What determines the needs, rights and wellbeing of citizens? What role should the state, family, markets and civil society play in our lives? These are central questions underpinning our research activities at LSE. Drawing on LSE’s interdisciplinary strengths, this MPhil/PhD Social Policy offers wide-ranging research opportunities in areas such as education, migration, crime and social inequalities. You’ll have the chance to complete original research in the social policy field, guided by leading academics, and develop highly transferable research skills for your future career. You’ll benefit from access to LSE’s extensive facilities and resources, including our Social Science Research Lab and the PhD Academy. We also have close links with research centres, such as the International Inequalities Institute, the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, and the Mannheim Centre for Criminology. You’ll study in a vibrant research community at the forefront of the latest social policy developments. The department is rated number one in the UK for social policy (Good University Guide 2025). We were also awarded the highest UK ranking for research in the field in the most recent Research Excellence Framework (2021). Our graduates are well-equipped for careers in academia, research institutions, government, NGOs and international organisations – helping to shape and lead social and public policy worldwide.