Business and Management · Awarded by OTHM
Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership
Six units at master's level for managers who already carry strategic responsibility and want it recognised, sharpened and, if they choose, taken on to an MBA.
- LevelRQF Level 7Same level as a master's
- Credits120six units
- Qualification time1,200 hours600 guided learning hours
- Awarding bodyOTHMRegulated by Ofqual
- Ofqual number603/2181/7Search the Ofqual register
- Duration9 months (standard) or 6 months (fast track)Set by LSPM, confirmed on enquiry
- Study modesonline or blendedLive seminars, evenings and Saturdays
- FeesFrom £999 (9 months, standard) or £1,299 (6 months, fast track)Written quotation on enquiry
- Next intakeRolling intake — course starts when the fee is paidSet by LSPM
- AssessmentAssignmentsNo examinations
Who it is for
Managers who already make strategic decisions
This diploma is built for people who run a function, a site or a business unit and are expected to turn strategy into results. Typical learners are heads of department, operations directors, senior clinicians or officers with management remits, founders of established businesses, and managers being prepared for a board or executive role.
The work is applied. Every assignment asks you to analyse your own organisation, or one you know well, and to argue for a course of action with evidence. If you have spent years making decisions without the frameworks to explain them, this programme gives you both the language and the discipline.
It is not an introduction to management. If you are new to leading people, a Level 5 or Level 6 qualification is a better starting point, and we will say so on your advice call.
Structure
Four mandatory units, then two of your choosing
You complete the four mandatory units and choose from the six optional units to reach 120 credits in total. Unit titles and credit values are from the awarding body's specification.
Mandatory units All four required
| Unit | Credits |
|---|---|
| Strategic Management | 20 |
| Strategic Leadership | 20 |
| Strategic Human Resource Management | 20 |
| Advanced Business Research Methods | 20 |
| 80 credits from mandatory units. | |
Optional units Choose any two
| Unit | Credits |
|---|---|
| Strategic Financial Management | 20 |
| Supply Chain and Operations Management | 20 |
| Entrepreneurship and Innovation | 20 |
| Globalisation and Corporate Governance | 20 |
| Strategic Change Management | 20 |
| Strategic Marketing | 20 |
| LSPM runs the optional units it has enough learners for in each intake; ask LSPM to confirm availability in writing before you enrol. | |
Unit titles and credit values: OTHM Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership (OTHM), official specification, Ofqual 603/2181/7.
How LSPM sequences them
LSPM runs the four mandatory units first, opening with Strategic Management and Strategic Leadership because they set up the vocabulary the rest of the programme relies on. Advanced Business Research Methods comes fourth so that the research skills are fresh when you reach the two optional units, which LSPM confirms before enrolment based on the combinations it has enough learners for in each intake. Strategic Financial Management and Strategic Change Management is the pairing most general managers choose; Supply Chain and Operations Management suits operations leads; Globalisation and Corporate Governance suits people heading for board roles.
Entry requirements
Who can enrol
OTHM sets the entry requirements and London School of Planning and Management, the approved centre, applies them. As published in the specification:
- An honours degree in related subject or UK level 6 diploma or an equivalent overseas qualification
- Mature learners with management experience (learners must check with the delivery centre regarding this experience prior to registering for the programme)
- Learners must be 21 years old or older at the beginning of the course
- English requirements: If a learner is not from a majority English-speaking country must provide evidence of English language competency. For more information visit English Language Expectations page in this website.
How LSPM applies this in practice. For the experience route LSPM asks for a CV and a short statement of your management responsibilities, and one of its tutors speaks with you before it confirms a place. In our experience LSPM would rather turn down an application than enrol someone who is not ready for Level 7 writing, and we will tell you frankly if we think that is the risk.
Entry requirements from the official specification. If you are not sure whether your qualification counts as equivalent, send us the details and we will ask LSPM to check with the awarding body.
Assessment
Written assignments, no examinations
Each unit ends with an assignment set against the unit's learning outcomes and assessment criteria. Most take the form of an extended report that analyses a real organisation and recommends action; the brief and word guidance for each unit are issued at the start of that unit. There is no examination at any point.
Your tutor at LSPM marks the work and gives written feedback. OTHM then externally verifies a sample of marked work to confirm the standard is being applied consistently. A unit is passed when all of its criteria are met.
Progression
From diploma to top-up with advanced standing
With 120 Level 7 credits, holders of this diploma can be admitted by a recognising university directly to the final stage of an MBA or a related master's, usually the 60-credit dissertation or consultancy project. This is what advanced standing means: the university credits your diploma against the taught stage of its degree.
Each university decides whether to accept the diploma, what else it asks for, what it charges and when it starts. Neither LSPM, the approved centre, nor this site confers degrees or can guarantee any admission. In the meantime, your advice call includes a frank conversation about realistic top-up options.
Many learners stop at the diploma. It is a complete, regulated qualification, and for a working manager the recognition and the thinking it brings are often the point.
Progression note for employers. If you are sponsoring a manager with a master's as the eventual goal, budget the top-up separately and check the university's terms before you commit. The diploma stage is where LSPM's fees and timetable apply; the top-up stage is the university's. How the pathway works.
Outcomes
What you will be able to do
- Set and defend a strategyAnalyse an organisation's position, evaluate strategic options and present a reasoned case to a board or executive team.
- Lead through othersChoose a leadership approach for a given context, and show how culture, engagement and ethics affect performance.
- Align people with strategyDesign workforce, talent and reward approaches that support strategic aims rather than sitting beside them.
- Research with rigourFrame a business question, choose a method, gather and analyse evidence, and write it up to postgraduate standard.
- Specialise in two areasFinance, operations, innovation, governance, change or marketing, according to the optional units you choose.
- Progress with creditHold 120 Level 7 credits that recognising universities can count towards a master's degree.
Fit
Likely to suit, and better served elsewhere
Likely to get a lot from it
- Heads of function or business unit who are asked for strategy, not only delivery.
- Managers being prepared for an executive or board role within the next two years.
- Founders of established businesses who want the frameworks behind decisions they already make.
- Sponsored cohorts where an employer wants one leadership programme several managers can take together.
Better served by something else
- First-line managers or team leaders new to leading people; Level 5 or Level 6 is the right start.
- Anyone who needs an MBA award at the end of this programme alone; the top-up stage is where that happens.
- Learners who want to specialise in one function such as finance or HR; a specialist Level 7 diploma will serve you better.
Real learner quotation to be supplied. This slot must not be published until a named graduate has given written consent.
Programme questions
Frequently asked
How long does it really take?
The awarding body designs the diploma to be completed in one academic year of full-time study, and it allows part-time and distance delivery. At 1,200 hours of total qualification time, a working manager studying around 12 hours a week should plan for about two years; at 23 hours a week, one year is possible. LSPM's confirmed duration options will appear in the facts panel above once LSPM publishes them.
Can learners choose which optional units they take?
Yes, from the six listed, subject to LSPM running them in your intake. LSPM confirms which optional units are available before you enrol; we can advise on combinations that suit your role or your sponsor's priorities.
Is this the same as the Qualifi Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership?
No. They share a title, level and credit value but are separate regulated qualifications from different awarding bodies, with different units and Ofqual numbers. This page describes the OTHM diploma, 603/2181/7. The Qualifi diploma has ten fixed units and its own page on this site.
What does the certificate say?
The certificate is issued by OTHM and states the full qualification title, the level and the Ofqual qualification number. The London School of Planning and Management (LSPM) is named as the delivering centre. It does not carry the words master's or MBA.
Can an employer pay, and are instalments possible?
Yes to both, as LSPM has described its terms to us: LSPM invoices employers directly with a purchase order reference where needed, and offers instalment plans to self-funding learners. Fees and payment terms are LSPM's and will be published on this page once confirmed; until then, ask LSPM for a written quotation, and we can make the introduction through the enquiry form.
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