Teaching and learning

At Loughborough University London each module will be exclusively delivered in a three-week block. Each block is followed by an assessment period.  

This is a focused form of learning that allows you to become immersed in a topic for a short period. Unlike traditional university teaching, where you take multiple modules together over the course of a semester, you will avoid the distraction of many modules running in parallel and will be able to focus all your efforts on one module at a time.

It’s a more career-focused way to learn, emphasizing concentrated sprints of work instead of juggling several unrelated topics at once.

Professor Jo Tacchi, Associate Dean Education and Student Experience

It is likely that your timetable will allocate approximately nine hours of teaching (lectures, seminars, tutorials and other classroom activities) in each of the three-weeks teaching period.  

Each module is followed by an assessment period when you will have no classes so you can focus on the required submissions for the module. Optional extra-curricular activities, such as career events, might take place during these periods.

Many part-time students who are already employed and wish to continue progressing their career whilst studying find focused teaching beneficial. If you are studying part-time, you can find out in which blocks your modules will take place by emailing london-enquiries@lboro.ac.uk.

All master’s students complete a research project during the summer (semester 3), usually presented in a thesis or project report, to achieve their postgraduate qualification. Studying at Loughborough University London gives you a unique opportunity to choose from three options to achieve your project: 

• A desk-based research project that could be set by an organisation or could be a subject of the student's choice.
• A project that involves collection of primary data from within an organisation or based on lab and/or field experiments.
• A full professional placement within an organisation during which time they will complete a project as part of their role in agreement with the organisation (subject to a suitable placement position being obtained).

We believe in preparing students to deliver in their chosen field, not just learning about it in the classroom. We do this through an action-based learning approach that sees students engage with a range of real-world problems within the context of their specialism and then reflect and grow from their experiences. 

Action-based learning is a key component of many modules at Loughborough University London, and all students have the opportunity to experience it through the Collaborative Project module, which pairs a cross-section of students from different disciplines with a brief provided by a real business or organisation to explore innovative and creative solutions. 

As a postgraduate student, you'll encounter a shift towards self-directed and independent learning. You'll be tasked with thinking critically, both in your reading and writing endeavours. This involves the ability to evaluate the coherence and evidence supporting arguments in your own words. 

You will be expected to take an active part in live discussions and activities from day one. Your academic team will encourage you to challenge yourself, ask questions, put forward new ideas, and engage with your peers to progress your understanding to a much deeper level.  

Recommended reading 

For each module you will be provided with a reading list. In some modules you will be expected to read something for each class, for others, you may just be provided with readings suggested to develop your understanding of the topic. All books on a reading list will be available from the Library, often electronically.