How long is the Diploma in Professional Communication?

The Diploma in Professional Communication runs 9 to 12 months full-time, with part-time online and distance options stretching study around work commitments.

Can I take the Diploma in Professional Communication fully online?

Yes. The Diploma in Professional Communication is delivered on-campus in London, online with live writing workshops, or by distance learning with structured deadlines and tutor feedback.

Is the Diploma in Professional Communication recognised in the UK?

The Diploma in Professional Communication is aligned with CIPR Foundation frameworks and the Education and Training Foundation standards, and articulates onto LSCT Bachelor's degrees.

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

Completed secondary schooling (A-level, BTEC Level 3, IB or equivalent), GCSE English at 4/C, IELTS 6.0, and a writing sample for the Diploma in Professional Communication.

How much does the Diploma in Professional Communication cost and are scholarships available?

Diploma in Professional Communication fees vary by study mode and domicile. Means-tested bursaries and instalment plans are available — contact LSCT admissions for the current schedule.

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

Course Overview

The Diploma in Professional Communication is a Level 4 qualification within the LSCT Education & Professional Studies department, designed for working professionals, returners-to-work and international students who need to write, present and brief at UK organisational standard. The programme runs 9 to 12 months across on-campus, online and distance-learning routes, taught from our central London base from 2026.

Across the year you move from foundational writing and presentation skills into the applied UK practice that defines administrative, junior PR and stakeholder-facing roles: drafting a clean business email, writing a one-page report a UK manager will actually read, presenting a recommendation to a hostile audience, structuring an effective meeting agenda, and producing the kind of stakeholder briefing the public and third sectors rely on. The Diploma in Professional Communication closes with a written and oral portfolio assessed against CIPR Foundation and Education and Training Foundation expectations.

Key Features

Aligned with CIPR (Chartered Institute of Public Relations) Foundation frameworks and the Education and Training Foundation professional standards.
Three study modes — on-campus in London, fully online with live writing workshops, or distance learning with structured deadlines.
Live presentation coaching — every learner delivers three observed presentations across the year.
Distinctive specialism module: Briefing Senior People — Writing for Whitehall, Boards & Charity Trustees.
Editorial workshops — line-by-line tutor feedback on professional writing samples.
Guest sessions from working UK communications professionals, press officers and trainers.

What You Will Learn

The Diploma in Professional Communication is structured around five taught modules and a written-and-oral portfolio. You will graduate able to write a clean business email, present a recommendation to a hostile audience, and brief a senior stakeholder in writing.

Business writing — emails, memos, one-page reports, executive summaries.
Presentation skills — structure, storytelling, delivery, dealing with hostile questions.
Stakeholder briefing — board papers, Whitehall briefs, charity-trustee documents.
Meeting and facilitation skills — agendas, minutes, chairing.
Cross-cultural professional communication in UK contexts.
Editorial and proofreading — UK English, plain-language standards, accessibility.
Public-affairs and PR communication in UK organisations.

Who This Course Is For

Working professionals, returners-to-work and administrators wanting structured UK communication discipline.
International students preparing for UK organisational work and adapting to UK communication conventions.
Junior PR, comms and stakeholder staff at UK SMEs, charities and public-sector bodies.
Career changers from technical roles moving into UK customer- or stakeholder-facing work.

Career Pathways

Graduates of the Diploma in Professional Communication move into administrative, junior comms and stakeholder-facing roles across UK industry, the public sector and the third sector. Typical first or next roles include:

Communications Officer at a UK SME, charity or public-sector body
PR Account Executive at a UK consultancy
Press Officer (junior) in a UK government department or executive agency
Executive Assistant or PA in a senior UK organisation
Education Administrator or Academic Adviser with substantial writing responsibility
Training & Development Officer with communication-skills accountability

The Diploma articulates into the LSCT Bachelor's portfolio in Communication and onward CIPR Foundation Award study. Qualifications do not guarantee jobs or promotions, but the written portfolio and observed presentations are exactly the evidence UK communications hiring panels review.

Industry Context

UK organisations have re-shaped their communication expectations sharply since 2022: Whitehall plain-language guidance has tightened, board papers have moved decisively to one-page summaries, charity-trustee literacy expectations have grown after the Charity Commission's good-governance push, and SME owners increasingly expect any new hire to write a clean email without supervision. CIPR Foundation membership has expanded each year. The Diploma in Professional Communication is sequenced against that demand so every artefact is something a UK employer actually wants to see.

Assessment Approach

Assessment is portfolio-led. Students submit a sequence of edited written artefacts — a board memo, a Whitehall-style brief, a press release, an email-chain analysis — alongside three observed presentations and a recorded chairing of a real meeting. There is no large terminal examination. Tutors give written line-edit feedback within five working days.

Entry Requirements

Completed secondary schooling (A-levels, BTEC Level 3, IB or recognised international equivalent) or equivalent work experience in administrative, communications or stakeholder-facing roles.
GCSE English Language at grade 4/C or above (or equivalent) — confident written English is the basic prerequisite.
English language: IELTS 6.0 overall (no band below 5.5) for non-native English speakers.
A short personal statement and a sample of recent professional writing (an email exchange, report or briefing) submitted with the application.

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 CIPR Foundation events, Whitehall stakeholder briefings and writing workshops with working UK communications professionals.

Apply for Diploma in Professional Communication

Ready to take the next step into the Education & Professional Studies sector? Click Enrol Now to submit your application for the Diploma in Professional Communication; admissions reply within one working day with intake dates and writing-sample guidance.