Behavioural Science London School of Economics and Political Science

Overview

The skill to understand, predict, and change human behaviour is essential for your professional success. Organisations in the private and public sector have turned to behavioural science insights to increase the effectiveness of their practices. This has led to an increase in demand for people with these skills, formally in behavioural insights and people analytics teams, and less formally in leadership, change management and human resources roles. 

By pursuing this degree, you will acquire cutting edge scientific insights about human behaviour, and  learn how to change human behaviour by altering the “context” in which people act rather than how they think. You will also gain expertise in state-of-the-art methodological and statistical approaches that are necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of behavioural change.

The Behavioural Science programme from London School of Economics and Political Science is taught by specialists at the forefront of research in behavioural science, and is rooted at the intersection of economics and psychology.  It has a rigorous focus on the cross-disciplinary theoretical, empirical, and applied fundamentals of changing behaviour. You will be taught in a multidisciplinary environment with links to specialist research groups based in departments across LSE and the Behavioural Research Lab, and undertake compulsory courses in the fundamentals of behavioural science and research methods. 

In addition, you will be able to choose from a range of optional courses within the Department and wider School (eg, Happiness; Corporate Behaviour and Decision Making; Behavioural Science for Health; Behavioural Science in an Age of New Technology; Creativity and Innovation). Over the summer term, you will complete a research-based dissertation on a topic of your interest related to a theme from one of the courses you attended.

Careers

This MSc will prepare you to seek and/or advance your career in behavioural science in multiple sectors, including the public and private sectors, non-governmental organisations and academia. Upon graduation you can expect to take on more responsibility or pursue new and expanded opportunities within the behavioural science field. 

Top 5 sectors our students work in:

• Education, Teaching and Research
• Information, Digital Technology and Data
• Advertising, Marketing, PR, Media, Entertainment, Publishing and Journalism
• Financial and Professional Services
• FMCG, Manufacturing and Retail