Can I take the Higher Diploma in Professional Writing online?

Yes. The online route mirrors the on-campus syllabus with live tutor sessions, recorded craft workshops and one-to-one portfolio review on every piece. Distance learners follow the same outcomes with milestone-based deadlines.

Is the Higher Diploma in Professional Writing suitable for freelancers?

Yes. A dedicated freelance practice module covers pricing, scope, contracts and client management. Many of our Higher Diploma in Professional Writing students are working freelancers using the credential to support rate increases and broader trade coverage.

Does the Higher Diploma in Professional Writing cover bid writing for public-sector contracts?

Yes. A dedicated module covers UK public-sector procurement (PQQs, ITTs, dynamic purchasing systems), grant applications and complex proposal writing — including the working knowledge of evaluation criteria a bid writer needs to win.

Higher Diploma in Professional Writing | LSJHML London | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The Higher Diploma in Professional Writing at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a fifteen-to-eighteen-month UK qualification for writers who want a serious working credential across the major professional writing trades — copywriting, technical writing, bid writing and corporate editing. The Higher Diploma is built for writers whose output earns money and whose careers depend on craft that travels.

The course is built around current Professional Copywriters' Network (UK) practice and Society of Authors guidance. By the end you will have a portfolio across the major professional-writing trades and a working understanding of how to price, scope and deliver writing that meets a client brief.

Key Features

Copywriting craft module — advertising, web, email, brand voice.
Technical writing module — software documentation, user guides, knowledge bases.
Bid writing module — public-sector procurement, grant applications, complex proposals.
Corporate editing workshops — annual reports, internal comms, executive briefings.
Freelance practice module — pricing, scope, contracts, client management.
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 Professional Writing is structured around the working trades a professional writer plies — and the discipline required to switch between them without losing voice or quality. You graduate able to copywrite a brand campaign, document a software product, write a competitive bid, and edit a corporate publication to publication standard.

Copywriting — advertising, brand voice, web, email, social.
Technical writing — software documentation, user guides, knowledge bases.
Bid writing — public-sector procurement (PQQs, ITTs), grant applications.
Corporate editing — annual reports, internal communications, executive briefings.
Plain English — Gunning Fog, Crystal Mark standards, the writing-for-government tradition.
Accessibility writing — WCAG-aligned text, alt text, plain-language standards.
Freelance practice — pricing, scope, contracts, client management, the awkward email.
Writing ethics — disclosure, sponsored content, attribution.

Who This Higher Diploma Is For

Advanced Diploma graduates in writing, communications or journalism moving into a senior professional-writing role.
Working copywriters, technical writers and bid writers seeking a recognised credential.
In-house comms and content professionals wanting a structured credential to support a senior promotion.
Career-changers from teaching, law or consultancy moving into professional writing.

Career Pathways

Graduates of the Higher Diploma in Professional Writing move into senior staff and freelance roles across agencies, in-house communications, technical writing teams and bid-writing functions. Typical roles include:

Professional Copywriter (agency, in-house, freelance)
Technical Writer (software firm, engineering, regulated industry)
Bid Writer (public-sector supplier, consultancy)
Corporate Editor (FTSE company, public body)
Communications Specialist (in-house, agency)
Senior Content Writer (publisher, brand-owned media)

The Higher Diploma articulates directly into the final year of a UK BA in Professional Writing or 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, CV and a short writing sample (a piece of published or commissioned work).
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.