Is the Advanced Diploma in Storytelling and Narrative Studies a fiction-writing course?

No. It covers narrative across fiction, non-fiction, documentary, brand and interactive contexts. Pure fiction sits in our Creative Writing diploma. The strength of this course is the comparison across forms — and what each teaches the others.

Does the Advanced Diploma in Storytelling and Narrative Studies cover game and interactive narrative?

Yes. A dedicated module covers branching narrative, environmental storytelling, dialogue trees and immersive experience design. The portfolio project lets you produce work in this form if it's your area of interest.

What kind of portfolio do students produce on the Advanced Diploma in Storytelling and Narrative Studies?

Original short pieces in at least three different narrative forms — typically a long-form essay, an audio script, a brand-narrative piece and one interactive or game-narrative sample. The portfolio is built to support both employment and onward study applications.

Will the Advanced Diploma in Storytelling and Narrative Studies help me into a writers' room?

It builds the craft, the editing discipline and the portfolio a junior story role typically requires. UK writers' rooms remain competitive — your samples and reading record carry equal weight with the credential. Several graduates each year move into story-editor and narrative-designer roles.

Advanced Diploma in Storytelling & Narrative Studies | LSJHML | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The Advanced Diploma in Storytelling and Narrative Studies at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a twelve-to-fifteen-month UK qualification for writers, producers, brand strategists and interactive designers who want a rigorous grounding in narrative craft. You will study how stories work across forms — print, podcast, screen, brand, game — and produce a portfolio of original work that demonstrates your range and your editorial discipline.

Storytelling is a misused word in industry. The Advanced Diploma in Storytelling and Narrative Studies treats it as a craft with rules, traditions and consequences. By the end you can structure a narrative with intent, edit your own work against a reader, and explain why one structural choice serves the story better than another.

Key Features

Cross-form portfolio project — produce original short pieces in at least three forms (long-form essay, audio script, brand narrative, interactive piece).
Narrative theory module — classical poetics, modern narrative theory, contemporary platform-native forms.
Story-editing clinics — develop and edit each other's work under tutor supervision, learning to read like an editor.
Three study modes — on-campus in central London, fully online with cohort sessions, or distance learning with structured deadlines.
Industry-led masterclasses from working documentary writers, narrative designers, story editors and brand storytellers.
Credit transfer into the final year of a UK Bachelor's degree at LSJHML or a partner university.

What You Will Learn

The Advanced Diploma in Storytelling and Narrative Studies is structured around the working practice of someone making narrative for a living — premise, structure, character, voice, edit. You leave with a portfolio that shows you can take an idea, find the form it wants, and make it land for an audience.

Narrative theory — classical and modern frameworks, situated against contemporary practice.
Long-form prose craft — premise, structure, voice, scene, transition.
Audio storytelling — narrative podcast, scripted audio, sound as story tool.
Screen storytelling — documentary narrative, factual scripting, treatment writing.
Brand and applied narrative — narrative for organisations, ethics of brand storytelling.
Interactive narrative — game, immersive experience, branching structure.
Story editing — developing other writers' work with discipline and care.
Narrative ethics — consent, fictionalisation, the line between story and spin.

Who This Course Is For

Diploma-level graduates in writing, journalism, media or related fields ready for senior-track narrative work.
Working writers, producers and editors wanting a structured craft credential.
Brand and content strategists moving into narrative leadership roles.
Narrative designers, game writers and immersive-experience makers wanting humanities grounding.

Career Pathways

Graduates of the Advanced Diploma in Storytelling and Narrative Studies move into narrative-led roles across UK creative industries. Typical roles include:

Narrative Designer (game studio, immersive theatre, interactive agency)
Story Editor (production company, podcast network)
Brand Storyteller (in-house brand team, content agency)
Documentary Writer (factual production, current-affairs strand)
Story Consultant (publishing, broadcast, brand)
Audio Drama Producer (BBC Sounds, independent audio fiction)

Graduates progress directly into the final year of a UK BA in Writing, Media or a related discipline 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 writing sample (1,500–2,500 words) in any narrative form.
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.