Level 6 Diploma in Accounting and Business
For the person who already prepares the figures and wants to be the one who explains what they mean. Six units spanning law, performance, markets, audit, investment and a research project, at the level of a degree's final year.
Particulars
| Awarding body | OTHM Qualifications, an Ofqual-recognised awarding organisation |
|---|---|
| Level | 6 on the RQF; the level of an honours degree1 |
| Qualification type | Diploma. Not a degree. |
| Credits | 120, in six mandatory units of 20 |
| Total Qualification Time | 1,200 hours, of which 480 are Guided Learning Hours 2 |
| Ofqual number | 603/4018/63 |
| Duration | 9 months (standard) or 6 months (fast track) part-time; to be confirmed by LSPM |
| Study modes | Online, Blended, Evening classes (availability per intake to be confirmed) |
| Fees | From £999 (9 months, standard) or £1,299 (6 months, fast track) · how fees work |
| Next intake | Rolling intake — course starts when the fee is paid |
| Assessment | Written assignment per unit; no examinations |
The programmeWhat this diploma is
This diploma treats accounting as a way of understanding a business rather than as a set of procedures. Its six mandatory units move outward from the firm's legal framework, through the measurement of its performance and the markets it raises money in, to the assurance of its accounts and the management of its investment risk, before a research project pulls the threads together. It is an OTHM award at Level 6, regulated by Ofqual, and it is a diploma rather than a degree or a professional accountancy qualification.
The people who take it have usually spent years in a finance office, a practice or a business-support role, doing work that is accurate but bounded. What they lack is not competence but the licence to interpret: to say whether a set of accounts tells a healthy story, whether an audit approach is adequate, whether an investment is worth its risk. The assignments are built to grant that licence by making the learner exercise it, in writing, about a real organisation.
Two units deserve a word of warning. Corporate and Business Law asks for careful reading of statute and case rather than accounting arithmetic, and Financial Securities Markets assumes a willingness to learn how bonds, equities and derivatives are priced and traded. Neither is beyond a numerate adult, but neither is bookkeeping, and applicants should expect to read.
StructureUnits and credits
Six mandatory units; no optional units. Titles and credit values as published by OTHM.2
| Unit | Credits |
|---|---|
| 01Corporate and Business Law | 20 |
| 02Business Performance Measurement | 20 |
| 03Financial Securities Markets | 20 |
| 04Audit and Assurance | 20 |
| 05Business Research Project | 20 |
| 06Investment and Risk Management | 20 |
| Total | 120 |
The order in which LSPM runs the units is LSPM's decision and should be confirmed with its admissions team. Read as a set, the units pair naturally: Corporate and Business Law with Business Performance Measurement, since one gives the vocabulary of the firm and the other the vocabulary of its results; Financial Securities Markets with Investment and Risk Management; Audit and Assurance once a learner can read accounts critically; and the Business Research Project last, usually as an investigation into a financial question inside the learner's own organisation.
AdmissionEntry requirements
OTHM sets the entry criteria; LSPM applies them. As published:2
- Relevant NQF/QCF/RQF Level 5 diploma or equivalent recognised qualification
- Mature learners (over 21) with management experience (learners must check with the delivery centre regarding this experience prior to registering for the programme)
- Learner must be 18 years 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
In practice, applicants to this diploma divide into two groups. Those holding a Level 5 award in accounting, business or finance are admitted by LSPM on the certificate. Those relying on experience, who are the majority, need to show LSPM sustained responsibility for financial work: preparing management accounts, running a ledger function, supporting an audit, or managing a budget of real size. A bookkeeping certificate with several years of practice is a common and acceptable background; a purely administrative role with no financial content is not.
If you are unsure which route applies to you, enquire and say so; working that out is what the advice call is for.
MethodHow you are assessed
Each unit is assessed by a written assignment against OTHM's criteria. In this diploma the assignments lean towards analysis of documents: a set of published accounts to be evaluated, a legal scenario to be advised on, an audit plan to be designed and justified, an investment proposal to be appraised. The research project is typically a 6,000 to 8,000 word study of a financial or performance question, with a literature review, a method and a discussion of findings.
The general arrangements for marking, moderation, feedback and resubmission are described on the how LSPM teaches page.
Time, honestly estimated
The published figure is 1,200 hours, 480 of them guided and 720 your own. Spread across the period you choose:
| If you finish in | Hours per week |
|---|---|
| Twelve months | about 23 |
| Eighteen months | about 15 |
| Twenty-four months | about 12 |
AfterwardsProgression
Holders of this diploma most often seek a top-up to a bachelor's degree in accounting and finance, or in business with an accounting pathway. The 120 Level 6 credits and the subject match make this a straightforward mapping for universities that admit with advanced standing, and the audit and investment units in particular correspond to common final-year modules. Direct admission is usual where the university recognises OTHM awards; some ask for a bridging module in financial reporting standards.
Others use the diploma to approach a professional accountancy body. It does not confer membership of any, and any exemptions from professional examinations are for the body concerned to grant and to withdraw. My advice to every applicant is to obtain a written answer from the body before enrolling if exemptions are the point of the exercise.
The mechanics of advanced standing, and the questions admissions tutors ask, are on the top-up degrees page.4 Slot: universities holding a current progression agreement for this award, verified before publication.
Not everyone wants the bachelor's. The other direction from here is a Level 7 diploma, at master's level, described on the companion site for Level 7 diplomas.
FitWho it suits, and who it does not
A good fit if you
- work in a finance function or practice at assistant or officer grade and want the analytical standing of the grade above;
- hold a Level 5 award in business or accounting and want a subject-specific Level 6 award rather than general management;
- intend to top up to an accounting and finance degree and need the Level 6 credit to apply.
A poor fit if you
- want a professional accountancy qualification; this is a route towards one at most, not a substitute for one;
- have no financial work behind you and no Level 5 award; a Level 4 or 5 accounting diploma is the right starting point;
- need a degree certificate for a specific purpose now; this award is set at that level but is not that award.
QuestionsAsked about this programme
Does this diploma give exemptions from ACCA or CIMA papers?
That is for the professional bodies to decide, and their exemption lists change. Some OTHM awards have attracted exemptions in the past; this page does not restate them because nobody outside the body can guarantee them. Ask the body directly, quoting the Ofqual number 603/4018/6, and get the answer in writing.
How much mathematics is involved?
Competent arithmetic and a willingness to work with ratios, discounting and basic statistics. Financial Securities Markets and Investment and Risk Management involve valuation calculations; nothing requires calculus. If you can build a spreadsheet model and understand what it is doing, you are equipped.
Can I use my employer's accounts for the assignments?
Yes, with the employer's agreement, and it makes for better work. Where confidentiality prevents it, the assignments can be written about a listed company using its published annual report, which several units are designed to accommodate.
Is the Corporate and Business Law unit about English law only?
The unit is framed on the law of England and Wales, which is the jurisdiction the specification assumes. Learners based elsewhere may compare their own jurisdiction in assignments where the brief allows, but the assessment criteria are met with reference to the framework taught.
What is the difference between this and the Business Management diploma?
This award is a finance specialism: law, measurement, markets, audit and investment. The Business Management diploma is general: operations, people, finance for decision-makers, sustainability and HR strategy. If your next role is in a finance function, choose this; if it is in general management, choose that.
Documents and application
Applications are made on London School of Planning and Management's own website, not this site; this site is LSPM's independent recruitment agent. Most people enquire first; the apply link is for those who have already had that conversation.
Brochure slot. The programme brochure (PDF) belongs to LSPM, is to be supplied by LSPM, and will replace this anchor.
Notes and sources
- GOV.UK, list of qualification levels (Level 6 includes honours degrees). ↩
- OTHM, OTHM Level 6 Diploma in Accounting and Business : qualification specification (PDF) consulted 30 September 2026; qualification page at othm.org.uk. Source for units, credits, hours and entry wording. ↩
- Ofqual, Register of Regulated Qualifications, qualification number 603/4018/6. ↩
- QAA, Higher Education Credit Framework for England (credit volumes; advanced standing). ↩