Diploma in Law, Politics and Economics
Course Overview
The Diploma in Law, Politics and Economics at LSLPE is a UK Level 4 interdisciplinary practitioner foundation running 9 to 12 months across on-campus, online and distance routes. It is the flagship LSLPE PPE-tradition Diploma, treating the three disciplines as three working crafts: legislation is drafted by lawyers, argued by politicians and constrained by economics, and no serious practitioner works in isolation.
By closing terms you will be producing constitutional and public-law case notes, drafting Whitehall-standard briefings, running policy costings using Green Book conventions, and completing a supervised interdisciplinary portfolio project on a chosen live UK policy question.
Key Features
- UK Level 4 interdisciplinary Diploma with articulation into LSLPE Advanced Diploma and Higher Diploma routes across all three disciplines.
- Reading list aligned with Political Studies Association (PSA), Royal Economic Society (RES), Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) and Institute for Government (IfG) publications.
- Weekly seminars structured around live UK policy questions.
- Applied assignments in constitutional case-note, Whitehall briefing and policy-costing format.
- Optional strands in law, politics and economics.
- Portfolio project supervised by tutors working across two or more LSLPE departments.
What You Will Learn
- Read the UK constitutional settlement across statute, convention and case law.
- Trace legislative drafting from Cabinet Office to Parliament.
- Apply micro and macro method to policy costings.
- Draft Whitehall-standard briefings across policy areas.
- Compare left, right and centrist manifesto commitments in analytical terms.
- Analyse regulatory-impact assessments.
- Prepare an interdisciplinary portfolio project.
- Present orally in a select-committee seminar setting.
Who This Course Is For
- Career-changers wanting a PPE-tradition foundation from a London base.
- Working policy officers in central or local government.
- Aspiring parliamentary researchers, paralegals and think-tank associates.
- International applicants preparing for LSLPE Advanced Diploma or Bachelor's study.
- Journalists and communications staff moving into policy analysis.
Career Pathways
- Policy Adviser
- Political Analyst
- Public Sector Consultant
- Programme Manager
- Paralegal
- Public Finance Analyst
- Think Tank Researcher
The LSLPE careers service links Diploma in Law, Politics and Economics finalists with Whitehall analytical services, IFS and Chatham House-adjacent think tanks, City firms and NGO recruitment cycles.
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 your progression aims across law, politics or economics.
- Applicants with paralegal, policy or research experience are encouraged to reference it at application.
Why Study at LSLPE
LSLPE reads law, politics and economics as three interlocking disciplines and the Diploma in Law, Politics and Economics is the school's flagship interdisciplinary entry point. It is taught in small tutor-visible cohorts by staff working across all three departments, and every seminar is run in the case-room and select-committee tradition.
Central London puts Parliament, Whitehall, the Royal Courts of Justice, IFS, Chatham House and the LSE-adjacent think-tank cluster within a short tube ride of every classroom. Three parallel study modes let working practitioners continue in employment while completing the programme, and the careers service refreshes curriculum alignment annually against PSA, RES and SRA guidance.
Apply for Diploma in Law, Politics and Economics
Places are offered across three intake windows. Step up to a UK Level 4 Diploma at LSLPE, three intake windows a year, admissions responds within one working day. Enrol Now.
