Which disciplines does the Higher Diploma in Humanities Research cover?

The methods training is interdisciplinary — archival, textual, interview, oral-history and digital humanities methods all apply across history, literature, philosophy, religious studies and cultural studies. Your dissertation can be in any humanities discipline.

Do I need an Advanced Diploma to enrol in the Higher Diploma in Humanities Research?

An Advanced Diploma in a humanities subject is the standard entry route, but mature applicants with senior-track research-adjacent work experience are welcome via the alternative entry route. The essay sample lets us match you to a supervisor.

Can I study the Higher Diploma in Humanities Research online?

Yes. Methods workshops, supervision and seminars run online with cohort discussion. Distance students complete archival work in local collections under tutor guidance, with at least one structured British Library or National Archives visit during the course.

What does the dissertation on the Higher Diploma in Humanities Research look like?

An 8,000-word original piece on a topic of your choice, agreed with your supervisor. Past dissertations have ranged from Victorian periodical culture to oral-history projects on London migration to digital-corpus analysis of contemporary political speech.

Will the Higher Diploma in Humanities Research prepare me for an MA?

Yes — this is one of its primary purposes. The methods training and the dissertation map directly to the entry requirements of UK humanities MAs, and the defended viva gives you experience of the academic conversation an MA student is expected to hold their own in.

Higher Diploma in Humanities Research | LSJHML London | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The Higher Diploma in Humanities Research at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a fifteen-to-eighteen-month UK qualification at near-undergraduate depth for students and professionals who want a serious research-methods credential alongside a sustained piece of original work. You will train in archival, textual, interview and digital research methods, work through a structured research-design process, and produce an 8,000-word dissertation under tutor supervision. Direct top-up into the final year of a UK Bachelor's degree at LSJHML or a partner university is available on completion.

This Higher Diploma is for the kind of person who wants to do research properly — not just write essays better. By the end of the Higher Diploma in Humanities Research you can design a humanities research project, execute it to credible academic standard, and write up findings that hold up against peer review.

Key Features

Sustained research dissertation — an 8,000-word original piece with tutor supervision and a defended viva at year end.
Methods core — archival, textual, interview, oral-history and digital humanities methods.
Research-design module — question formation, literature review, methods selection, ethics review.
Primary-source training using the British Library, the National Archives and digital collections.
Industry-led masterclasses from working academic, museum, parliamentary and editorial researchers.
Direct top-up into the final year of a UK Bachelor's degree at LSJHML or a partner university.

What You Will Learn

The Higher Diploma in Humanities Research is structured around the research process from question to write-up. You graduate able to design and execute a humanities research project at near-undergraduate-dissertation standard, with documented evidence of method.

Research design — question formation, literature review, methodology selection.
Archival method — finding aids, primary-source provenance, citation conventions.
Textual method — close reading, comparative reading, edition selection.
Interview and oral-history method — consent, recording, transcription, analysis.
Digital humanities — corpus tools, network analysis, basic computational text analysis.
Research ethics — consent, anonymisation, vulnerable participants, data protection.
Academic writing craft — structure, scholarly apparatus, voice in long-form research.
Public-facing research writing — translating findings for non-specialist audiences.

Who This Higher Diploma Is For

Advanced Diploma humanities graduates ready for a near-degree-level research credential.
Working professionals in editorial, museum, parliamentary or research roles needing formal methods training.
Career-changers preparing for postgraduate humanities or social-research study.
Adult learners wanting a substantial research project before applying for an MA.

Career Pathways

Graduates of the Higher Diploma in Humanities Research move into research, editorial and policy roles across academic, cultural and public-sector organisations. Typical roles include:

Humanities Researcher (think tank, university research office, parliamentary research)
Cultural Programme Coordinator (museum, archive, festival)
Policy Analyst (civil service, public-interest charity)
Lecturer (FE college humanities programme)
Editorial Researcher (longform magazine, broadcast factual, academic press)
Archivist (entry route, supported by specialist MA)

The Higher Diploma articulates directly into the final year of a UK BA in Humanities or related discipline at LSJHML or a partner university, and is excellent preparation for an MA in any humanities subject.

Entry Requirements

An Advanced Diploma (Level 5) or equivalent in a related subject, OR a Diploma plus two years of relevant work experience.
IELTS 6.0 overall (no band below 5.5) for non-native English speakers.
Personal statement, CV and a 1,500-word essay sample on a humanities topic.
Mature applicants (25+) without standard qualifications may apply with significant senior-track 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.