Ready to fast-track your path to an MBA? The Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership is a postgraduate qualification designed for experienced professionals aiming to sharpen their leadership, strategic thinking,. As an MBA advanced entry course, it provides 120 of the 180 credits required to complete a full MBA, offering an accelerated route to postgraduate achievement.
With 30 interactive units and 8 written assignments, the programme delivers approximately 40 guided learning hours per unit, plus 30–50 hours of optional study resources, including readings, exercises, and self-assessments. Learners benefit from round-the-clock support and expert tutoring throughout. Upon successful completion, students can progress to an MBA top-up programme—either online or on campus—at a range of UK universities, typically completing a final dissertation or dissertation and one unit to earn the full MBA.
This Level 7 course deepens strategic insight and leadership capability across key business areas, including corporate strategy, change management, finance, and organisational development. Focused on advanced problem-solving and decision-making, it equips learners with the tools to lead effectively in complex and fast-paced business environments. Ideal for professionals aiming to step into senior leadership roles or pursue an MBA, the course offers a rigorous academic and practical foundation for success at the highest levels of business.
The Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership includes 8 comprehensive online units, each designed to equip you with the advanced strategic skills required to drive change, lead high-performing teams, and influence organisational direction in today’s competitive global marketplace. Upon completion, you will be well-positioned to progress to an MBA or take on senior leadership roles across a wide range of industries.
In this unit, you will explore how to evaluate and enhance team performance to align with your organisation’s strategic goals. You will engage with key management models and frameworks that help set and monitor departmental, project, and team objectives. Through discussion and application, you will learn how to build and lead high-performing teams that drive meaningful results.
This unit is designed to help you understand and confidently use financial information, even if you don't have a finance background. You will learn how to interpret financial reports, budgets, and forecasts to support sound decision-making. By the end, you will be equipped to contribute to financial planning and guide your team or organisation with greater financial awareness.
You will tackle the challenges of managing vast volumes of business data and information. This unit helps you develop the skills to analyse and apply relevant data to guide strategic decision-making. You will learn how to identify valuable information, draw insights, and use them to solve complex business issues and strengthen organisational performance.
In this hands-on unit, you will design and lead a strategic management project. From defining the research question to applying appropriate methodologies and analysing data, you will take the lead in producing actionable outcomes. This project allows you to demonstrate your ability to think strategically, manage a process, and present results that influence high-level decisions.
Here, you will delve into how strategic aims and objectives are developed and used to set direction for an organisation. You will explore how to measure success, assess progress, and respond to changes in your operating environment. This unit equips you with tools to evaluate different strategic options and consider when a shift in direction might be necessary.
This unit provides you with a critical understanding of marketing’s role in achieving strategic objectives. You will explore key marketing theories and models while developing insights into customer behaviour, segmentation, positioning, and pricing strategies. You will also learn how marketing contributes to competitive advantage in complex business environments.
Discover the value of strategic planning in this comprehensive unit. You will learn how to create a coherent strategic plan, engage stakeholders, and align organisational resources effectively. Emphasis is placed on evaluating the impact of your strategies and making data-driven adjustments to ensure ongoing success and stakeholder support.
This reflective unit focuses on your personal development as a strategic leader. You will assess your strengths and areas for growth, develop a self-aware and critical mindset, and learn how your actions influence organisational outcomes. You will also consider how external factors—such as culture and market conditions—shape your effectiveness in a leadership role.
The course is delivered entirely online, allowing you to start at any time and study at your own pace. Each unit includes 40 hours of guided online learning, supplemented by an additional 30-50 hours of optional materials, such as recommended exercises, readings, digital resources, and self-assessment tasks.
To complete the course, you will need to submit 8 online assignments per unit, each ranging from 2,000 to 3,000 words.
Throughout this Psychology course, you will have access to one-on-one tutor support, webinars, social learning forums, and additional resources designed to help you successfully complete your diploma.
The assessment grades will be Pass, Merit or Distinction:
The assessments are designed to help you apply management concepts in real-world workplace settings, enhancing your readiness for professional roles.
To successfully complete the course, you must pass all units by meeting the required assessment criteria. All assessment evidence undergoes internal evaluation and external verification to ensure quality standards are maintained.
Upon completing this course, you’ll have the opportunity to progress to an MBA programme offered by a selection of UK universities. The MBA top-up, which can be completed either online or on campus, typically comprises the final 60 credits and involves either a dissertation or a combination of a dissertation and one additional unit.
By successfully earning the Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership and completing the final stage of a recognised postgraduate degree, you’ll be equipped with the expertise to pursue senior roles in areas such as marketing, accounting, business consultancy, and beyond.
This diploma, followed by an MBA, will help you develop essential cognitive and professional skills—such as critical thinking, analytical reasoning, academic writing, numeracy, and effective communication—empowering you to make informed decisions and excel in complex business environments.