Does the Higher Diploma in Magazine Journalism cover digital long-form as well as print?

Yes. The Higher Diploma in Magazine Journalism treats print magazines, longform digital titles and longform podcasts as parts of the same craft tradition. Production modules cover all three formats, with specialist focus possible in your chosen portfolio area.

Will the Higher Diploma in Magazine Journalism help me pitch to UK magazines?

Yes. Pitching is a core module — angle development, target-title research, pitch letter craft. Students often have pieces accepted by UK magazines during the course. Acceptance remains with the commissioning editors but the pitch craft is the same.

Can the Higher Diploma in Magazine Journalism be done online?

Yes. The online route uses live workshops, structured pitch-and-feature exercises and the same portfolio expectations as the on-campus Higher Diploma. Distance learners follow a self-paced schedule with regular tutor checkpoints.

What kind of portfolio will I build on the Higher Diploma in Magazine Journalism?

A specialist-title portfolio of at least four full-length features in your chosen vertical (culture, politics, business or lifestyle), with editor sign-off. Several students each year leave with published clips in UK magazines and longform digital titles.

Higher Diploma in Magazine Journalism | LSJHML London | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The Higher Diploma in Magazine Journalism at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a fifteen-to-eighteen-month UK qualification for journalists committed to long-form feature writing and magazine production. You will write feature pieces in multiple registers, learn how UK magazines and longform digital titles commission, and finish with a portfolio that holds up at section-editor interview.

Magazine craft is its own discipline — the angle is everything, the structure carries the reader through five thousand words, and the voice belongs to the writer rather than the title. By the end you can pitch a feature, deliver it to length, defend it through the edit and see it through to publication.

Key Features

UK Level 5/6 qualification in magazine journalism — fifteen to eighteen months full-time.
Long-form feature writing modules — profile, reportage, criticism, essay.
Commissioning and editor relationships — pitching, brief negotiation, edit process.
Magazine production modules — layout, image use, longform digital design.
Specialist title focus — choose a vertical (culture, politics, business, lifestyle) for your portfolio.
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 Magazine Journalism is structured around the working life of a feature writer and commissioning editor — read the title, pitch the angle, deliver to length, defend the structure. You finish able to publish in UK magazines and longform digital titles and contribute to a magazine team's commissioning process.

Long-form feature writing — profile, reportage, criticism, essay, longform interview.
Pitching — angle development, target title research, pitch letter craft.
Commissioning relationships — brief negotiation, edit process, contract basics.
Magazine structure — front, well, back; how the architecture of a title shapes a feature.
Image and design — image research, captioning, working with art editors.
Longform digital craft — pacing, multimedia integration, accessibility.
Magazine law — defamation in longform, privacy, contributor care.
Editorial standards — fact-checking standards, source attribution, accuracy logs.

Who This Higher Diploma Is For

Advanced Diploma graduates in journalism specialising in long-form feature writing.
Working magazine staff and feature writers wanting a senior-track credential.
News-trained reporters moving into feature work.
Freelance writers wanting a recognised credential to support pitching to UK magazines.

Career Pathways

Graduates of the Higher Diploma in Magazine Journalism move into feature-writing and section-editing roles across UK consumer and trade magazines, Sunday supplements, longform digital titles and longform podcast networks. Typical first or next roles include:

Magazine Features Writer (consumer or trade title)
Section Editor (national magazine, longform digital title)
Long-form Journalist (Sunday supplement, longform digital outlet)
Commissioning Editor (specialist magazine, vertical title)
Freelance Feature Writer (national titles, specialist verticals)
Longform Producer (podcast network, longform audio publisher)

The Higher Diploma articulates directly into the final year of a UK BA in Journalism or a related discipline at LSJHML or a partner university.

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 and CV; a feature writing sample is welcome.
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.