Malthusian

As a first step, you will need to do a conversion diploma. I highly recommend Birbeck's as not only is it a constituent college of the UoL but it's specialised in helping students who come from non-traditional backgrounds (as is your case). But I'm assuming from your post that you're American. If that is indeed the case, going to London may end up being very expensive for you. My suggestion would be to try and do online courses. The University of London does also offer an online version of its diploma: http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/courses/diploma-graduates/lse/diploma-graduates-economics My experience of this is relatively limited but it may help you convince the admission committees that you are dedicated to the course. It does not however a sound grounding in the quantitive aspects of economics and you may need to supplement this. On a more personal note, I am a few years older than you: at 30 and nearly 31, I've decided to completely change my career and focus on going to medical school at 32. I won't be qualified doctor until my 40s but knowing that I will most likely not stop working until well into my 70s, I'm happy spending the rest of my working life doing something I enjoy. You're young; doing something you enjoy is as important as earning good money.

The LSE is arguably one of the best places in the world to read for a degree in Economics, especially at the postgraduate level. If you are good enough to get into their EME program, you should be in the running to get on to a top 10 PhD (including LSE's). Having said that, PhD applications are much more than simply grades.

Basically this. It's not unheard of for institutions such as the LSE to misjudge the number of people they reject and therefore people getting accepted on the more popular courses at later stages in the admissions cycle.

Have you identified any scholarships you are interested in at these institutions?

2) From my personal experience, attending classes trumps distance learning. For someone who majored in a non-quantitative subject, the opportunity to see a variety of strategies in solving a question helped me overcome my lack of experience with Maths. I know of a few good distance-learning options, but if you can afford studying at your local university, then I would go with that.

Do you want to live in the DC area or are you OK moving about? Your work experience will definitely add a lot of bonus points to your application.

Fantastic school, congrats! Have they stated what subject matter you need to cover? It might help to look in your local area for schools that may offer courses. In terms of distance learning, the only experience I have is with the University of London's International Program but it's too late in the academic year to enroll on it.

Economics is a large field, with lots of different options. My recommendations would be the following: Read a general Economics book to get an idea of what field you want to research in and based on this, try gauging what the current state of the field is; Find potential supervisors who you may want to work with; Choose an institution that would prepare you accordingly (e.g. that may offer a 'conversion' route for non-Econ/quantitative backgrounds). Good luck!

Thanks for posting this information. Do you happen to have the source of where you got the offer rate? (The pdf doesn't seem to show it). Also, happen to know what the application/offer rate is for D.Phil History (Economic and Social History)?

Oh, wow. Thank you so much!! (I'm from a business background, but changing majors all together!

Reading three books at the moment (depends on my mood): Pomeranz: The Great Divergence; Beckert: History of Cotton; Darwin: After Tamarlane

Thank you for your prompt reply! Indeed, I'm less interested in the quantitative aspect of Economic History (taking a far more historical approach rather than quantitative, e.g. viewing the development of economies from an holistic approach rather than purely economic) and hence why I'm concerned that many PhDs in the topic tend to come from a purely Economics background. I appreciate your information about the LSE. Was this at graduate level, by the way?

I was made offers from all three of the places I applied to and rejecting one of them was extremely difficult to do. I politely stated that my research interests were a better fit for another institution and that if I could, I would apply to both. If you're applying to top places, they'll have no issue replacing you so don't feel too bad about it.

There is very little funding available for History PhDs in the U.K., especially for international students. If funding is vital for you, then I would recommend also applying to countries where more is available, e.g. the U.S.

Hi guys, I'd like to do a PhD in Economic History (ideally, at Oxford or the LSE). I come from a non-Economics background and will be doing an M.Phil in Modern South Asian Studies (which will have an Economic History approach attached to it). I sense that I may lack the sufficient preparation to do a 3-4 year PhD in Economic History and was considering doing a second Masters in Economic History - do you think this is necessary before I apply to these two top programs? Thank you for your time!