Is the Certificate in Professional Communication only for comms professionals?

No — it's broader. The Certificate in Professional Communication is built for any working professional who writes and presents at work. Analysts, project managers, technical specialists and team leads are typical students alongside dedicated comms staff.

Does the Certificate in Professional Communication include presentation skills?

Yes. The presentation clinic uses recorded practice with structured feedback — typically two or three recorded presentations across the course. The Certificate in Professional Communication treats presenting as a craft that improves with deliberate practice.

Can I study the Certificate in Professional Communication while working full-time?

Yes — most students do. The Certificate in Professional Communication is structured for working professionals, with evening tutorials, weekend sessions and flexible deadlines for online and distance students. Most working students finish within six months.

Is the Certificate in Professional Communication CIPR-recognised?

The Certificate in Professional Communication is structured in dialogue with CIPR and IABC competency frameworks. It is not a CIPR qualification specifically but is widely recognised by employers as credible structured training. CIPR membership applications often look favourably on it.

How long does the Certificate in Professional Communication take?

Three months full-time or six months part-time. Distance-learning students typically finish within nine months. Admissions can confirm the next intake and a study plan to fit your schedule.

Certificate in Professional Communication | LSJHML London | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The Certificate in Professional Communication at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a short, practical UK qualification for working professionals who want to write, present and engage more effectively in the workplace. Over three to six months you will sharpen written communication for email, report and briefing, learn to present clearly to senior audiences, and work through structured stakeholder-communication frameworks used in regulated UK workplaces.

The Certificate is built in dialogue with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and the International Association of Business Communicators, and assumes that professional communication is a discipline worth taking seriously — because the people who do it well get promoted, and the people who don't, don't.

Key Features

UK-recognised entry-level credential in workplace and stakeholder communication.
Business writing module — emails, briefings, reports and executive summaries in the clear, structured forms senior audiences expect.
Presentation skills clinic with recorded practice and structured feedback.
Stakeholder-mapping module covering political, regulatory, customer and employee audiences.
Three flexible study modes — on-campus in central London, fully online with cohort sessions, or distance learning.
Three short assessments — a written brief, a recorded presentation and a stakeholder analysis.

What You Will Learn

The Certificate in Professional Communication is structured around the working communication needs of a modern professional — write clearly, present credibly, engage stakeholders thoughtfully. You finish able to write a briefing your director will actually read, present without your slides doing the work for you, and map the stakeholders for any internal or external change.

Business writing — email, briefing, report and executive-summary craft.
Plain English — readability, structure, jargon reduction.
Presentation craft — structure, delivery, slide discipline, handling questions.
Stakeholder mapping — political, regulatory, customer, employee, supplier audiences.
Internal communications — change communication, leadership visibility, employee voice.
External communications basics — media relations, social presence, press office basics.
Crisis basics — holding lines, escalation thresholds, recovery framing.
Cross-cultural communication — register, formality, regional variation.

Who This Course Is For

Working professionals — analysts, managers, project leads — who write and present at work and want to do it better.
Career-changers from technical or specialist backgrounds moving into client-facing or leadership roles.
Public-sector staff working under Government Communication Service standards who want a structured external credential.
Mature applicants returning to work after a career break and wanting a confidence-building credential.

Career Pathways

The Certificate in Professional Communication is a foundation credential that strengthens applications and supports promotion across sectors. Typical progressions include:

Communications Officer (junior role, in-house, public sector, charity)
Project Manager (with stronger communication credentials for stakeholder work)
Internal Communications Assistant (corporate, NHS trust, regulator)
Engagement Officer (junior role, university, professional body)
Senior Specialist (any technical role with stronger communication framing)
Junior PR Account Executive (consultancy, in-house)

Credit from this Certificate counts toward LSJHML's Diploma in Communication Studies and Higher Diploma in Professional Communication and Leadership.

Entry Requirements

Minimum age 16.
Secondary school qualification (GCSE/O-Level or international equivalent).
IELTS 5.5 (or equivalent) for non-native English speakers.
No prior subject experience required.

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.