Advanced Diploma in Economic Policy
Course Overview
The Advanced Diploma in Economic Policy at LSLPE is a UK Level 5 senior-track qualification running 12 to 15 months on-campus, online and by distance learning. The programme is aligned with Royal Economic Society, Government Economic Service and CIPFA reference frames and gives senior policy practitioners a working command of the policy-costing, appraisal and evaluation methods used inside HM Treasury and Whitehall departments.
By graduation you will have written policy-costing dossiers to HM Treasury Green Book standards, produced impact assessments and completed a senior-level portfolio project on a live UK policy question. Credit transfer into UK Bachelor's top-up programmes is confirmed at enrolment.
Key Features
- Curriculum aligned with Royal Economic Society, Government Economic Service and CIPFA guidance.
- Case sequences drawn from IFS analysis, Green Book worked examples and OBR forecasts.
- Workshops on policy costing, cost-benefit and impact assessment.
- Portfolio-based assessment mirroring GES workflows.
- Credit transfer into UK Bachelor's top-ups confirmed at enrolment.
- Named programme-tutor support across all three study modes.
What You Will Learn
- HM Treasury Green Book and Magenta Book standards for policy appraisal.
- Cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis in policy work.
- Impact assessment including distributional, equalities and environmental analysis.
- Public-finance economics and fiscal-policy analysis.
- Programme-evaluation methods used by IFS and Cabinet Office.
- Behavioural policy design and its evaluation.
- Regulatory policy and better-regulation frameworks.
- Applied statistics for policy work.
Who This Course Is For
- Policy officers moving into senior policy-economics roles.
- Government Economic Service candidates preparing for entry.
- Regulator and central-bank analysts.
- Think-tank researchers working on policy costing.
- International applicants preparing for policy-economics roles at home.
Career Pathways
- Economic Policy Analyst
- Government Economist
- Public Finance Analyst
- Regulatory Economist
- Research Economist
- Behavioural Economist in policy
- Economic Consultant
- Public Sector Consultant
The LSLPE careers service holds at least one careers day each academic year for Advanced Diploma in Economic Policy students, connecting them with the Government Economic Service, think tanks, regulators and public-sector consultancies.
Entry Requirements
- A relevant Diploma (Level 4), Foundation Year, or at least two years of relevant professional experience in economics, policy or public administration.
- GCSE English at grade 4/C and Mathematics at grade 4/C or equivalent.
- IELTS 6.0 overall (no band below 5.5) for non-native English speakers.
- One academic or professional reference.
- Applicants with policy-costing or impact-assessment portfolios are encouraged to include them.
Why Study at LSLPE
LSLPE reads economic policy inside a wider law-politics-economics conversation because policy is drafted by lawyers, argued in politics and costed by economists. Central London places HM Treasury, the Bank of England, the IFS and the LSE-adjacent policy community a short tube ride from every classroom.
Three parallel study modes let progressors, working practitioners and portfolio-route applicants complete the Advanced Diploma in Economic Policy without leaving employment. LSLPE careers refreshes curriculum alignment against Royal Economic Society and Government Economic Service guidance each year.
Apply for Advanced Diploma in Economic Policy
Applications for the Advanced Diploma in Economic Policy open on rolling intakes and admissions responds within one working day. Enrol on a UK Level 5 Advanced Diploma at LSLPE with credit transfer into a Bachelor's top-up confirmed in writing at enrolment. Enrol Now
