How studying a Level 4 diploma works at London School of Planning and Management
Unit by unit, with a named tutor, assessed by assignment. This page describes LSPM's process as we understand it from the specifications, from LSPM's published information and from learners we have introduced. It is not a promise from us; anything that matters to you should be confirmed by LSPM before you enrol.
The shape of a programme
A 120-credit diploma is usually six units of 20 credits. LSPM teaches them one at a time rather than in parallel, in an order it sets for each intake; where the awarding body includes an academic writing or study skills unit, expect it to come first, because the assignments in every later unit depend on it. Each unit runs as a block of several weeks and follows a familiar pattern: guided reading, recorded or live sessions, a tutorial, a submission. The exact length of each block depends on the study mode and on LSPM's timetable for that intake.
Hours
The awarding body publishes a Total Qualification Time for each diploma, typically 1,200 hours for 120 credits, of which roughly half is guided learning and half is your own study. Spread over twelve months that is about 23 hours a week; over nine months, about 31. Evening-mode learners usually take the longer path. LSPM agrees a pace with you at enrolment; the registration period the awarding body allows is longer than the taught programme, so a delay is not a failure.
Study modes
LSPM currently lists the following modes for its Level 4 diplomas. Not every programme runs in every mode at every intake, so treat this as the menu rather than the guarantee.
- Online
- Teaching and support through LSPM's learning platform, with live sessions recorded. You set the pace within the registration period.
- Blended
- Online study with scheduled in-person sessions at LSPM for units that benefit from a room of people.
- Evening classes
- Live sessions timetabled by LSPM after working hours. Same content and assessment, at a steadier rhythm for people in full-time work.
Tutor support
Your tutor is a member of LSPM's teaching staff, not anyone connected with this site. Learners we have placed describe a named tutor for the programme, feedback on questions within a few working days, and comments on a draft before the marked submission. Those are LSPM's arrangements and LSPM can change them; ask admissions to confirm the current support model for your programme and study mode, and ask specifically about draft feedback if it matters to you.
Assessment
There are no examinations on any of these diplomas. Each unit closes with a piece of coursework written to the learning outcomes and assessment criteria in the awarding body's specification: usually a report, a case analysis or a reflective account about a real or simulated organisation, with the word count set out in LSPM's assignment brief.
Marking follows the pattern the awarding bodies require of every approved centre. Your LSPM tutor marks the work. A second member of LSPM's staff moderates a sample. The awarding body's external verifier then samples marked work from across the cohort. Certificates are claimed by LSPM only after that verification, which is why there is a gap of several weeks between your final submission and your certificate.
If an assignment does not meet the standard, you receive feedback identifying which criteria were not met and you resubmit. Whether a first resubmission carries a fee is set out in LSPM's learner agreement; check it before you sign.
From first message to first unit
Enquire
Fill in the form or ring us. Name the subject you have in mind, even loosely. This step is with us, the agent, not with LSPM.
Advice
We check your likely entry route against the specification, suggest a study mode and answer the awkward questions. Should you decide to proceed, we hand you over to admissions at LSPM.
Apply to LSPM
You upload proof of your Level 3 qualification, or a CV for the experience route, through Apply on the LSPM website on the programme page you chose (LSPM's portal opens that course only). LSPM assesses the application and makes the offer; we have no part in that decision.
Enrol with LSPM
LSPM registers you with the awarding body, gives you platform access and introduces your tutor. Unit one begins at the next intake. From here on, every conversation is with LSPM.
Your certificate
The certificate is issued by the awarding body, OTHM or Qualifi, and claimed on your behalf by LSPM. It carries the full qualification title and the Ofqual number, which anyone can check on the register. Ask LSPM whether it also provides a transcript listing units and credits; most centres do, and it is useful when you apply to a university.