Is the Diploma in Literature Studies a creative writing course?

No — it is a literary criticism and analysis course. Creative writing is taught separately at LSJHML. The Diploma in Literature Studies focuses on close reading, literary analysis and the critical essay, useful for editorial, teaching and academic progression.

Which literary traditions does the Diploma in Literature Studies cover?

The core focuses on twentieth- and twenty-first century English-language writing — British, Irish, American, postcolonial Anglophone — with substantial exposure to translated international fiction and poetry. Students can specialise their portfolio essays in any tradition with tutor sign-off.

Can the Diploma in Literature Studies be done online?

Yes. Live seminars run in UK working hours with recordings available; distance learners set their own pace within structured deadlines. The final essay portfolio is completed by all routes to the same standard.

What does the final essay portfolio for the Diploma in Literature Studies look like?

Two long essays (3,500–5,000 words each) on chosen texts and themes, supervised through draft and review. Past portfolio essays have covered post-2010 British fiction on class, the contemporary lyric tradition in translation, and the working essay form from Orwell to current practitioners.

Will the Diploma in Literature Studies progress to a Bachelor's degree?

Yes. Credit transfers into LSJHML's Bachelor's degree in English Language and Literature, with direct entry into Year 2 typical for strong students. Admissions reviews your portfolio and maps credits at the application stage.

Diploma in Literature Studies in London | LSJHML | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The Diploma in Literature Studies at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a nine-to-twelve-month UK qualification for editors, teachers, librarians and serious readers who want a rigorous training in close reading, literary analysis and the critical conversation around the contemporary canon. You will work across poetry, fiction and the longer essay form, write substantial analytical pieces, and finish with a portfolio of literary work fit for editorial or postgraduate progression.

The Diploma sits between the Certificate and the Bachelor's degree. It is the right level if you already read seriously and want disciplined, well-supervised analytical training without committing to a three-year undergraduate path.

Key Features

Career-ready UK qualification at Level 4 — nine to twelve months full-time, twelve to eighteen months part-time.
Close reading and analysis core — poetry, fiction, the longer essay form.
Modern and contemporary canon strand — twentieth- and twenty-first century writing across English-language traditions.
Literary criticism module covering current critical schools and the working critic's practice.
English Association and Society of Authors-aligned reading list, refreshed annually.
Final essay portfolio — two long essays (3,500–5,000 words) on chosen texts and themes.

What You Will Learn

The Diploma in Literature Studies is structured around the working skills serious literary readers actually need — close attention to text, defensible interpretation, awareness of the critical conversation, and the disciplined long essay. You finish with a portfolio of literary work that reads at degree-entry quality.

Close reading — poetry, prose, the longer essay form; technique and pattern.
Modern fiction — the novel from modernism to the contemporary global Anglophone novel.
Poetry from 1900 — modernism, the Movement, contemporary British and international poetry.
The literary essay — the working essayistic form, from Orwell and Hardwick to current practitioners.
Literary criticism — formalist, historicist, post-colonial, feminist, current eco-critical and digital approaches.
Genre and form analysis — the short story, the lyric, the longform memoir.
Working with editions and texts — variant editions, scholarly apparatus, the question of authorship.
Writing for literary publications — the review, the longform essay, the critical introduction.

Who This Diploma Is For

Working editors, copy-editors and assistants in publishing wanting structured literary training.
Teachers and librarians whose work touches literature and who want a recognised UK credential to formalise their reading.
Serious adult readers ready to take their literary engagement to academic standard.
Certificate-level humanities or literature graduates progressing toward a Bachelor's degree.

Career Pathways

Diploma in Literature Studies graduates move into editorial, teaching, librarianship and literary-criticism roles. Many continue to the Bachelor's degree in Literature or English. Typical roles include:

Editor (literary publisher, academic press, magazine)
Critic (literary press, longform review publisher)
Academic Researcher (research assistant, university literature centre)
Curriculum Designer (further education, sixth-form literature course, edtech)
Lecturer in Literature (entry-level, further education)
Bookseller or Librarian (specialist bookshop, public library, academic library)

The Diploma is the natural prerequisite for LSJHML's Bachelor's degree in literature or English language and literature.

Entry Requirements

Completion of secondary school (A-Levels, BTEC, or international equivalent).
IELTS 5.5 overall (no band below 5.0) for non-native English speakers.
Personal statement and a short writing sample (1,000–1,500 words on a chosen literary topic).
Mature applicants (21+) may apply with two 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.