How is the Advanced Diploma in Professional Writing different from Creative Writing?

Creative Writing teaches fiction, poetry and literary non-fiction. The Advanced Diploma in Professional Writing teaches paid commercial writing — bids, technical copy, corporate communication. Some craft skills overlap, but the career outcomes and the day-to-day work are very different.

Can I focus on technical writing on the Advanced Diploma in Professional Writing?

Yes. The technical-writing module is a substantial block, and students with an interest in software, engineering or regulated-industry documentation can weight their final portfolio toward technical work with tutor agreement.

Does the Advanced Diploma in Professional Writing cover freelancing?

Yes. The client-management module covers scoping, pricing, contracting and the basics of UK freelance practice including IR35. Several graduates set up as freelance writers within six months of finishing.

Will the Advanced Diploma in Professional Writing help me get bid-writing work?

It is direct preparation. The bid-writing intensive uses real anonymised RFPs and is taught by tutors with active win records in UK public-sector and corporate tenders. Bid writing is one of the highest-demand specialisms graduates move into.

Can I study the Advanced Diploma in Professional Writing fully online?

Yes. The online route mirrors the on-campus curriculum with synchronous workshops, recorded masterclasses and the same final portfolio requirement. Distance-learning students work to extended structured deadlines with named tutor support.

Advanced Diploma in Professional Writing | LSJHML London | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The Advanced Diploma in Professional Writing at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a twelve-to-fifteen-month UK qualification for writers ready to move from confident generalists into specialist commercial practice. You will draft a winning bid response under timed conditions, write a software user-manual chapter to a release deadline, draft a CEO's letter to shareholders, and build a portfolio of paid-quality work across at least four distinct professional-writing genres.

The course is taught in dialogue with the standards of the Professional Copywriters' Network (UK) and the Society of Authors' professional-writer membership tier. The Advanced Diploma in Professional Writing is for people who write for a living and want to write for a better living.

Key Features

Bid-writing intensive — write to a live or anonymised RFP under realistic time pressure, with structured tutor review.
Technical-writing module covering software documentation, regulated-industry copy and accessible-language standards.
Corporate writing laboratory — board memos, internal comms, executive ghostwriting, change-comms drafting.
Editorial craft workshops on structure, tone, sentence-level precision and self-editing discipline.
Client-management module — briefs, revisions, scope creep, pricing your work, contract literacy.
Final portfolio — at least eight pieces across genres, plus a personal writing-services proposition document.

What You Will Learn

The Advanced Diploma in Professional Writing is structured around the working life of a paid writer — taking a brief, scoping a project, drafting under deadline, accepting revisions and delivering work fit for use. You graduate able to handle a corporate, technical or bid commission and account for every editorial choice you made.

Bid and proposal craft — RFP analysis, win themes, compliance matrices, executive summaries.
Technical writing — user manuals, online help, API documentation, regulated-industry copy.
Corporate and executive writing — board papers, internal comms, ghostwritten op-eds, annual report letters.
Marketing and brand writing — landing pages, email campaigns, case studies, customer stories.
Editorial process — brief, draft, structural review, line edit, fact-check, sign-off.
Plain-English and accessibility standards — readability metrics, alternative-text discipline, screen-reader-friendly structure.
Client management — scoping, pricing, contracting, revision discipline, professional escalation.
The freelance and in-house business — invoicing, IR35 basics, portfolio building, repeat-business strategy.

Who This Advanced Diploma Is For

Working copywriters and content writers wanting a structured credential and a richer specialist portfolio.
Career-changers from journalism, academia or the civil service moving into freelance or in-house commercial writing.
Communications and marketing staff taking on more substantive writing responsibility.
Engineers, scientists and product specialists moving into technical writing or product documentation roles.

Career Pathways

Professional writing covers a wide market — bid writing, technical writing, copywriting and corporate communications all hire specialists who can demonstrate craft and reliability. The Advanced Diploma in Professional Writing supports a move into specialist or senior roles across that market. Typical destinations include:

Professional Copywriter (agency, in-house, freelance)
Technical Writer (software, regulated industry, government)
Bid Writer (consultancy, services firm, public-sector tender team)
Corporate Editor (internal comms, executive office)
Communications Specialist (charity, FTSE, public body)
Senior Content Writer (publisher, brand newsroom, agency)

Graduates progress to a Higher Diploma in a related specialism or to a BA top-up in English, Communication Studies or Creative Writing at LSJHML or a partner university.

Entry Requirements

A UK Diploma (Level 4) or equivalent in a related subject, OR completion of secondary school plus one year of relevant work experience.
IELTS 5.5 overall (no band below 5.5) for non-native English speakers.
Personal statement, CV and a short writing sample.
Mature applicants (21+) without standard qualifications may apply with three years of relevant work experience.

Why Study at LSJHML

The London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London. Our programmes are designed in dialogue with working professionals — journalists, translators, civil servants, academics, broadcasters, editors, publishers and policy researchers — so what you learn in seminar on Monday is what your future employer is using on Tuesday. We deliberately keep cohorts small, give every student named tutor support, and treat employability as a structural part of every programme rather than an optional add-on.

London is the work — politics, courts, capital markets, theatre, broadcasting, publishing, public service, the global press. Your studies are taught in the same square mile where the stories you read about happen. Whether you join us on-campus, online or by distance learning, the city is your classroom and our industry network is your launchpad.