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

Course Fact File

Code	PDHW
Duration	9 Months
Teaching Mode	Part-Time
Qualifications	PG Dip
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.
Start Date	24 September 2024

Course Outline

The Postgraduate Diploma in Health and Wellbeing is delivered jointly by University College Cork (the co-ordinating institution) and Munster Technological University (MTU) in Cork. The Postgraduate Diploma is part of a new suite of Health & Wellbeing programmes, and also includes the Postgraduate Certificate in Health and Wellbeing, and the MSc in Health and Wellbeing.

The Postgraduate Diploma in Health and Wellbeing is a blended learning part-time course. It is designed to support those who already have a foundation in Health and Wellbeing to gain deeper knowledge and skills, and to develop themselves as leaders and experts in the area. Completion of the Postgraduate Diploma will allow you to understand and develop the interdisciplinary skills and competencies required to translate research into practical health and wellbeing applications.

The programme 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 Diploma is available as a part-time programme, taken over 9 months, and can be undertaken while in full-time employment. In addition to the 30 credits from the Postgraduate Certificate in Health and Wellbeing, students will take additional modules to the value of 30 credits.

Postgraduate Diploma Modules

• MX6015 Advanced Strategies for Enhancing Health and Wellbeing  (10 Credits)
• SPRTXX Digital Health and Wellbeing (10 Credits)

and one of the following elective modules:

• MX6016 Diversity, Inclusion, and Wellbeing (10 Credits)
• MH6014 Advanced Research Methods for Health Professionals (10 Credits) (complusory if you intend to progress to the MSc)

Postgraduate Diploma Learning Outcomes 

On successful completion of this Postgraduate Diploma students should be able to:

1. Identify factors involved in the application and adaptation of a health and wellbeing programme across organisational settings.
2. Critically assess opportunities and barriers to applying the research in real-life settings, through case studies and real-life examples.
3. Describe the evidence base supporting the benefits of inclusive environments at an individual and organisational level.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of how digital health technologies can be used to monitor, manage, and support health and wellbeing.
5. Discuss the application of digital health technologies to health and wellbeing promotion in organisational settings.
6. Describe a variety of methodologies, data analytical processes, and procedures to address a research question in the area of health and wellbeing.

Progression Route

Following successful completion of all of the assessments in the Postgraduate Diploma in Health and Wellbeing, a student may choose to progress to the MSc in Health and Wellbeing, subject to the approval of the programme team and College. 

A student who wishes to continue to MSc level must do so within five years from the date of first registration for the Postgraduate Certificate. Students intending to proceed to the MSc in Health and Wellbeing must complete Advanced Research Methods for Healthcare Professionals (MH6014) as part of the Postgraduate Diploma in Health and Wellbeing.  

The MSc in Health and Wellbeing involves the successful completion of 30 credits as follows:

Dissertation

• MX6017 Research Project in Health and Wellbeing (30 Credits) or
• SPRTXXX4 Research Project in Health and Wellbeing (30 Credits)

Progressing students will be assigned by the programme team to either MX6017 or SPRTXXX4 depending on the research area and designated project supervisor.

Course Practicalities

All modules are blended learning and, depending on the modules chosen, attendance in person at UCC or MTU Cork for four or five days will be necessary to fulfill all module requirements.

Depending on the modules chosen you are required to engage with online materials and attend in person for four or five days of workshops (to be held in UCC or MTU Cork), contribute to online discussions, link with peers, and complete personal reading and written assignments. Face-to-face commitment depends on the modules chosen (see individual module descriptors). Face-to-face and 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.

The Postgraduate Diploma in Health and Wellbeing 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 Diploma is a multidisciplinary, blended learning course, delivered jointly between the School of Medicine, UCC and the Department of Sport, Leisure and Childhood Studies at MTU, and students have the option to progress to complete the MSc in Health and Wellbeing. This allows you the flexibility of part-time study, with the possibility of choosing elective modules, enabling you to develop skills in your particular areas of interest.

Skills and Careers Information

This Health and Wellbeing programme 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 Diploma in Health and Wellbeing, our graduates could 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, as well as a myriad of other academic/educational roles.

Institution of Occupational Safety and Health

Applicants seeking a qualification which will prepare them to apply for occupational health and safety positions are advised to apply instead for IOSH-accredited postgraduate certificate and higher diploma options in Safety, Health and Welfare and Work in addition to the IOSH-accredited MSc in 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 and will also have successfully completed the UCC Postgraduate Certificate in Health and Wellbeing.  Applicants who have successfully completed a comparable postgraduate certificate in Health and Wellbeing, or an area of study cognate to this programme, from another institution, may also apply. 

Consideration under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) may also be given to applicants who do not meet the minimum academic entry requirements as stated above 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 your 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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