How long does the Higher Diploma in Public Affairs take?

The Higher Diploma in Public Affairs runs 15 to 18 months. All modes of the Higher Diploma in Public Affairs follow the same weekly seminar and capstone timetable.

How is the Higher Diploma in Public Affairs delivered?

You can study the Higher Diploma in Public Affairs on-campus in central London, fully online or by structured distance learning. All modes of the Higher Diploma in Public Affairs share the same supervised capstone pathway.

Is the Higher Diploma in Public Affairs recognised in the UK?

Yes. The Higher Diploma in Public Affairs is a UK Level 5 award with confirmed Bachelor's top-up credit transfer, aligned with CIPR and PSA standards.

What are the entry requirements for the Higher Diploma in Public Affairs?

You need a relevant Level 4 Diploma or comparable qualification for the Higher Diploma in Public Affairs. Serving public-affairs officers, PR professionals and policy officers are welcomed.

What are the fees and funding options for the Higher Diploma in Public Affairs?

Fees vary by study mode and residency. LSLPE offers structured instalment plans and early-application discounts on the Higher Diploma in Public Affairs; contact admissions for a personalised quotation.

Higher Diploma in Public Affairs | LSLPE | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The Higher Diploma in Public Affairs at LSLPE is a Level 5 programme running 15 to 18 months across on-campus, online and distance routes, with structured articulation into a UK Bachelor's top-up in the same discipline. Sitting within Politics and International Studies, the syllabus is aligned with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) and Political Studies Association working standards, and treats public affairs as the professional practice of engaging Parliament, Whitehall and regulators on behalf of a client.

By graduation you will have produced a full public-affairs plan, a Parliamentary monitoring pack, a select-committee submission and a supervised capstone on a live public-affairs mandate.

Key Features

Seminars aligned with Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) and Political Studies Association (PSA) working standards.
Case sessions on Parliamentary monitoring, select-committee submissions and consultation responses.
Guest input from serving public-affairs directors, in-house heads of policy and Parliamentary agents.
Supervised capstone project on a live public-affairs mandate.
Confirmed credit transfer into a UK Bachelor's top-up.
Three parallel study modes so serving public-affairs officers and progressor students share the same cohort.

What You Will Learn

Mapping the political and regulatory landscape for a client sector.
Producing a Parliamentary monitoring pack and briefing note.
Drafting a select-committee submission and a consultation response.
Handling regulator relationships in a compliance-sensitive way.
Managing public-affairs ethics, transparency and lobbying-register requirements.
Running a stakeholder-mapping and outreach programme.
Writing a media-facing briefing that stands up in Parliament.
Defending a capstone conclusion in an oral panel.

Who This Course Is For

Serving public-affairs officers in agencies, consultancies and in-house teams.
Progressor students from a Level 4 Diploma articulating into a Bachelor's top-up.
Public-relations professionals moving into political stakeholder work.
Trade-association and regulator-facing staff moving into structured policy engagement.
International applicants preparing for UK public-affairs practice.

Career Pathways

Public Affairs Consultant
Government Affairs Manager
Political Communications Officer
Public Affairs Officer in a trade association
Policy Adviser in a regulator
Parliamentary Researcher
Political Consultant
Public Sector Consultant

The LSLPE careers service curates introductions across public-affairs agencies, in-house teams, trade associations and regulators, and refreshes curriculum alignment annually against Bar Standards Board, Political Studies Association and Royal Economic Society guidance.

Entry Requirements

A relevant Diploma (Level 4), Advanced Diploma or comparable qualification.
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.
Working professionals moving from paralegal, policy officer, research assistant or public administration roles are welcomed.

Why Study at LSLPE

LSLPE is a specialist division of Harold International College of London teaching in small, tutor-visible cohorts. Central London places Parliament, Whitehall, the regulators clustered near Canary Wharf and the LSE-adjacent think-tank ecosystem within a short tube ride of every seminar room, which matters when the audiences you will brief work a few stops away.

Every intake, on-campus or remote, joins the same weekly seminar structure with named programme-tutor support. Seminars are run in the select-committee tradition, evidence-led and argued in public, and the careers service connects students with employers across public-affairs agencies, in-house teams and regulators.

Apply for Higher Diploma in Public Affairs

Applications for the Higher Diploma in Public Affairs are open now with confirmed Bachelor's top-up articulation. Complete a Higher Diploma at LSLPE and articulate into a UK Bachelor's top-up in the same discipline with a public-affairs portfolio to your name. Enrol Now