Diploma in Economic Policy
Course Overview
The Diploma in Economic Policy is a 9 to 12 month UK Level 4 practitioner foundation programme reading how UK economic policy is designed, appraised and evaluated. Students study fiscal and monetary policy, industrial strategy, labour market interventions and the appraisal framework set out in the HMT Green Book. The syllabus is aligned with Royal Economic Society and IFS-style guidance.
By graduation you will have produced policy option papers, drafted a HMT Green Book-style appraisal, prepared a select-committee-style briefing on OBR output, and completed a Level 4 Diploma dissertation on an economic policy question.
Key Features
- Curriculum aligned with Royal Economic Society Level 4 benchmarks.
- Case-room seminars set against live HMT, OBR and IFS material.
- Applied training in HMT Green Book appraisal.
- Guided writing of policy option papers and committee briefings.
- Articulates into an LSLPE Advanced Diploma or Higher Diploma in economics.
- Careers service links to the Government Economic Service and think tanks.
- Three parallel study modes for career changers and working analysts.
What You Will Learn
- Apply the HMT Green Book appraisal framework to a live UK policy question.
- Read fiscal and monetary policy documents critically.
- Assess industrial strategy interventions in UK sectoral contexts.
- Analyse labour market policies and their evidence base.
- Write a policy option paper fit for a senior audience.
- Prepare a select-committee-style briefing on OBR output.
- Present a defensible economic policy recommendation.
- Structure a Level 4 Diploma dissertation on an economic policy question.
Who This Course Is For
- Career changers moving into UK economic policy work.
- Certificate holders in economics or PPE moving to Level 4.
- Working analysts in Whitehall, local government and regulators.
- Public affairs officers whose work touches economic policy.
- International applicants preparing for UK senior-track study.
Career Pathways
- Economic Policy Analyst in a Whitehall department or regulator.
- Trainee Government Economist within the Government Economic Service pool.
- Public Finance Analyst in a local authority or NHS body.
- Research Economist for an IFS-style or NIESR-style institute.
- Public Affairs Consultant on economic policy.
- Public Sector Consultant supporting Whitehall projects.
- Development Economist at an NGO or multilateral body.
The LSLPE careers service links Diploma in Economic Policy students to Whitehall, think tanks and consultancy employers at its annual careers day.
Entry Requirements
- A Level 3 qualification (A-levels, BTEC, Access to HE) or equivalent, OR a relevant LSLPE Certificate.
- 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 your progression aims for the Diploma in Economic Policy.
- Applicants with analyst, research or policy experience are encouraged to reference it at application.
Why Study at LSLPE
LSLPE places the Treasury, the IFS and the LSE-adjacent think-tank ecosystem within a short tube ride of the seminar room, and the Diploma in Economic Policy is taught with live UK policy material in the case-room. Cohorts are small and every seminar is argued in public.
Three parallel study modes let career changers, working analysts and international applicants complete the Diploma in Economic Policy without leaving employment, and the LSLPE careers service refreshes its Royal Economic Society-aligned curriculum links annually.
Apply for Diploma in Economic Policy
Step up to a UK Level 4 Diploma at LSLPE with three intake windows a year. Admissions responds within one working day to Diploma in Economic Policy applicants. Enrol Now
