Diploma in Global Trade Studies
Course Overview
The Diploma in Global Trade Studies is a 9 to 12 month UK Level 4 practitioner foundation programme reading international trade as economic theory, legal architecture and live policy practice. Students study comparative advantage, gravity models, the WTO framework, free trade agreements and UK trade policy following EU exit. The syllabus is aligned with Royal Economic Society and British International Studies Association guidance.
By graduation you will have written trade policy briefings, produced a WTO dispute summary, drafted an introductory analysis of a UK free trade agreement, and completed a Level 4 Diploma dissertation on a global trade question.
Key Features
- Curriculum aligned with Royal Economic Society and BISA guidance.
- Case-room seminars set against live UK Department for Business and Trade material.
- Guided reading of WTO agreements and dispute settlement.
- Structured writing of trade policy briefings.
- Articulates into an LSLPE Advanced Diploma or Higher Diploma in economics or international studies.
- Careers service links to trade associations, consultancies and government bodies.
- Three parallel study modes for career changers and working practitioners.
What You Will Learn
- Apply comparative advantage and gravity model reasoning to live UK trade flows.
- Read WTO agreements and follow a dispute through its main stages.
- Assess a UK free trade agreement against negotiating objectives.
- Analyse the interaction between trade policy and industrial strategy.
- Trace the effect of tariffs and non-tariff barriers on UK firms.
- Write a trade policy briefing for a senior audience.
- Present trade findings in a supervised exercise.
- Structure a Level 4 Diploma dissertation on a global trade question.
Who This Course Is For
- Career changers moving into trade policy and consultancy roles.
- Certificate holders in economics or international studies progressing to Level 4.
- Working professionals in freight, logistics and trade compliance.
- Public affairs officers touching UK trade policy.
- International applicants preparing for UK senior-track study.
Career Pathways
- Trade Economist supporting UK trade negotiations.
- Public Affairs Consultant on trade policy.
- Economic Policy Analyst at a trade association or Whitehall department.
- Research Economist at a UK think tank on trade questions.
- Development Economist at an NGO on trade and development.
- Trade Compliance Officer at a corporate.
- Political Analyst covering trade policy.
The LSLPE careers service links Diploma in Global Trade Studies students to trade associations, consultancies and Whitehall departments 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 Global Trade Studies.
- Applicants with policy, compliance or research experience are encouraged to reference it at application.
Why Study at LSLPE
LSLPE places the Department for Business and Trade, the City and the LSE-adjacent think-tank ecosystem within a short tube ride of the seminar room, and the Diploma in Global Trade Studies is taught with live UK trade material in the case-room. Cohorts are small and every seminar is argued in public.
Three parallel study modes let career changers, working practitioners and international applicants complete the Diploma in Global Trade Studies without leaving employment, and the LSLPE careers service refreshes its Royal Economic Society and BISA-aligned curriculum links annually.
Apply for Diploma in Global Trade Studies
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 Global Trade Studies applicants. Enrol Now
