- Higher Education Scholarships for Palestine (HESPAL) — Grant, Various benefits, Deadline Not specified, Merit-based (London School of Economics and Political Science, London, United Kingdom)
- Lee Family PhD Scholarships — Grant, 23805 GBP, Deadline Not specified (London School of Economics and Political Science, London, United Kingdom)
- Fulbright U.S. Student Program — Grant, Various benefits, Deadline 07 Oct 2026 (Independent provider, U.S. government)
- ServiceScape Scholarship — Grant, 1000 USD, Deadline 30 Nov 2026 (Independent provider, ServiceScape)
- ACES Scholarships — Grant, 3500 USD, Deadline 15 Nov 2026 (Independent provider, ACES Education Fund)
- Erasmus+ - Grants for study mobility — Grant, Various benefits, Deadline Not specified, Merit-based (Independent provider, OeAD, Austria's Agency for Education and Internationalisation)
- Scholarships for PhD Students — Grant, 19000 GBP, Deadline Not specified, Merit-based (Independent provider, Junhua Li)
- Boustany Astronomy PhD Scholarship — Grant, Various benefits, Deadline 28 Feb 2027, Merit-based (Independent provider, Boustany Foundation)
- Amberscholar Scholarship — Grant, 6000 USD, Deadline 31 Jan 2027, Merit-based (Independent provider, Amber Scholar)
- $1,500 Annual Video Contest Scholarship — Grant, 1000 USD, Deadline 31 Oct 2026, Merit-based (Independent provider, IvyPanda)
- Voice Talent Online Scholarship — Grant, 1000 USD, Deadline 01 Mar 2027 (Independent provider, Voice Talent Online)
- Dream Chaser Scholarship — Grant, 1000 USD, Deadline 13 Jan 2027, Merit-based (Independent provider, Salvado Law)
- Scholarship for students with disabilities — Grant, 3000 USD, Deadline 31 Dec 2026, Need-based (Independent provider, Anonymous Hope Fund)
- Commonwealth Shared Scholarship – University Bids — Grant, 22500 GBP, Deadline Not specified (Independent provider, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO))
- Grants of the Leopold Figl Foundation for students with residence in Lower Austria — Grant, Various benefits, Deadline 31 Dec 2026, Need-based (Independent provider, Leopold Figl Foundation)
- The Annual IELTS from 6 to 9 Scholarship — Grant, 1500 USD, Deadline Not specified (Independent provider, IELTS from 6 to 9)
- Tobacco Harm Reduction Scholarship Programme — Grant, 12000 USD, Deadline 11 Jan 2027 (Independent provider, The Tobacco Harm Reduction Scholarship Programme)