Advanced Diploma in Economics

Course Overview

The Advanced Diploma in Economics at the London School of Law, Politics and Economics is a UK Level 5 senior-track qualification running 12 to 15 months across on-campus, online and distance learning modes. It carries confirmed credit transfer into UK Bachelor's top-ups and is mapped to competencies referenced by the Royal Economic Society, the Government Economic Service, CIPFA and the IFS analytic community.

By graduation you will have written micro and macro policy briefs, applied econometric methods to UK data, defended a live case-study argument in seminar, and produced a capstone project on a policy or applied-research question of practitioner relevance.

Every intake of the Advanced Diploma in Economics joins the same LSLPE weekly rhythm, whether on-campus, online or by distance learning, and students are placed in small named cohorts from week one. Reading is drawn wherever possible from primary UK sources including ONS releases, Bank of England Monetary Policy Reports and OBR Economic and Fiscal Outlooks, giving senior-track students a direct working relationship with the evidence base used by the Royal Economic Society and the Government Economic Service. Assessed work rewards clean writing and structured argument over volume, and tutors emphasise the everyday drafting skills that senior-track practitioners use in first practice.

Key Features

• Syllabus themes aligned with Royal Economic Society, GES, CIPFA and IFS analysis.
• Case-room seminars on live UK micro, macro and applied topics.
• Workshops on regression analysis, causal identification and welfare analysis.
• Guest sessions from serving government economists and City analysts.
• Confirmed credit transfer into UK Bachelor's top-ups.
• Capstone project defended before an LSLPE tutor panel.
• Named tutor written feedback on every graded submission with an interim tutor review at the halfway mark.
• Structured induction reading list drawn from primary UK economic sources including ONS releases, Bank of England Monetary Policy Reports and OBR Economic and Fiscal Outlooks.

What You Will Learn

• Apply consumer and producer theory to UK product markets.
• Model macroeconomic dynamics using UK data on output, inflation and employment.
• Use OLS and instrumental-variables methods on real datasets.
• Assess welfare effects of price, tax and transfer policies.
• Read and critique Bank of England and Treasury publications.
• Draft senior-track policy briefs following GES conventions.
• Present analysis in a select-committee-style oral setting.
• Produce a capstone project of practitioner-review standard.
• Read published UK economic evidence sessions, working papers and reports at practitioner standard.
• Manage timed writing and oral defence under seminar and committee-style conditions.

Who This Course Is For

• Working analysts in economic policy, consulting or industry.
• Diploma holders progressing toward a Bachelor's in economics.
• Public-sector officials advancing into GES-adjacent roles.
• Career changers moving from finance or research into applied economics.
• International applicants seeking a UK-referenced Level 5 credential.
• Applicants moving into the Advanced Diploma route from a UK Access to HE Diploma, a mature-applicant portfolio or a related LSLPE credential.

Career Pathways

• Economic Policy Analyst in a public or private think tank.
• Government Economist support role within the GES pipeline.
• Economist in a consultancy or industry policy team.
• Public Finance Analyst in a local authority or government department.
• Investment Analyst in a bank or asset manager.
• Research Economist at a Royal Economic Society research centre.
• Regulatory Economist supporting sector regulators.
• Support-role progression across City firms, government departments and consultancy teams and economic-policy adjacent teams in central London.

The LSLPE careers service links Advanced Diploma students with placements at consultancies, government departments and think tanks. The service runs at least one careers day each academic year specifically for Advanced Diploma students on the Advanced Diploma in Economics, connecting them with employers across the Bank of England, HM Treasury, City firms, government departments and consultancy teams and the wider LSLPE alumni network.

Entry Requirements

• A relevant Diploma (Level 4), Foundation Year, or at least two years of relevant professional experience in economics or public policy.
• 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-brief, applied-research or industry portfolios are encouraged to include them.

Why Study at LSLPE

The London School of Law, Politics and Economics teaches applied economics within a short tube ride of HM Treasury, the Bank of England, the IFS, the ONS, the Royal Economic Society and the City. Advanced Diploma students hear directly from the economists arguing the same policy questions their syllabus interprets.

Every intake, on-campus or remote, joins the same weekly seminar structure with named programme-tutor support, and curriculum alignment is refreshed annually against Royal Economic Society guidance.

Study skills teaching is embedded across the Advanced Diploma in Economics, covering scholarly referencing, timed writing under committee-style time pressure and the reading of published UK economic materials. International applicants receive additional English-language coaching from the LSLPE admissions team, and mature applicants without recent formal study join a bridge-week before term begins to consolidate written English and note-taking habits. Tutors provide named written feedback on every submission, and every graded piece is reviewed by a second tutor for consistency across cohorts and study modes. Students shadow LSLPE tutors on structured observation sessions at Bank of England open events, IFS briefings and Treasury committee sessions where relevant, and are encouraged to follow live UK debate through the Financial Times, the Economist and City research-note ecosystem.

Apply for Advanced Diploma in Economics

Applications for the Advanced Diploma in Economics are reviewed on a rolling basis and admissions responds within one working day. Enrol on a UK Level 5 Advanced Diploma at LSLPE, credit transfer into Bachelor top-ups confirmed in writing at enrolment. International applicants receive dedicated visa and accommodation guidance from the LSLPE admissions team throughout the enrolment cycle, and progression maps into an LSLPE Bachelor’s top-up are set out in writing at offer stage. Enrol Now.