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Advice and FAQ's for prospective IGP students
2 July 2020
Advice and further information for prospective and incoming students to Global Prosperity MSc and Prosperity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship MSc
- Will I be safe on campus in London?
The safety, health and wellbeing of students and staff are the top priority at UCL and the IGP. We rigorously follow the advice of Public Health England and go further where our public health experts advise to ensure the campus is as safe as possible and to minimise the risk to everyone onsite. Safety measures will include hand-washing, social distancing, additional cleaning and the use of face coverings when moving around campus. You will be very welcome to join us in London and on campus from September 2020, but with blended learning options planned for the whole academic year no student is required to come to campus if they do not wish to or are unable to do so.
Visit our Keeping our community safe page to find out what measures UCL is putting in place
UCL strives to ensure a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment for all students. The IGP is committed to anti-racism and is working to embed anti-racism across all its operations, structures and purposes. You can read our anti-racism statement here.
For more advice, please visit UCL’s FAQ page for prospective students.
- How will teaching be delivered in 2020/21?
In the current circumstances we know that you are likely to have many questions about the 2020/21 academic year. We have been putting a lot of thought into our teaching for this coming year and are very excited by the ways in which we are amplifying our programmes.
Building on our existing Moodle Virtual Learning Environment and considerable experience over the last two terms, we will be offering a range of blended learning content including live online classes and personal tutoring, and where possible face to face seminars and tutoring in London. These will be supplemented by bespoke online films, seminars, tasks, activities and assessments, as well as a lively series of social events. All students, whether in London or elsewhere, will follow the same curriculum and total learning hours and we expect to deliver our full degree programmes in an engaging, exciting and effective manner, irrespective of where you might be based.
For those of you not able to come to London we believe you will find our blended learning a very exciting proposition. However, as circumstances allow, you are very welcome to join us in London from September 2020 onwards. It is also possible for you to start the year remotely and to then join us part-way through. Enrolment is online and for overseas students you can start your programme remotely before obtaining your visa. For more information, please visit UCL’s immigration advice page.
If you are able to come to London, we expect the University campus to be open and for UCL facilities such as the Library and Student Centre to be available for you to access. If you are unable to travel to London, you will have online access to these facilities.
Please be assured that, whether remote or in-person, you will not be placed at any academic disadvantage in terms of completing your degree.
- What is the typical cohort size and background of students on the courses?
The MSc Global Prosperity plans to accept 50 students this year and the MSc Prosperity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship will accept 20-25 students on this, its first year, rising to 40 for 2021-22. Some students join us straight after their undergraduate degrees and some after 15 years of work experience; one of the great benefits of our courses is the diverse community that you will be a part of.
- What networks and facilities are available to students on these courses?
Both courses provide access to UCL’s world class facilities and online resources and to IGP’s networks and partners such as the Fast Forward 2030 network of Young Entrepreneurs, the London Prosperity Board and the Social Prosperity Network and its pioneering work on Universal Basic Services.
Particularly relevant to those studying MSc Prosperity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship are The Hatchery, a dedicated start-up space within BaseKX and UCL’s entrepreneurship hub in King’s Cross.
- What kind of research can students engage with at the IGP?
We have major research projects in London, Lebanon and Kenya. We engage students with projects including the RELIEF Centre's work on delivering inclusive and prosperous futures for communities impacted by mass displacement in Lebanon, Prosperity Co-Lab Kenya’s focus on natural and social prosperity in Africa and research into past, present and future determinants of prosperity in East London. We also conduct pioneering theoretical, methodological and policy-focussed research on the Prosperity Index and prosperity measures, welfare and Universal Basic Services, and debt and financing Prosperity.
Our research impact is showcased in our website, Seriously Different.
- What kind of career opportunities can I expect after graduating from your MSc courses?
The IGP community is hugely diverse and so are the students applying for our MSc programmes. Students attending our programmes come with very different backgrounds – some straight from undergraduate programmes, some with very extensive and diverse professional experience – and go onto very different fields.
From MSc Global Prosperity, we have had students going into politics and government roles in the US, the UK, South Africa and Japan. Other students have focused on sustainable business in Japan and China as well as social impact investment and finances in China and the UK. We have had former students setting up their own businesses, others working in agricultural innovation, education and in NGO and development positions. Finally, we have had students go on to do PhDs with us at IGP as well as in other top-level universities.
This is the first year we will run our MSc Prosperity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, but we are expecting that it will prepare students for different career avenues in the entrepreneurial, non-profit, public and social policy sectors.
Although placements are not a formal part of the IGP degrees, there are a very wide array of opportunities for students to link up with our business, policy, NGO and research partners. Throughout the year, we run seminars with non-academic practitioners and hold multiple project partner events, including with partners in London, the UK, Lebanon and Kenya. We also hold multiple Fast Forward 2030 events for young entrepreneurs and a series of engagements with our alumni. In several places in your degrees you will have the opportunity for short field visits and to meet project partners. You may choose to work with one of our partners for an assessment or on your dissertation.
- Do you have preliminary reading lists for the courses?
Provisonal reading lists for MSc Global Prosperity can be found on the module pages and will be available online soon for MSc Prosperity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Programme-wide reading lists are also emailed to offer-holders by the programme leads and we recommend looking at our website, Seriously Different, in the first instance for a range of blogs from our team.
- How do the part-time and modular/flexible study options work?
In the part-time study mode, programmes are completed in 2 years (i.e. double the length of the corresponding full-time programme), with the student enrolling on all modules over this period of time, according to your circumstances and in discussion with your programme director or personal tutor. Part-time UK students are eligible for government-sponsored student loans.
In the modular-flexible study mode students can take up to a maximum of 5 years to complete their programme. Study is undertaken on a module-by-module basis, with the student accumulating credit by selecting which module(s) to complete at the beginning of any given year. Students can seek advice from programme directors and personal tutors about the recommended period of time in which to complete your studies and which modules to select depending on your circumstances.
- How do elective modules work?
As part of your programme, you must choose up to 30 elective credits. These can be from departmental optional modules (see list below) or some of the core modules from other IGP programmes (subject to capacity). Alternatively, your choice can be drawn from across UCL. If you wish to select a module from outside the IGP, you must seek permission from both the Programme Director and, in turn, the Module Leader of the module concerned. We encourage students to think broadly, but permission to take any elective module is subject to timetabling and availability. We are able to supply a list of suggested elective modules from outside of IGP upon request.
IGP optional modules:
BGLP0007 – Debt, Finance and Prosperity
BGLP0008 - China and Global Prosperity
BGLP0009 - Urban Futures and Prosperity
If you would like to discuss plans regarding elective module selection, please get in touch with our teaching administrator, Dr Andres Vicente (igp@ucl.ac.uk).- English language requirements
The English level currently required for all our programmes is standard. For more information on the evidence and/or qualifications required, please, consult the following website: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/learning-and-living-ucl/international-students/english-language-requirements.
UCL now accepts a number of tests that applicants can take online. Further information about the tests and the requirements can be found on the link above
- Funding opportunities
A range of financial awards aimed at assisting both prospective and current students with their studies are available from UCL, The Bartlett Faculty, and individual departments within the Faculty.
Both MSc programmes are eligible for the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme (CSSS) which aims to assist students from developing Commonwealth countries who are academically excellent but, for financial reasons would not otherwise be able to afford to study in the United Kingdom. Please note that applications to the scheme are currently closed.
For full details visit: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/study/funding-and-scholarships.
- Who can I contact if I have any other questions?
Please contact igp@ucl.ac.uk in the first instance and your email will be directed to the appropriate person.
To apply, visit our programmes page at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/igp/programmes.
In this short video, hear more about blended learning methods and the importance of the IGP's educational programmes in enabling students to work towards co-designing the resilient future societies that are needed to respond to unknown challenges yet to come.
In this recorded webinar, hear more from programme leads Dr Matthew Davies and Dr Samer Abdelnour about the MSc courses and about the sets of knowledge, training and networks offered, student life at UCL, and career opportunities once you've graduated.