Higher Diploma in Economic Policy
Course Overview
The Higher Diploma in Economic Policy at LSIBM is a Level 5 near-degree qualification with a UK Bachelor’s top-up hook, written for policy analysts who want to complete the applied-economics stack — impact evaluation, sector economics, evidence review — and then move directly into a UK final-year degree in economic policy.
Delivered across fifteen to eighteen months, the qualification is sequenced against Government Economic Service senior-assistant-economist competencies, Society of Business Economists standards and the LSIBM Bachelor’s final-year syllabus. HM Treasury Green Book distributional weights and the Regulatory Policy Committee’s current guidance both sit inside the working case set. Study is offered on-campus in central London, fully online, or by distance learning. It closes with a capstone: a full impact evaluation defended in front of a working economist.
Key Features
- Aligned with Government Economic Service senior-assistant-economist competencies and SBE standards.
- Three study modes — central London campus, fully online, or distance learning.
- Confirmed credit-transfer into an LSIBM Bachelor’s final year in Economic Policy.
- Workshops on impact evaluation, sector economics and evidence review.
- Structured route toward the GES assistant-economist assessment centre and SBE associate application.
- Capstone: a full impact evaluation defended in front of a working economist.
- Portfolio-first evaluation graded on genuine policy artefacts.
- Fortnightly practitioner clinic with a working policy or regulatory economist.
What You Will Learn
The Higher Diploma delivers the full working toolkit of an early-career policy economist at UK Bachelor’s-adjacent depth — applied methods, sector context and enough academic rigour to hold a viva for a final-year dissertation.
- Advanced Green Book appraisal — options, distributional analysis, sensitivity.
- Impact evaluation — RCTs, DiD, RDD, IV methods.
- Sector economics — energy, water, financial services, transport.
- Regulatory economics and RPC-facing impact assessments.
- Applied macro — OBR forecasts, MPC decisions, fiscal-rule accounting.
- Evidence review — rapid evidence assessment, systematic review, meta-analysis.
- Policy paper craft at a level that would clear a Whitehall submission.
- Modelling in R or Stata for policy-scale datasets.
- Reading a Bank of England Monetary Policy Report and drafting a policy response.
- Ethics — evidence integrity, political framing risks, public-service duty.
Who This Course Is For
- Policy analysts building toward a UK Bachelor’s top-up in economics or policy.
- Regulatory economics analysts formalising senior-assistant-economist practice.
- Think-tank researchers moving into applied economic-policy roles.
- Career changers with three years of substantive analytical experience.
- NGO and charity research officers moving to policy-grade evaluation work.
Career Pathways
Graduates use the Higher Diploma to enter a UK Bachelor’s final year with confirmed credit transfer, or to move into applied-economics seats across UK regulators, consultancies and think tanks. It supports applications but does not by itself guarantee outcomes. Typical destinations include:
- Applied Economist
- Policy Economist
- Sector Economist
- Impact Assessment Lead
- Regulatory Economics Analyst
- Consulting Economist
- Competition Economics Analyst
- Government Economist (Senior Assistant)
The Higher Diploma is the natural articulation route into the LSIBM Bachelor’s final year in Economic Policy and the Government Economic Service assistant-economist competition. Graduates targeting chartered practice usually apply for SBE associate membership on completion.
Entry Requirements
- A relevant Advanced Diploma (Level 5), HND, HNC, or three years of substantive professional experience in the discipline.
- GCSE English Language at grade 5/C and Mathematics at grade 4/C (or equivalent).
- IELTS 6.0 overall (no band below 5.5) for non-native English speakers.
- A short statement of intent and two references (one academic or professional-body, one workplace) — applicants presenting a professional-body membership route (ACCA Applied Skills, CIMA Operational, CIM Certificate, CIPD Associate) are particularly welcome.
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. Higher Diploma cohorts sit at the near-degree tier — small groups, tutor visibility every week, curriculum reviewed against ACCA, CIMA, CIM, CIPD, CMI and IOE&IT competencies so graduates walk into a UK Bachelor’s top-up with confirmed credit transfer.
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. Higher Diploma students attend at least one working practitioner clinic per fortnight and complete a substantial capstone project defended in front of a working professional.
Apply for the Higher Diploma in Economic Policy
Move onto the top-up track with the Higher Diploma in Economic Policy. Click Enrol Now and our admissions team will respond within one working day with intake dates, credit-transfer guidance for UK Bachelor’s top-up routes, and the current fee schedule. Higher Diploma graduates articulate into LSIBM’s Bachelor’s final year with confirmed credit transfer at enrolment.
