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1. Study
2. Postgraduate
3. Taught Courses
4. Postgraduate Certificates
5. Health and Wellbeing

Course Fact File

Code	PCHW
Duration	9 Months
Teaching Mode	Part-Time
Qualifications	PG Cert
NFQ Level	Level 9
Closing Date	Rolling deadline. Open until all places have been filled. Early application is advised.
Non-EU Closing Date	Open until all places have been filled or no later than 30 June. Early application is advised.
Course Delivery Method	Online
Start Date	24 September 2024

Course Outline

The online Postgraduate Certificate in Health and Wellbeing programme is delivered jointly by University College Cork, UCC (the co-ordinating institution) and Munster Technological University, MTU in Cork. The Postgraduate Certificate is part of our new suite of Health & Wellbeing programmes and on successful completion of the Postgraduate Certificate, you can progress to Postgraduate Diploma and subsequently MSc level.

The Postgraduate Certificate in Health and Wellbeing is designed to allow you to explore the evidence base underpinning the development and implementation of effective interventions and policies aimed at sustainable improvements in health and wellbeing, including in diverse organisational settings.

This suite of programmes will support and challenge participants from a range of professional and academic settings and contexts, including but not limited to the healthcare and biopharmaceutical industry, the wider health sector, social work, education, the voluntary sector, and many more. The Postgraduate Certificate is available as a part-time programme, taken over nine months, and can be undertaken while in full-time employment. Modules, to the value of 30 credits, are delivered online.

Certificate Modules

• MX6013 Contemporary Issues in the Field of Health and Wellbeing (10 Credits)
• MX6019 Health and Wellbeing across the Lifespan (10 Credits)

and one of the following two optional modules:

• MX6020 Innovations in Workplace Wellness (10 Credits)
• MX6014 Reflective Practice, Wellbeing, and Resilience (10 Credits)

Module Exemptions

Once registered, successful applicants who have completed relevant postgraduate modules in a cognate area at a similar NFQ level, may apply for exemptions for modules taken within the previous five years, subject to the approval of the programme team.  

Postgraduate Certificate Learning Outcomes 

On successful completion of this programme, you should be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of perspectives on the conceptualisation and measurement of health and wellbeing in a variety of settings.
2. Critically examine the understanding of resilience and well-being in the context of your own professional practice.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of lifespan approaches toward the study of resilience and individual wellbeing.
4. Summarise the basic principles of aerobic and anaerobic fitness and their relationship with health and disease.
5. Identify the issues that diverse organisations are facing in relation to stress management and health and wellbeing promotion.
6. Design and prepare a feasible and evidence-based workplace health promotion initiative to include an implementation and evaluation plan.

Progression Routes

Following successful completion of the Postgraduate Certificate in Health and Wellbeing, and subject to approval by the programme team, students may progress to the Postgraduate Diploma in Health and Wellbeing. A student who applies to continue to the Postgraduate Diploma level must do so within five years from the date of first registration for the Postgraduate Certificate.

MSc Health and Wellbeing

Progression to MSc is possible once all Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma assessments are successfully completed. 

Course Practicalities

You are required to engage with online materials, link with peers, plan, perform and reflect on module content, and complete personal reading and written assignments. Online work, including completion of online materials and contribution to discussions, is expected to take in the region of 40 lecture hours per 10-credit module (120 contact hours per 30-credit programme). Additional time should be spent on self-directed reading, planning, performing, and reflecting on course materials. The total estimated workload for each 10-credit module consists of 200 hours.

Students require the following skills and equipment:

• Basic computing and word processing skills.
• PC or a laptop with an up-to-date operating system capable of playing SCORM packages.
• High-Speed Broadband.

Online materials are delivered via Canvas, the UCC and MTU virtual learning environment (VLE). Orientation will be provided in the form of videos on how to use the VLE, library resources, and downloadable module handbooks. 

Why Choose This Course

The Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma and MSc in Health and Wellbeing is the only suite of programmes of their kind available nationally, totalling 90 ECTS credits. This suite can be completed over 3-5 years and is designed to suit busy professionals, including those working full-time, who want to learn flexibly.

Our multidisciplinary Postgraduate Certificate enables students to acquire the required knowledge and skills to develop and evaluate interventions and strategies to improve health and wellbeing. With an emphasis on innovation and translation of research into practice, the teaching and learning strategy is designed to be flexible, accessible, and responsive to emerging skills needs.

The Postgraduate Certificate is a fully online course, jointly delivered between the School of Medicine, UCC, and the Department of Sport, Leisure & Childhood Studies at MTU.

On successful completion of the Postgraduate Certificate, students have the option to progress to the Postgraduate Diploma and MSc in Health and Wellbeing, both of which are blended learning offerings. This gives our students the flexibility of part-time study, with the possibility of choosing elective modules, enabling them to develop skills in their particular areas of interest.

Skills and Careers Information

The Postgraduate Certificate is designed for professionals and practitioners across all sectors with an interest in the creation of health and wellbeing within society, sectors, and organisational settings. The programme will help to support you in your personal and professional development towards being health and wellbeing champions and advocates in your organisation.

On successful completion of the Postgraduate Certificate/Postgraduate Diploma/MSc suite of Health and Wellbeing programmes, our graduates can seek employment in the public or private sector including the health and biopharmaceutical industry, government departments, statutory bodies, voluntary sector, policy organisations, and higher education.

Job roles might include workplace wellbeing programme lead, community health and wellbeing officer, social prescribing coordinator, student wellbeing and welfare manager, student experience officer (student wellbeing), wellness and resiliency counsellor, as well as a myriad of other academic/educational roles.

Institution of Occupational Safety and Health

Please note that applicants who are seeking a qualification which will prepare them to apply for occupational health and safety positions are advised to apply instead for an IOSH-accredited postgraduate certificate and higher diploma options in Safety, Health and Welfare and Work in addition to the IOSH-accredited MSc Occupational Health programmes offered both fully online and in blended formats and operating within the APHEA-accredited School of Public Health at UCC.

Requirements

Applicants must have a Second Class Honours Grade 2 in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) in any subject. 

Consideration under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) may also be given to applicants who do not meet the above entry requirements but who have relevant experience. In such cases, the applicant must clearly set out the grounds upon which they wish to be considered in the motivation and readiness statement. To demonstrate relevant experience, applicants will be assessed on criteria including academic achievement, work experience, a personal statement and reference. An interview may also be required. 

Fees and Costs

How To Apply

Additional Requirements 

Please note you will be required to provide additional information as part of the online application process for this programme. This will include the following:

• Details of professional or voluntary positions held. We strongly encourage you to complete this section with all relevant work experiences that will support your application.
• In addition to declared qualifications, you will be asked to outline any additional academic courses, self-learning, and professional training relevant to this programme.
• You will be asked to describe your motivation and readiness for this programme.

The closing date for non-EU applications is Open until all places have been filled or no later than 30 June. Early application is advised.

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