How long is the Diploma in International Business?

Nine to twelve months full-time or part-time. The Diploma in International Business runs a single intake schedule so cohort dates are predictable.

What are the entry requirements for the Diploma in International Business?

A Level 3 Certificate or two years of professional experience, GCSE English and Maths at 4/C, IELTS 5.5 for non-native speakers. A second language is welcome on the Diploma in International Business.

What does the Diploma in International Business cost?

Tuition varies by route and domicile, with instalments available. Contact LSIBM admissions for the current fee schedule for the Diploma in International Business.

Diploma in International Business | LSIBM London | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The Diploma in International Business at the London School of International Business and Management (LSIBM) is a Level 4 practitioner programme for exporters, importers and cross-border sales staff moving into account-management responsibility. Sitting in the Business & Management faculty, it takes the student beyond the certificate — into market-entry design, distributor and agent management, cross-border pricing, and the operating consequences of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement for a mid-market exporter.

Running nine to twelve months on-campus in central London, fully online, or by distance learning, the diploma is designed around the IOE&IT practitioner-tier and CIM Certificate competencies. Assessment mixes a market-entry proposal, a distributor management case and a viva. Diploma graduates articulate directly into the LSIBM Advanced Diploma or a UK undergraduate final-year top-up.

Key Features

Curriculum aligned with the IOE&IT practitioner tier and CIM Certificate syllabus.
Three study modes — central London campus, fully online, or distance learning.
Market-entry proposal for a UK mid-market exporter into one confirmed target country.
Distributor management case — margin, exclusivity and termination in a UK contract context.
Assessment mix of proposal, case and viva.
Direct articulation onto the LSIBM Advanced Diploma in International Business.

What You Will Learn

The diploma pushes the student into decisions rather than description. Students finish able to write a country prioritisation memo a UK export director would sign, and negotiate a distributor agreement without giving away the store.

Market-entry design — export, agent, distributor, joint venture, subsidiary.
Country-selection frameworks and prioritisation memos.
Distributor and agent management under UK contract-law norms.
Cross-border pricing, Incoterms 2020 and margin protection.
Trade finance for exporters — LCs, forfaiting and UK Export Finance schemes.
Cross-cultural negotiation with major UK trading partners.
Post-Brexit UK-EU practical trade — customs, VAT, rules of origin.
Sanctions and export controls at practitioner overview level.

Who This Course Is For

Export sales executives moving into account-management responsibility.
Import managers taking on multi-country supplier relationships.
Career switchers moving from domestic to international commercial roles.
Small-business owners entering their first overseas markets.
Freight-forwarding and customs staff taking on client-facing roles.

Career Pathways

Diploma graduates typically move into export-account, import-management and country-desk positions across UK mid-market exporters, freight forwarders and London-based overseas subsidiaries. The credential travels well and combines usefully with a second language.

Export Account Manager
Import Manager
International Business Development Executive
Country Desk Manager (junior)
International Sales Coordinator
Freight-Forwarding Client Manager

The Diploma in International Business articulates directly into the LSIBM Advanced Diploma in International Business and gives useful preparation for IOE&IT practitioner-level qualifications.

Entry Requirements

A relevant Certificate (Level 3) or equivalent — mature applicants with two years of professional experience are welcomed on a portfolio route.
GCSE English Language at grade 4/C and Mathematics at grade 4/C (or international equivalent).
IELTS 5.5 overall (no band below 5.0) for non-native English speakers.
A short statement of intent and one academic or professional reference — a second language is welcome on the international business route.

Why Study at LSIBM

The London School of International Business and Management (LSIBM) is a specialist business-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 — CMI, CIM, CIPD, ACCA, CIMA, CFA UK, CIPS and IOE&IT — so qualifications carry weight with employers.

London puts the City, Canary Wharf, Whitehall, Companies House, the FCA, the Bank of England and the West End within a short tube ride of every classroom. Diploma cohorts run structured cohort clinics with working practitioners — a Big-Four tax adviser, a CIM Fellow in marketing, a CIPD-chartered HR director — so students meet professional expectations well before graduation.

Apply for the Diploma in International Business

Take the practitioner step with the Diploma in International Business. Click Enrol Now and our admissions team will respond within one working day with intake dates, credit-transfer guidance and current fee schedule. Diploma students are eligible for direct progression to LSIBM's Advanced Diploma or Higher Diploma routes on completion.