Business and Management · Awarded by Qualifi
Level 7 Diploma in Executive Management
An executive's curriculum: corporate strategy and finance, global trade, people, operations and quality, marketing and project management, with research and business reporting binding them.
- LevelRQF Level 7Same level as a master's
- Credits1208 units
- Qualification timeSee specificationGuided hours per specification
- Awarding bodyQualifiRegulated by Ofqual
- Ofqual number601/7656/8Search 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
Directors and those about to become one
Executive Management is the Qualifi diploma that most closely resembles the taught stage of an MBA in the range of subjects it covers. The eight units move from Corporate Strategy and Corporate Finance and Financial Strategy through Human Resource Practice, Leadership and Managing People, Global Trade and its Impact on Strategy, Operations, Quality and Supply Chain Management, Strategic Marketing and Project Management, with Research, Problem Solving and Business Reporting supplying the analytical method.
The learners it suits are already at or near director level: finance directors who want the rest of the executive picture, operations directors who need the finance, and people newly appointed to an executive team who have expertise in one function and gaps in the others.
It differs from the two strategic management and leadership diplomas in emphasis. Those centre on leadership and strategy formation. This one spends more time on the corporate finance and global trade dimensions, which is why we tend to recommend it to people in businesses that trade internationally or are owned by investors.
Structure
Eight units, all mandatory
All eight units are mandatory. Qualifi publishes the diploma's total of 120 credits; the data we hold does not state a per-unit credit value, so the table shows titles only and the specification is the authority.
Mandatory units All eight required
| Unit |
|---|
| Corporate Strategy |
| Corporate Finance and Financial Strategy |
| Human Resource Practice, Leadership and Managing People |
| Global Trade and its Impact on Strategy |
| Research, Problem Solving and Business Reporting |
| Operations, Quality and Supply Chain Management |
| Strategic Marketing |
| Project Management |
Unit titles: Qualifi Level 7 Diploma in Executive Management (Qualifi), official specification, Ofqual 601/7656/8.
How LSPM sequences them
Corporate Strategy runs first and Research, Problem Solving and Business Reporting runs alongside it, because the reporting standard it sets applies to everything that follows. Corporate Finance and Financial Strategy comes early for the same reason. LSPM places Global Trade and its Impact on Strategy in the middle of the programme and finish with Project Management, which asks you to plan a real initiative drawing on the preceding units. Per-unit credits are not in the data we hold for this qualification; the specification is the authority.
Entry requirements
Who can enrol
Qualifi sets the entry requirements and London School of Planning and Management, the approved centre, applies them. As published in the specification:
- Level 6 Qualification or;
- First Degree
How LSPM applies this in practice. The published route is a first degree or a Level 6 qualification. For applicants relying on executive experience instead, LSPM asks for evidence of board-level or equivalent responsibility and holds a conversation with a tutor before offering a place.
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
Written assignments for every unit, marked by LSPM's tutors against Qualifi's criteria and sampled by the awarding body. Several assignments take the form of a board paper or an investment case, which mirrors how executives actually communicate. No examinations.
Your tutor at LSPM marks the work and gives written feedback. Qualifi 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
Holders of this diploma may be considered by universities for advanced standing into the final stage of an MBA. Because the unit coverage is broad and finance-heavy, it maps reasonably onto the taught content of a general MBA, though every university makes its own judgement and neither LSPM nor this site guarantees anything on their behalf.
For many executives the diploma is the destination. It documents a broad management education at postgraduate level, which is frequently what a board or an investor is asking for.
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
- Shape corporate strategyEvaluate an organisation's strategic position and options at corporate, not only business unit, level.
- Read and set financial strategyAssess capital structure, investment appraisal and funding options and argue for a financial strategy.
- Trade across bordersAnalyse how international trade, regulation and currency affect a company's strategic choices.
- Run operations to a quality standardDesign operations, quality and supply chain approaches that support the strategy.
- Report to a boardResearch a business problem and write it up as a decision paper an executive team can act on.
- Deliver a projectPlan, resource and govern a strategic project from case to close.
Fit
Likely to suit, and better served elsewhere
Likely to get a lot from it
- Newly appointed executives with depth in one function and gaps elsewhere.
- Directors in businesses that trade internationally or are investor-owned.
- Senior managers whose next role is on the board.
Better served by something else
- Managers below senior level; the assignments assume executive vantage.
- People whose interest is leadership development rather than corporate management; a strategic leadership diploma fits better.
- Anyone who wants optional units; this programme has a fixed structure.
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 is this different from the Strategic Management and Leadership diplomas?
It is broader across the corporate functions and heavier on finance and international trade. The strategic management diplomas spend more time on leadership and strategy formation. If you cannot decide, tell us about your role and we will recommend one.
Do I need a finance background?
No, but you should be comfortable with numbers. Corporate Finance and Financial Strategy assumes you can read a set of accounts; it teaches the strategy, not the bookkeeping.
Is the qualification current?
The specification we hold was published by Qualifi in October 2020 and the qualification is listed on the Ofqual register under 601/7656/8. We check the register before every intake and will update this page if the status changes.
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