Learning and assessment
How you learn
Teaching
Format and contact hours: teaching involves lectures and classes. Lectures are given by full-time members of staff. Classes are led by teaching fellows, who may either be recent doctoral degree recipients or PhD students.
Learn about the teacher responsible for each course in the relevant course guide.
Classes provide a chance for more detailed discussion on lecture themes and you’ll also learn how to present and critique arguments. Classes are held in small groups (usually a maximum of 15 students).
As a general guide, your formal contact time will include:
four one-hour lectures per week during the Autumn and Winter Terms
four hours of class time per week.
Hours vary according to the course. Get a broad idea of the study time involved in the Calendar within the Teaching section of each course guide.
Independent study
Aim for four hours of study (reading preparation and writing) for every hour of formal teaching/contact time.
This is roughly 30 hours of independent study per week.
Academic support
Academic mentor: you’ll meet with your academic mentor regularly to discuss your work. Your mentor can provide advice and guidance on academic issues and, where appropriate, personal concerns.
Other academic support: at LSE, we offer lots of opportunities to extend your learning outside the classroom.
LSE LIFE is a great place to get advice and practise the skills you’ll need during your studies and beyond.
Through LSE LIFE, you can:
attend workshops on developing leadership skills, finding the right study/work/life balance and preparing for the world of work
develop your reading, academic writing and critical-thinking skills
gain experience of working in study groups and develop your cross-cultural communication and teamwork skills.
Disability and Mental Health Service: we want all LSE students to achieve their full potential. Students can access free, confidential advice through our Disability and Mental Health Service. This is the first point of contact for students.
Your timetable
The standard teaching day runs from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Undergraduate teaching is not normally scheduled for Wednesdays after 12 noon to allow for sports, volunteering and other extra-curricular activities.
The lecture and seminar timetable is published in mid-August and the full academic timetable (with information on classes) is published by mid-September via the LSE timetables web pages.
All personal undergraduate timetables are published in LSE for You (LFY). For personal timetables to appear, you must be registered at LSE, be signed up for courses in LFY and ensured that there are no unauthorised clashes in your course selections. We try our best to minimise changes once personal timetables have been published. However, you’ll be notified about any changes by email.
