Programme Specification– BSc Mathematics with Economics

1. Awarding Body / LSE
2. Details of accreditation by a professional/statutory body, e.g. ESRC; BPS etc / None
3. Name of final award / BSc
4. Programme Title / Mathematics with Economics
5. Duration of the course / Three years
6. Based in the Department/Institute: / Mathematics
7. Relevant QAA subject benchmark statements / Mathematics, statistics and operational research (2007)
Economics (2007)
8. UCAS Code / G1L1
9. First written/last amended / April 2008/December 2010
10. The programme aims to:
  • provide degree courses, suitable for students of high ability, combining and relating mathematics, statistics, and the social sciences.
  • prepare students for further study, or for professional and managerial careers, particularly in areas requiring the application of quantitative skills.
  • provide students with a knowledge of mathematics, economics and the interaction between the two.

11. Programme outcomes: knowledge and understanding; skills and other attributes
  • Competence in the application of mathematical and statistical techniques.
  • A sound knowledge of the principles underlying standard applications of mathematics, probability and statistics.
  • Knowledge and understanding of the fundamental aspects of economics.
  • The ability to think in a critical manner.
  • Skill in making formal and informal inferences on the basis of statistical data
  • The ability to formulate and develop mathematical arguments in a logical manner.
  • The ability to understand, formulate and use quantitative models arising in social science, business and other contexts.
  • Skill in acquiring new understanding and expertise.
  • An understanding of basic pure mathematics, and of the role of logical argument in mathematics.
  • A knowledge and understanding of microeconomics and mathematical economics.
  • A good knowledge and understanding in advanced areas of mathematics and statistics, chosen by the student from a range of topics, including a high proportion relevant to economics and finance.
Information relating to careers can be accessed here
12. Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be achieved and demonstrated
Students are expected to attend two lectures and one related class for each (Mathematics) course per week (this usually results in attendance at eight lectures and four classes per week in total). In addition, there are exercises to undertake in the student’s own time which are discussed in the weekly classes
The curriculum includes core courses in both mathematics and economics, culminating in advanced options in Mathematics and Economics in the third year; these courses emphasise the connections between the two subjects. Students may also choose further options from lists of advanced modules in statistics and finance.
Each student is allocated a member of staff as Academic Adviser; among the duties of the Adviser is to give advice to individual students on choosing options to match their needs and interests.
Lecture and class materials are made available on the web, via Moodle. Individual help is offered where required, while students are encouraged to study independently.
Information on study skills is provided on the web: general information from the Teaching and Learning Centre pages and information specific to mathematics courses via the Department’s website.
Several modules involve computer workshops, or other exposure to IT use.
Assessment is by means of Summer Term examinations; students sit a 3-hour paper for each full-unit module taken during the year, and a 2-hour paper for each half-unit.
Depending on the level and objectives of the module, examinations are designed to test some or all of:
  • knowledge of the subject matter, terminology and conventions covered in the course,
  • understanding of the underlying principles,
  • skill in analysis and interpretation of data,
  • the ability to prove or derive mathematical results,
  • problem-solving skills,
  • the ability to apply knowledge and skills in new contexts,
  • the ability to express arguments clearly and accurately.
Students select some modules from other departments, and thereby may experience some variety in teaching and assessment methods.
13. Programme structures and requirements, levels, modules and awards
See the BSc Mathematics with Economics programme regulations

Additional information

14. Criteria for admission to the programme
A level pass at grade A* in Mathematics. International Baccalaureate Diploma with Higher level Mathematics with 7.
Usual standard offer:
GCE A level: grades A* (Mathematics) A A
International Baccalaureate:Diploma with 38 points including 7 6 6 at Higher level (with 7 in Mathematics)
15. Indicators of quality
This degree currently has the toughest entry requirements of any undergraduate degree at LSE (alongside BSc Mathematics with Economics, and the BSc Economics), requiring as it does a specific A* in A-level Mathematics, alongside two further A grades.
The degree attracts very high numbers of strong applications, with consistently more than 12 applications per place for each of the last 5 years.
All staff in the Department were entered for the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE): 45% of the work submitted was deemed to be either internationally excellent or world-leading, with almost all the remainder being internationally recognised.
A very high percentage of graduates from the Mathematics Department go on to excellent jobs in a variety of areas, or to further study. The LSE Careers Centre website provides data on career destinations of LSE graduates.
16. Methods for evaluating and improving the quality and standard of teaching and learning
Departmental Mechanisms:
  • The Department has established (in 2009) a Teaching Committee, which meets once a term, to replace its previous Annual Course Review meeting. The Teaching Committee has the following responsibilities:
1, To consider all aspects of departmental teaching, including new programme/course proposals and programme/course monitoring/review;
2, To maintain a system of periodic programme and course review;
3, To consider course and degree results each year;
4, To draw up and implement departmental strategies for teaching quality and innovation;
5, To consider, where appropriate, scores from the School’s internal student survey, and other surveys of student opinion;
6, (jointly responsible for this alongside the Chairs of the relevant Exam Sub-Boards) To consider external examiners reports, and to co-ordinate and note actions taken by the exam chairs in response.
  • The Teaching Committee therefore undertakes regular reviews of the curriculum: there is a 5-year formal cycle of review of all individual courses, and of degree programmes as a whole. All reviews involve surveys of student opinion, and where relevant consultation with related departments. All courses are monitored annually, in line with TLAC guidance.
  • All teachers, including Graduate and Guest teachers, are observed by members of staff on a regular basis. Graduate and Guest teachers are observed more frequently – in their first and second years, and then in alternate years.
  • The Department conducts small-scale surveys of student opinion, to gather early feedback and to ensure that Graduate and Guest teachers meet the requirements of the Department.
  • There is a Departmental Tutor, who also acts as Course Tutor for this degree. The Sub-BoardChair of Examiners is responsible for all aspects of the examinations procedure. The Chair of the Teaching Committee is responsible for other aspects of quality assurance and enhancement. Graduate and Guest teachers are supported by a designated member of staff as well as the lecturer responsible for the particular module.
  • There is an Undergraduate Staff-Student Liaison Committee. The Economics Department are invited to send a representative to meetings, and are consulted on issues relating to Economics courses. The minutes and any issues arising from these meetings are discussed by the Teaching Committee and at formal Departmental Meetings, and are forwarded on to the Economics Department for information. They are also discussed at the relevant School Student Forum.
School Mechanisms:
  • See further details on the School’s internal quality assurance mechanisms.
In addition, we would note that:
  • Departments are subject to full reviews of teaching quality, conducted by the Teaching, Learning and Assessment Committee, every five years;
  • there is a system for regular staff appraisal and review;
  • the Teaching and Learning Centre offers advice and training towards enhancement of teaching skills;
  • there is an induction programme (including separate sessions for teachers of quantitative subjects) and mentoring scheme for new members of staff;
  • teaching quality questionnaires are administered centrally by the Teaching Quality Assurance and Review Office during each academic year, and the results passed on to the department for review and action where necessary;
  • External Examiners’ comments and recommendations are fed through to Departments, and there is a system for verifying that these are acted upon;
  • the Graduate Studies Sub-Committee oversees all graduate programmes and requires that significant changes to programmes and courses pass through a sequence of formal stages to ensure that curricular changes are appropriate and compatible with other developments;
  • the School’s Teaching Quality Assurance and Review Office regulates all aspects of teaching quality