Advanced Diploma in Automation Engineering
Course Overview
The Advanced Diploma in Automation Engineering is a UK Level 5 senior-track qualification lasting twelve to fifteen months covering senior-track control-system design and industrial automation practice. The programme concentrates on PLC programming (Siemens and Allen-Bradley), SCADA design, motion control, safety systems and industrial networking, and the syllabus is aligned with Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) guidance and reference materials from Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). Delivery is available on-campus in central London, fully online with the same lab and tooling provisioning, or by distance learning, and every route joins the same intake cohort with weekly tutor visibility and named programme-tutor support.
By graduation from the Advanced Diploma in Automation Engineering you will be a senior automation practitioner ready for lead-engineer and integrator roles, with senior applied practice with real-world responsibility for design decisions demonstrated through a portfolio of coursework, applied labs and, at the closing stage, sustained coursework, an applied capstone and a scenario-based examination. Every learner leaves the Advanced Diploma in Automation Engineering with a documented body of work suitable for UK employer conversations across systems integrators, process industries, packaging plants, food and beverage lines and utilities, and with a clear progression route into the next step of the LSCE ladder. Coursework is scheduled around working professionals so that part-time and full-time routes share the same weekly seminar, the same assessment rubric and the same tutor group.
Key Features
- Cohort teaching in small tutor-visible groups at the LSCE central London campus, online, or by distance learning.
- Curriculum aligned with Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) guidance and referenced against Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and Engineering Council (UK) materials.
- Applied labs covering PLC programming (Siemens and Allen-Bradley), SCADA design, motion control, safety systems and industrial networking.
- Weekly clinic sessions where tutors work through problem sets, code review or design critique with you on your own coursework.
- Assessment structured as sustained coursework, an applied capstone and a scenario-based examination rather than a single high-stakes final paper, so progress is visible throughout the Advanced Diploma in Automation Engineering.
- Careers-service introductions to London employers active in systems integrators, process industries, packaging plants, food and beverage lines and utilities, with dedicated CV and portfolio review sessions.
- Structured articulation route within the LSCE ladder from a UK Level 5 senior-track qualification lasting twelve to fifteen months into the next level of study or straight into employment.
What You Will Learn
- Programme Siemens and Allen-Bradley PLCs to a defined process specification.
- Design SCADA systems with alarms, historians and secure access.
- Design motion-control systems for a defined application.
- Design safety systems using recognised functional-safety standards.
- Design industrial networking including Profinet and EtherNet/IP.
- Commission a defined automation project on a live rig.
- Handle change control and validation for regulated industries.
- Present a senior-track capstone automation project.
Who This Course Is For
- Diploma progressors moving into senior-track practitioner responsibility in automation engineering.
- Working practitioners with two or more years of relevant experience formalising a senior credential.
- Portfolio-route applicants able to evidence their applied practice at review.
- International applicants seeking a UK Level 5 senior-track credential in automation engineering.
- Consultants and contractors selling advisory services in systems integrators, process industries, packaging plants, food and beverage lines and utilities.
Career Pathways
- Mechatronics Engineer
- Manufacturing Engineer
- Robotics Engineer
- Control Systems Engineer
- Instrumentation Engineer
- Power Systems Engineer
- Maintenance Engineer
- Industrial Automation Engineer
The LSCE careers service supports Advanced Diploma in Automation Engineering graduates with structured CV clinics, portfolio and mock-interview sessions and named introductions to hiring managers across systems integrators, process industries, packaging plants, food and beverage lines and utilities. Every student meets a named careers adviser in the final stage, and alumni continue to receive careers coaching, job-alert access and application review after graduation. Where the Advanced Diploma in Automation Engineering offers a placement or capstone with an employer sponsor, the careers team helps you shape that engagement into a portfolio entry recruiters can validate.
Entry Requirements
- A relevant Diploma (Level 4), Foundation Year, or at least two years of relevant professional experience.
- 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.
- Applicants with a portfolio, GitHub repositories, or working project experience are encouraged to include these.
Why Study at LSCE
The London School of Computing and Engineering is a specialist division of Harold International College of London teaching in small, tutor-visible cohorts. LSCE partners with UK professional bodies including Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), and central London places the Alan Turing Institute, the NCSC, the ICE, IMechE and IET, and the City's engineering and technology employers within a short tube ride of every classroom.
Every intake, on-campus or remote, joins the same weekly seminar structure with named programme-tutor support. Three parallel study modes let Diploma progressors, working practitioners and portfolio-route applicants complete the Advanced Diploma in Automation Engineering without leaving employment, and the LSCE careers service runs at least one industry-careers day each academic year to connect students with employers active in systems integrators, process industries, packaging plants, food and beverage lines and utilities. Curriculum alignment is refreshed each year against Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) guidance so that graduates leave with a syllabus that reflects current UK sector expectations.
Apply for Advanced Diploma in Automation Engineering
Step up into the Level 5 senior track with LSCE. Click Enrol Now, admissions will respond within one working day with intake dates and credit-transfer guidance. Rolling intake dates mean early applications receive the widest choice of tutors, elective modules and supporting information, and international applicants are supported through visa, accommodation and English-language guidance in the same first response. Enrol Now
