MSc Development Management student and ID Ambassador, Farzana Ibrahim shares her experience on navigating the choice selection process in the Department of International Development.

I remember thinking, “All these courses sound super interesting; how do I choose only four units?” Imagine my excitement when I realised some were worth 0.5 units, which meant I could take more options. In this blog, I share my experience selecting my courses. I am in the MSc Development Management program with an Applied Development Economics (ADE) specialism and a consultancy project.

Two and a half units are mandatory for the MSc Development Management programme.

How did I choose the Applied Development Economics specialism (ADE)?

During the first week of school, students are introduced to all the different courses in a taster session. The ADE appealed the most to me as it aligned with my interests and career aspirations. The ADE specialism has four modules, each worth 0.5 units: DV494 Foundation of Econometrics, which is compulsory if you want to do the specialism; Macroeconomics Analysis (DV490); Microeconomics Analysis (DV491) and Government Policy Analysis (DV492).

I knew my interests aligned most with the macroeconomic and government policy analysis taught by the amazing Dr Diana Weinhold and Dr Joanna Naritomi, and this is how I filled my remaining 1.5 units (4 units minus 2.5 compulsory units for my programme).

The Course Selection Process

The course selection process may initially seem overwhelming but do not panic. The department organises a course selection webinar session; attend this session and take notes. This site also provides a step-by-step guide on course selection. The department’s brilliant course administrators are helpful if you feel stuck.

One thing to note about the course selection process is the LSE teaching style, which comprises a two-hour lecture and a 90-minute seminar for a small group of about fifteen students. The course selection process entails two parts:

1. Selecting the optional modules to fill out the 1.5 units.
2. Select which seminar session for all the modules is available based on your preferred time.

There are about six seminar groups; you can select whichever fits your schedule. The university predetermines the lecture and seminar session timings, but you can choose the seminar session based on your timetable and preference.

PS: Once fifteen people have chosen a time, i.e. 2:30-4:00 pm seminar session, you can’t select this session. However, if there are other clashes in your timetable, the course administrators will help resolve them.  

The course selection in detail

Compulsory modules: I was automatically allocated a place in the compulsory modules, so I did not need to register. The DV410 Dissertation and DV443 Consultancy modules did not have seminars, so I did not need to do anything but choose a seminar group for DV431 Development Management.

Optional modules: The optional modules for me were the three ADE modules (DV494, DV490, DV492). I did not need to write an expression of interest. I selected it (ticking the checkbox) and then clicked submit on LSE for You (YES!! It is that easy). The places are allocated through a lottery system because places are limited in these modules. After two days, I was notified that I had secured space in the optional courses. I then chose and signed up to a seminar session for each module (the same as above; you tick the timing you prefer).

I knew I would be on campus daily, so I spread my seminars across the four days but kept Fridays free for the Cutting-Edge Series and exploring London. Beyond your 4 units, LSE allows you to audit classes by emailing the course convenors. That means you can attend lectures without being placed in a seminar class. You are not assessed or graded and will not appear on your transcripts. I audited two modules I enjoyed: DV424 International Institutions and Late Development by Professor Ken Shadlen and DV491 Microeconomics by Dr Sandra Sequeira.

This is what a typical week looks like for me:

What next?

Please feel free to reach out to other student ambassadors to find out what their course selection journey was like. You can also contact the LSE ID Admin team (intdev.enquiries@lse.ac.uk) for any questions or clarifications around the course selection process for 2024/25. Don’t forget, we have a course selection and specialism section on the Incoming Students Information Page (link in the monthly newsletters), so please do check this before sending your email. The August Newsletter will contain more information about course selection, and we will also host a Couse Selection Q&A with our Admin Team in September.

The views expressed in this post are those of the author and do not reflect those of the International Development LSE blog or the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Featured image credit: LSE Students in a classroom. LSE.