How long is the Diploma in International Relations for Business?

The Diploma in International Relations for Business runs over 9 to 12 months with full-time, part-time and online routes. Distance learners follow the same intake calendar as on-campus cohorts.

Can the Diploma in International Relations for Business be studied online?

Yes. The Diploma in International Relations for Business runs on-campus in central London, fully online and by distance learning, assessed against the same country brief and public-affairs plan.

Is the Diploma in International Relations for Business recognised by UK employers?

The Diploma in International Relations for Business is shaped around Chatham House frameworks and IOE&IT policy content, so UK trade associations and corporates recognise the credential.

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

A relevant Level 3 Certificate or two years of policy or public affairs experience, GCSE English and Maths at grade 4/C, and IELTS 5.5 for international applicants.

How much does the Diploma in International Relations for Business cost?

Tuition varies by mode and domicile. Contact LSIBM admissions for the current fee schedule and instalment options for the Diploma in International Relations for Business.

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

Course Overview

The Diploma in International Relations for Business at the London School of International Business and Management (LSIBM) moves candidates from a general appreciation of international affairs into practitioner-level government-relations, market-entry and public-policy work applied to UK-facing companies. Delivered inside the International Business & Trade faculty, it prepares people for a first practitioner seat inside a government-relations team, a trade association, a Chamber of Commerce or a policy consultancy. The syllabus is refreshed each cohort to sit alongside Chatham House policy analysis, the FCDO Country Business Guides and UK Export Finance market briefings, so classroom debates and case work track the questions UK employers are asking this year rather than last decade’s textbook.

You will build a stakeholder-map deck on a stylised UK multinational, complete a market-entry brief on a chosen emerging market, and defend a public-policy paper in a mock committee meeting. Curriculum is reviewed against the IOE&IT and the British International Studies Association (BISA) frameworks. Across the 9 to 12 months, you sit alongside a small tutor-visible cohort, work through applied case studies drawn from London-facing employers, and close with an assessment mix that mirrors the situations working practitioners actually face on the job. The Diploma in International Relations for Business runs on-campus in central London, fully online, or by distance learning, so applicants pick the study pattern that fits the rest of their working week.

Key Features

Level pitched at UK Diploma standard with tutor-visible small cohorts and a single intake schedule.
Three study modes — on-campus in central London, fully online, or by distance learning.
Whitehall-engagement clinic with a former civil servant or trade-body director.
Structured route toward the CIPR Public Affairs Diploma and IOE&IT trade credentials.
Assessment blend — stakeholder map, market-entry brief, policy paper and viva.
Structured over 9 to 12 months, with fortnightly practitioner clinics and defined assessment milestones.
Articulation route onto the LSIBM Advanced Diploma or Higher Diploma stream.
Careers support covering CV clinics, mock interviews and warm introductions through fortnightly practitioner sessions.
Cohort networking across a single intake schedule, with London evening events at the CMI, IoD Pall Mall clubhouse and relevant professional-body chapters.

What You Will Learn

The Diploma is written for practitioners who need the formal credential to move up. You will graduate able to run the full working cycle of the discipline, defend your recommendations in front of a working panel, and support a small team.

The UK international-affairs landscape — Whitehall, the FCDO, DIT and UK Export Finance.
Multilateral trade rules — WTO, plurilateral trade agreements and UK FTA policy.
Geopolitical risk assessment for UK-facing companies.
Public affairs and government-relations in Whitehall and Westminster.
Emerging-market entry — country-risk, joint-venture and greenfield options.
Sanctions regimes, OFSI compliance and dual-use export controls.
Trade-association and Chamber of Commerce engagement.
Climate and energy transition policy for UK multinationals.
Corporate diplomacy and stakeholder communications at cross-border level.
Research methods, policy-analysis writing and dissertation methodology.
Ethics of corporate lobbying under the CIPR and IPA codes.

Who This Course Is For

The Diploma in International Relations for Business is designed for a mix of new entrants and working professionals. The five audience segments below are the ones we most often see on the Diploma intake list, and the tutor team tailors examples so every segment is visible in the classroom.

Recent graduates targeting a first public-affairs or government-relations role.
Policy administrators inside trade associations and Chambers.
Career switchers from journalism, law or consulting into public affairs.
International-affairs staff at UK-facing multinationals.
International applicants preparing a UK-facing CV for London public-affairs roles.

Career Pathways

Graduates typically move into practitioner-level roles across UK employers. The Diploma strengthens applications but does not by itself guarantee job offers or visa outcomes. Typical destinations include:

Government Relations Analyst
International Affairs Manager
Diplomatic Programmes Officer
Public Policy Adviser
Public Affairs Consultant
Trade Association Executive
Market Entry Consultant
Corporate Affairs Manager

The Diploma in International Relations for Business is a natural runway toward the LSIBM Advanced Diploma in International Relations for Business and the CIPR Foundation Award. Graduates leave with a portfolio of applied work, a written credential UK employers recognise, and enough classroom rehearsal of the discipline-specific conversations that a first interview panel or a promotion window feels familiar rather than intimidating. The LSIBM careers office also runs an alumni-referral programme and structured warm introductions in the closing term, so applicants leave with a working London network rather than only a certificate.

Entry Requirements

A relevant Certificate (Level 3) or equivalent — mature applicants with two years of policy, public affairs or trade 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.

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 Relations for Business

Take the practitioner step with the Diploma in International Relations for 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.