How long is the Diploma in Communication Studies?

The Diploma in Communication Studies takes 9 to 12 months on-campus, online or by distance learning, sharing one assessment calendar that includes a 48-hour live agency-style brief.

Can I study the Diploma in Communication Studies fully online?

Yes. The Diploma in Communication Studies is delivered fully online with live seminars, on-campus in central London, or by distance learning with structured monthly milestones and pre-recorded lectures.

Is the Diploma in Communication Studies recognised by UK PR employers?

The Diploma in Communication Studies is built around CIPR and PRCA entry-level standards, so the portfolio you graduate with is judged against the rubrics UK agencies use in junior hiring.

What are the entry requirements for the Diploma in Communication Studies?

You need completed secondary schooling or equivalent, GCSE English at 4/C, and IELTS 6.0 for international applicants; mature applicants may join the Diploma in Communication Studies with a portfolio.

What does the Diploma in Communication Studies cost?

Fees for the Diploma in Communication Studies vary by route and domicile; small merit and access scholarships are reviewed each intake — contact LSCT admissions for the current fee schedule.

Diploma in Communication Studies (Online, London) | LSCT | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The Diploma in Communication Studies sits inside LSCT's Media, Journalism & Communication department and is designed for students who want a thorough academic and practical grounding before moving into a UK PR, corporate communications or content career. Delivered over 9 to 12 months on-campus in central London, fully online with live seminars, or by distance learning, the programme blends communication theory, audience analysis and the day-to-day skills agencies actually hire for.

From the first month you will be analysing real campaigns, writing press releases, pitching ideas, drafting social copy and producing short audio and video pieces. Coursework reads less like academic abstraction and more like the briefing folder a junior account executive would actually be handed on a Monday morning.

The Diploma in Communication Studies timetable is built around UK assessment realities: continuous coursework that produces the artefacts employers actually ask for, plus end-of-module case-based assessments rather than rote examinations. Tutors include working practitioners drawn from Fleet Street’s remaining presence and the Westminster lobby — not only academics — so the standard being marked against is the standard media employers apply at first interview. Students join one cohort intake per year, so the cohort moves through the programme together and forms the working network that matters when first media-sector job applications start going out.

Key Features

Syllabus aligned to CIPR and PRCA entry-level practitioner standards.
Three study modes — on-campus, fully online with live seminars, or distance learning with structured monthly milestones.
Live agency week where students respond to a real brief under a 48-hour deadline.
Audience and analytics module using Google Analytics 4 and Meta Business Suite reporting.
Crisis-communications simulation set inside a fictional UK FTSE-listed business.
Plain English writing standard embedded across all written assignments.

What You Will Learn

You will graduate able to plan a campaign, write across media, read an audience report, defend an editorial line and present recommendations to a client. Modules include:

Communication Theory and Audience Studies
Media Industries in the UK
Press Release Writing and Media Relations
Digital and Social Content Strategy
Audience Insight and Analytics
Crisis Communications and Reputation Management
Visual Communication and Brand
Ethics, Privacy and the Editors' Code
Research Methods for Communications

Who This Course Is For

School leavers exploring journalism, PR or marketing as a first career.
Junior agency or in-house staff who learned on the job and want a formal credential.
Career changers from teaching, customer service or admin roles entering communications.
International students preparing for a UK BA in Communications, Marketing or Journalism.

Career Pathways

Diploma graduates feed UK agencies, in-house comms teams and digital publishers. While not a degree, the qualification builds the portfolio and language that hiring managers expect in a first interview. Typical first roles include:

PR Account Executive (agency)
Junior Content Strategist
Social Media Assistant or Manager
Communications Assistant (public sector or charity)
Press Officer (junior)
Editorial Assistant (digital publisher)

Many graduates progress to an Advanced Diploma in Communication Studies, a Higher Diploma in Professional Communication or a BA in Media, Communications or PR.

One pragmatic note for prospective applicants: UK newsrooms, agencies and platforms have not stopped recruiting craft-confident practitioners, and the Diploma in Communication Studies is designed to produce the documented portfolio that gets a CV read rather than only an academic transcript that does not. Coursework is structured so that, on graduation, you can hand a hiring manager three or four pieces of evidence — a project, a report, a deck, a documented intervention — that map directly to a published UK job description. Personal academic tutors also run two one-to-one careers conversations during the programme to keep that mapping honest.

Entry Requirements

Completed secondary schooling (A-levels, BTEC Level 3, IB or recognised international equivalent) or equivalent work experience.
GCSE English Language at grade 4/C or above (or equivalent) — written English is assessed at interview.
English language: IELTS 6.0 overall (no band below 5.5) for non-native English speakers.
A short personal statement; mature applicants may apply with a portfolio or CV of relevant writing or campaign work.

Why Study at LSCT

The London School of Commerce and Technology (LSCT) is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London and part of Harold International College. We teach in small cohorts so every student is visible to their tutor, run a single intake schedule that students can rely on, and partner with UK professional bodies so qualifications carry weight with employers. London puts Whitehall, the City, Silicon Roundabout, the Royal Courts of Justice, the West End and the NHS estate within a short tube ride of every classroom — and our students use that proximity in their projects, placements and graduate job hunts. For communication students that means PR agency visits in Soho, in-house comms briefings in the City and access to working CIPR practitioners as guest tutors.

The teaching model is small-cohort and tutor-led on purpose. Discussion-based seminars, regular formative feedback and structured peer-review are how editorial-judgement is built — none of which scales to large lecture halls. Personal academic tutors are assigned at enrolment, and every student has a named contact for academic, pastoral and career-related questions. UK and international students mix in every cohort, which becomes an active strength in case sessions, group projects and the media-sector network that follows you after graduation.

Beyond classroom contact, the Diploma in Communication Studies makes deliberate use of UK-specific resources that international comparators cannot reach as easily: open government data on the gov.uk estate, parliamentary publications, House of Commons Library briefings, Bank of England datasets, ONS releases and the open-access research output of British universities. Throughout the programme, tutors expect editorial writing — accurate, fair and defensible against an IPSO or Ofcom complaint. Graduates often describe leaving LSCT with a set of writing and analytical habits they continue to use across a UK career — not only a transcript and a portfolio.

Apply for Diploma in Communication Studies

Ready to take the next step into the Media, Journalism & Communication sector? Click Enrol Now to submit your application for the Diploma in Communication Studies; admissions reply within one working day with the next intake date and a portfolio-review slot if you have written or social work to show.