Twice the credit
A Level 5 Diploma carries 120 credits, all at Level 5. An Extended Diploma carries 240: in the OTHM specifications that label their units, 120 at Level 4 followed by 120 at Level 5.
The Extended Diploma is the 240-credit form of a Level 5 qualification: the Level 4 stage and the Level 5 stage delivered under one registration, with one fee schedule and one certificate at the end. This page explains how the two stages fit, then lists every Extended Diploma in the catalogue.
A Level 5 Diploma carries 120 credits, all at Level 5. An Extended Diploma carries 240: in the OTHM specifications that label their units, 120 at Level 4 followed by 120 at Level 5.
Because the Level 4 stage is included, the entry criteria ask for a Level 3 qualification (or two A levels, or relevant experience if you are over 21), not a Level 4 award.
You end at exactly the point a Diploma graduate does: Level 5, 240 credits across two levels, eligible to be considered for Level 6 or a final-year top-up.
9 of the 27 Extended Diploma specifications on this site assign a level to each unit. For those, the programme page splits the unit table into a Level 4 stage and a Level 5 stage.
For the remaining 18 programmes the awarding body's listing gives the units in a single sequence. This site shows them in that order and does not infer a stage split. The specification PDF, linked from every programme page, is the place to check.
Unit counts across all Extended Diplomas range from 8 to 19. A twelve-unit programme is not automatically "six plus six"; read the list.
13 from OTHM, 14 from Qualifi. Tick rows to compare, or open a programme for its unit table and entry criteria.
| Compare | Ofqual no. | Open | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 5 Extended Diploma in Accounting and Business12 units · Level 3 qualification or equivalent · facts only | OTHM | Extended Diploma | 240 | Accounting and Finance | 610/0728/6 | ||
| Level 5 Extended Diploma in Accounting and Finance12 units · Assessed by the centre; see specification · facts only | Qualifi | Extended Diploma | 240 | Accounting and Finance | 610/3329/7 | ||
| Level 5 Extended Diploma in Airline, Airport and Aviation Management12 units · Level 3 qualification or equivalent · facts only | OTHM | Extended Diploma | 240 | Tourism, Hospitality and Aviation | 610/6602/3 | ||
| Level 5 Extended Diploma in Business Management12 units · Level 3 qualification or equivalent | OTHM | Extended Diploma | 240 | Business and Management | 610/0335/9 | ||
| Level 5 Extended Diploma in Business Management12 units · Level 3 qualification or equivalent · facts only | Qualifi | Extended Diploma | 240 | Business and Management | 610/1675/5 | ||
| Level 5 Extended Diploma in Cyber Security12 units · Level 3 qualification or equivalent | OTHM | Extended Diploma | — ‡ | IT, Data and Cyber Security | 610/5102/0 | ||
| Level 5 Extended Diploma in Cyber Security11 units · Level 3 or Level 4 qualification · facts only | Qualifi | Extended Diploma | 240 | IT, Data and Cyber Security | 610/3296/7 | ||
| Level 5 Extended Diploma in Early Childhood Education12 units · Level 3 qualification or equivalent · facts only | OTHM | Extended Diploma | 240 | Education and Teaching | 610/4867/7 | ||
| Level 5 Extended Diploma in Education and Training Management12 units · Level 3 qualification or equivalent · facts only | OTHM | Extended Diploma | 240 | Education and Teaching | 610/1376/6 | ||
| Level 5 Extended Diploma in Education and Training Management12 units · Level 3 or Level 4 qualification · facts only | Qualifi | Extended Diploma | 240 | Education and Teaching | 610/3648/1 | ||
| Level 5 Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care11 units · Level 3 or Level 4 qualification | Qualifi | Extended Diploma | 240 | Health and Social Care | 610/3288/8 | ||
| Level 5 Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care Management12 units · Level 3 qualification or equivalent · facts only | OTHM | Extended Diploma | 240 | Health and Social Care | 610/0333/5 | ||
| Level 5 Extended Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Management8 units · Level 3 qualification or equivalent · facts only | Qualifi | Extended Diploma | 240 | Tourism, Hospitality and Aviation | 610/3386/8 | ||
| Level 5 Extended Diploma in IT-E-commerce12 units · Assessed by the centre; see specification · facts only | Qualifi | Extended Diploma | 240 | IT, Data and Cyber Security | 610/3477/0 | ||
| Level 5 Extended Diploma in IT-Networking12 units · Assessed by the centre; see specification · facts only | Qualifi | Extended Diploma | 240 | IT, Data and Cyber Security | 610/3475/7 | ||
| Level 5 Extended Diploma in IT-Web Design12 units · Assessed by the centre; see specification · facts only | Qualifi | Extended Diploma | 240 | IT, Data and Cyber Security | 610/3476/9 | ||
| Level 5 Extended Diploma in Information Technology12 units · Level 3 qualification or equivalent · facts only | OTHM | Extended Diploma | 240 | IT, Data and Cyber Security | 610/2571/9 | ||
| Level 5 Extended Diploma in Information Technology19 units · Assessed by the centre; see specification · facts only | Qualifi | Extended Diploma | 240 | IT, Data and Cyber Security | 610/3474/5 | ||
| Level 5 Extended Diploma in Law12 units · Level 3 qualification or equivalent · facts only | OTHM | Extended Diploma | 240 | Law | 610/1961/6 | ||
| Level 5 Extended Diploma in Law8 units · Assessed by the centre; see specification · facts only | Qualifi | Extended Diploma | 240 | Law | 610/3349/2 | ||
| Level 5 Extended Diploma in Logistics and Supply Chain Management12 units · Level 3 qualification or equivalent · facts only | OTHM | Extended Diploma | 240 | Logistics and Supply Chain | 610/0334/7 | ||
| Level 5 Extended Diploma in Networking and Cyber Security11 units · Assessed by the centre; see specification · facts only | Qualifi | Extended Diploma | 240 | IT, Data and Cyber Security | 610/3042/9 | ||
| Level 5 Extended Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety12 units · Assessed by the centre; see specification · facts only | Qualifi | Extended Diploma | 240 | Project, Risk and Safety Management | 610/6564/X | ||
| Level 5 Extended Diploma in Project Management12 units · Level 3 qualification or equivalent · facts only | OTHM | Extended Diploma | 240 | Project, Risk and Safety Management | 610/1776/0 | ||
| Level 5 Extended Diploma in Psychology12 units · Level 3 qualification or equivalent · facts only | OTHM | Extended Diploma | 240 | Psychology | 610/0402/9 | ||
| Level 5 Extended Diploma in Psychology12 units · Assessed by the centre; see specification · facts only | Qualifi | Extended Diploma | 240 | Psychology | 610/3465/4 | ||
| Level 5 Extended Diploma in Tourism and Hospitality Management12 units · Level 3 qualification or equivalent · facts only | OTHM | Extended Diploma | 240 | Tourism, Hospitality and Aviation | 610/0336/0 |
Data note. ‡ Credits are not stated in our source data for this programme; the value is in the awarding body specification, which the programme page links. "Facts only" marks pages where our commentary is not yet written; those pages carry the awarding body's data but are not offered to search engines until the notes are written. Ofqual numbers are as listed on the Ofqual register.
Where total qualification time is published (11 of the 27 programmes, all OTHM), it is 2,400 hours: guided learning, independent study and assessment for both stages together. Spread over two years that is about 23 hours a week; over three years, about 15. LSPM agrees a pace with you at enrolment, and the duration field on each programme page is filled in once LSPM confirms it.
For the Qualifi Extended Diplomas the total qualification time is stated in each specification rather than on its programme pages, so the programme pages here show "see specification" instead of a number. The guide on how long 240 credits take works through the arithmetic in more detail.
One data gap to note: the OTHM Level 5 Extended Diploma in Cyber Security has no credit total on the awarding body's listing. The specification states it, and the page is flagged until the listing is corrected.
The clearest way to see what the Level 4 stage adds is to put a Diploma beside the Extended Diploma in the same subject from the same awarding body. Pick a pair:
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.