Two qualifications with the same name in the title, the same Level 5 outcome and a factor of two between their credit values. The choice between them is decided almost entirely by what you already hold, so this page starts with the facts and ends with the question that settles it.
| Diploma | Extended Diploma | |
|---|---|---|
| Credits | 120 | 240 |
| Levels covered | Level 5 only | Level 4 and Level 5 |
| Total qualification time (where published) | 1,200 hours | 2,400 hours |
| Guided learning hours (where published) | 360–600 | 960–1,200 |
| Mandatory units in this catalogue | 4–12 | 8–19 |
| Programmes on this site | 29 | 27 |
| Usual starting point | Level 4 diploma, HNC or equivalent | Level 3 diploma, two A levels or equivalent |
| Registrations with the awarding body | One (Level 5) | One (both stages) |
| Certificates issued | Level 5 Diploma | Level 5 Extended Diploma, listing all units |
| Stand-alone Level 4 certificate | You already hold one | No; the Level 4 stage is part of the award |
| Eligible to be considered for Level 6 or a top-up | Yes | Yes |
Hours are OTHM's published figures; Qualifi states TQT in each specification rather than on its programme pages. Unit ranges are counted from the catalogue on this site, not from the whole of each awarding body's list.
The question that settles it: what is the highest qualification you can evidence today? Level 4 or above points to the Diploma. Level 3 points to the Extended Diploma. If the answer is "experience rather than certificates", LSPM decides under the awarding body's mature-learner clause, and the adviser will tell you which door is open.
26 Extended Diplomas have a 120-credit counterpart from the same awarding body in the same sector. Open a pair in the compare tool to see the unit lists beside each other.
Fees are set per programme by LSPM and published on the fees page once confirmed; until then every page says so rather than quoting a figure. What can be said now is structural: an Extended Diploma is priced as one programme and one registration, so a learner who would otherwise take a Level 4 diploma and then a Level 5 diploma is comparing one fee schedule against two.
On time, the OTHM figures are the useful anchor: 1,200 hours of total qualification time for a Diploma against 2,400 for an Extended Diploma. Neither number is a promise about calendar duration. The guide on how long 240 credits take turns those hours into weekly commitments at different paces.
Tell us your highest qualification and we will say which of the 120-credit Diploma and the 240-credit Extended Diploma LSPM's entry criteria open to you, and how to start the application.