Diploma in World History
Course Overview
The Diploma in World History at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a nine-to-twelve-month UK qualification for students and adult learners who want a serious grounding in global history — early modern through to the present — with attention to historiography and primary-source method. You will read across regions and periods, learn how historical argument is constructed and contested, and produce a portfolio of essays plus a substantive source-based research piece.
This Diploma takes world history at its word — not as a European story with bolt-on chapters, but as a properly global pattern with multiple centres. By the end of the Diploma in World History you can read a historical argument critically, place a period or event in its global context, and write a research-based essay that respects the evidence.
Key Features
- Period coverage from the early modern period to the late twentieth century.
- Regional coverage across Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and the Middle East — not a European story with annexes.
- Historiography module — how historical argument is made, contested and revised.
- Primary-source method using the British Library, the National Archives and digital collections.
- Source-based research piece — a 4,000-word essay built around a primary-source set.
- Three study modes — on-campus in central London, fully online with cohort seminars, or distance learning with deadlines.
What You Will Learn
The Diploma in World History is structured around the working practice of a serious historian — reading, sourcing, weighing, writing. You graduate able to read across regions and periods, evaluate sources properly, and write history that does justice to the evidence.
- Global early modern history — encounter, empire, trade, the rise of the Atlantic world.
- Long nineteenth-century history — revolution, industrialisation, nationalism, imperialism.
- Twentieth-century history — wars, decolonisation, Cold War, late-century globalisation.
- Regional histories outside Europe — South and East Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas.
- Historiography — major historical schools and their contemporary critics.
- Primary-source method — types of source, provenance, bias, citation conventions.
- Comparative history — situating one region or event against another.
- Public history — translating historical argument for general readers.
Who This Diploma Is For
- Adult learners returning to history with serious purpose, mid-career.
- Students planning to top up to a BA in history, heritage studies or international studies.
- Working professionals in editorial, policy or cultural roles wanting historical grounding.
- Career-changers entering teaching, museum work or heritage management.
Career Pathways
The Diploma in World History is academic in orientation, but the credential and the research portfolio support routes into heritage, editorial and teaching careers. Typical roles where it adds direct value include:
- Historian (entry-level research role, public history project)
- Archivist (entry route, supported by specialist MA)
- Museum Curator (entry roles, community-history programmes)
- History Teacher (entry route, supported by PGCE)
- Heritage Researcher (local authority, National Trust, English Heritage)
- Editorial Researcher (longform magazine, history podcast, factual television)
The Diploma is the natural prerequisite for our Advanced Diploma in History and the BA in History or Heritage Studies.
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.
- 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.
Apply for the Diploma in World History
Apply today — admissions reply within one working day with a study plan tailored to you.
