UK Level 7/8 Diploma Questions

[lincolnlawyer]

They are not Ofqual accredited qualifications.

I haven’t gone through all, but LSIB is not OFQAUL accredited because, in this case, it gets it’s accreditation authority from Scotland. OFQUAL only applies to England and Wales, and SQA is essentially OFQAUL’s Scottish equivalent. 

The way qualifications work in the UK, as for as I understand, is that OFQUAL or SQA doesn’t grant accreditation directly to a program, unless it’s through a university. Educational providers are recognized by agencies acting in proxy of OFQUAL and SQA and thereby given the power to grant accredited awards.

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I don’t think a “level 8 diploma” is equivalent to a degree in any sense. It is rather unique because under the UK system, graduate credits can count towards a certain level of studies (e.g., level 8 = doctoral; level 7 = master’s) without earning a full degree.

Take a law conversion course as an example. If you complete 120 UK credits, you’ll receive something commonly known as a “(post)graduate diploma in law” which is essentially an LLM but ABD.

Similarly, then, a Level 8 Diploma means you’ve completed a good portion of doctoral coursework, but certainly not enough to be awarded a PhD. I’ve read that in many cases a Level 8 Diploma leads to preferential treatment in DBA programs in the UK and US, which means exemption from part of the coursework/externship.

Anyhow, what LISB offers is not a PhD, but rather a “shortcut” to a doctoral degree because they offer the level 8 diploma at a cheaper price and a shorter time span.

If you are considering transferring this into a US university for a DBA/PhD, note that it is fully accredited but you might need to check with the university to see if they accept coursework done with an education provider (not university).