Diploma in Comparative Politics
Course Overview
The Diploma in Comparative Politics at LSLPE is a UK Level 4 practitioner-foundation qualification running 9 to 12 months across on-campus, online and distance-learning routes. The programme is aligned with Political Studies Association benchmarks on comparative politics, British International Studies Association guidance on comparative government, and Institute for Government analytical practice. It provides a working entry point for analysts, journalists and civil servants who need to reason about political systems side by side.
By graduation you will have produced a most-similar-systems comparative essay, drafted a briefing on a specific electoral reform in a comparator country, run a cross-national dataset exercise and completed a case study on a live comparative issue.
Key Features
- Curriculum aligned with PSA comparative politics benchmarks and BISA comparative government guidance.
- Case-room seminars using V-Dem, ParlGov and Manifesto Project data.
- Comparative methods workshops on most-similar and most-different systems design.
- Named programme-tutor support across all three study modes.
- Guest sessions with practising comparative political analysts.
- Articulation into LSLPE Advanced Diploma and Higher Diploma routes.
What You Will Learn
- Comparative methodology including case selection and small-N versus large-N designs.
- Comparative electoral systems and party systems.
- Presidential, parliamentary and semi-presidential systems.
- Federal, unitary and devolved states.
- Comparative political behaviour and public opinion.
- Comparative party competition and coalition formation.
- Regime types including democracies, hybrid regimes and autocracies.
- Cross-national datasets and their interpretation.
Who This Course Is For
- Junior political analysts and civil servants.
- Journalists and communicators covering international politics.
- Working practitioners in NGOs and international bodies.
- Aspiring diplomats and Foreign Office fast-stream candidates.
- International applicants studying comparative politics from a UK vantage point.
Career Pathways
- Political Analyst
- International Relations Analyst
- Foreign Policy Adviser support role
- Political Consultant
- Election Analyst
- Public Affairs Officer
- Political Communications Officer
- Parliamentary Researcher
The LSLPE careers service holds at least one careers day each academic year connecting Diploma in Comparative Politics students with employers across diplomatic missions, comparative governance think tanks, Westminster campaign organisations and international bodies.
Entry Requirements
- A Level 3 qualification (A-levels, BTEC, Access to HE) or equivalent, OR a relevant Certificate at LSLPE.
- GCSE English at grade 4/C and Mathematics at grade 4/C or equivalent.
- IELTS 5.5 overall (no band below 5.5) for non-native English speakers, or equivalent.
- A personal statement outlining progression aims in comparative politics.
- Applicants with relevant political or research experience are encouraged to reference it at application.
Why Study at LSLPE
LSLPE is the specialist law, politics and economics division of Harold International College of London, teaching in small tutor-visible cohorts within a short tube ride of Chatham House, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the diplomatic missions of central London. The Diploma in Comparative Politics reads its subject through comparative datasets and the working briefings that shape live cross-national analysis.
Three parallel study modes let progressors, working practitioners and portfolio-route applicants complete the Diploma without leaving employment, and the LSLPE careers service refreshes curriculum annually against Political Studies Association and BISA guidance.
Apply for Diploma in Comparative Politics
Applications for the Diploma in Comparative Politics open with rolling intakes and admissions responds within one working day. Step up to a UK Level 4 Diploma at LSLPE with three intake windows a year, and take a credentialed UK step into comparative political analysis. Enrol Now
