<p>So... I'm an undergrad as a US university with a double major and minor. (Politics/Philosophy and a minor in psych). </p>
<p>I'm interested in studying at Oxford, London School of Econ and University College London</p>
<p>So, here are my questions:</p>
<p>1) What would be a "good" GPA to be considered for admission to any of these schools?</p>
<p>2) Some of the programs in psych stipulate that you need a "background" in psych. Will a minor be sufficient background to apply for a graduate program?</p>
<p>3) I also looked at applying for a law degree, as a friend of mine said that, similar to US law schools, UK law schools do not require a background in law. However, when I looked online, graduate law programs - LLM desire an undergraduate law degree. It also says that other majors may qualify. Would a politics and philosophy double major be sufficient to qualify? (Assuming I've taken courses such as Civil Law, International Law, Ethics, Philosophy of Law)</p>
<p>First off, UK grad schools are funded differently than US grad schools, a PhD is not funded by the school, but usually by EU/UK research councils for which Americans are generally not eligible. There are a few, but it is not easy to obtain funding. One way Americans cover R&B is to be a dorm warden, so you work in the dorm (like a resident asst) in exchange for the room & meal plan. Tuition usually is paid at an international rate and the exchange rate is a killer, too.</p>
<p>You might find you need to take loans for the first year in hopes of finding funding later or you may find the funding for tuition up front, but unlike a US unfunded PhD, it does not mean you are not worthy of the time, but that the schools normally don’t deal with
that part, the students find their own funding from research councils.</p>
<p>Are you talking about a masters or PhD? More important than which school, within reason, is the choice of an advisor in your topic. The UK does not usually include an MS/MA as part of the PhD, your PhD app would include a specific statement regarding the research you wish to complete. You might want to do a masters in the US, get lots of research experience (like say, experimental psych) and prove that you know what it is you are pursuing, then apply for a PhD.</p>
<p>If you plan to practice in the US, I don’t think a UK law degree is recommended, as the laws are different!</p>
<p>Usually a 3.7 is what they look for in undergrad apps, but graduate work is all about the research.</p>
<p>Feel free to PM me.</p>
<p>It sounds like OP is asking about masters programs, not PhD.</p>
<p>LSE requires a minimum 3.5 GPA, but I would guess 3.7+ for all three universities would be a good goal. </p>
<p>I’ve also read that for the LL.M an undergrad law degree is generally required. I don’t know how restrictive the other postgrad programs are to their particular undergrad disciplines, my undergrad interests and major fit right into the postgrad program I will be undertaking this fall. I suggest writing to someone at the school with this question.</p>
<p>I’ve seen PhD spots listed at some schools that provide ESRC funding to American students, but only up to the amount that a UK student would get, which doesn’t cover the additional cost of international tuition. LSE does have a limited graduate support scheme that all incoming MSc students can apply for, although it seems quite arbitrary in who they provide funding. I was told two years ago by a Univ of Glasgow recruiter that any incoming American MA/MSc student with a 3.6 GPA+ was pretty much automatically given a 6000GBP scholarship. Funding for non-EU/UK students in the UK is likely to become more restricted over the next few years, though.</p>