Professional development

Discover the Postgraduate Professional Development MA/MSc

The Postgraduate Awards in Professional Development (MA / MSc, PGDip, PGCert) is a part-time postgraduate course for professionals in almost any field of work.

The course allows professionals to create a bespoke Master’s degree, Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma that meets their needs and fits around their working lives. This is done by selecting modules from across a wide range of postgraduate courses, as well as undertaking negotiated projects that relate to their professional needs.

The Postgraduate Awards in Professional Development is a student-centred programme that combines the flexibility of online study, with access to taught elements of existing courses. It is designed around the needs of mid-career professionals, particularly those with specialist roles or interests, who have a clear idea of their developmental needs and have progressed beyond off-the-shelf programmes. Credit can be given for existing studies, and the course can be completed in anything between 2 and 8 years.

Employers can also design a programme of study for their employees, selecting elements of existing courses, or plan workplace projects that can support the achievement of a postgraduate award.

Professionals can achieve a Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Development (60 credits), a Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Development (120 credits) or complete a full 180-credit Master’s degree (MA or MSc depending on the balance of subjects studied).

How it works

The Postgraduate Awards in Professional Development can equip you with practical, academic and research skills through a flexible, modular structure centred on your needs. These enable you and, if appropriate, your employer /manager to tailor a programme of study that aligns with your specific skill development needs. The programme facilitates the recognition of acquired skills for academic credit and promotes broader access to and participation in higher education.  

Your course consists of 15, 30, 45 and 60 credit modules. With the support of your course leader, you will select the modules, and therefore, the number of credits you want to study in each semester and academic year. To put this another way- the duration of your course is dependent on credit value of modules you choose to study each year! The means there are many options for you to manage how and what your study, an illustration for the Master’s degree (180 credits) is provided below: 

Part-time over 3 years*

• Year 1 – 60 credits
• Year 2 – 60 credits
• Year 3 - 60 credits

* part-time normally requires registration for modules to a value of not more than 45 credits in a semester

Part-time over 4 years

• Year 1 - 45 credits
• Year 2 - 45 credits
• Year 3 - 45 credits
• Year 4 - 45 credits

Part-time over 5 years

• Year 1 – 30 credits
• Year 2 - 30 credits
• Year 3 – 30 credits
• Year 4 - 45 credits
• Year 5 – 45 credits

Part-time over 6 years

• Year 1 – 30 credits
• Year 2 - 15 credits
• Year 3 – 30 credits
• Year 4 - 30 credits
• Year 5 – 30 credits
• Year 6 – 45 credits

Part-time over 7 years

• Year 1 – 30 credits
• Year 2 - 15 credits
• Year 3 – 30 credits
• Year 4 - 15 credits
• Year 5 – 30 credits
• Year 6 – 15 credits
• Year 6 – 45 credits 

Maximum periods of registration 

The maximum periods of registration (periods in which you must complete your award) allow you flexibility to choose how many credits you want to study each semester or year: 

• PG Cert (60 credits): part time over a maximum of 3 years  
• PG Dip (120 credits): part time over a maximum of 6 years  
• MA / MSc (180 credits): part time over a maximum of 8 years  

General postgraduate professional development modules

• Introduction to Professional Development (MCPD4001) - Level 7 - 30 credits
• Negotiated Professional Development (MCPD4005, MCPD4006 and MCPD4007) - Level 7 - 15 credits
• Extended Negotiated Professional Development (MCPD4002, MCPD4003 and MCPD4004) - Level 7 - 30 credits
• Independent Study/Dissertation (Short) (MCPD4010) - Level 7 - 45 credits
• Independent Study/Dissertation (Long) (MCPD4011) - Level 7 - 60 credits