Higher Diploma in Social Policy (online)

Overview

Status: Active
National Framework Of Qualifications (NFQ) Level: 8
NFQ Award Class: Major Award
Duration Full Time: 1 Academic Year(s)
Duration Part Time: 2 Academic Year(s)
Total Credits: 60
Delivery Method: Online

Connected Curriculum:
  • Civic and Community Engagement
  • Employability
  • Global Reach
  • Inter-and Transdisciplinary
  • Research Based Teaching
  • Sustainability

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
  • No Poverty
  • Good Health and Well-being
  • Quality Education
  • Gender Equality
  • Decent Work and Economic Growth
  • Reduced Inequality
  • Sustainable Cities and Communities
  • Climate Action
  • Peace Justice Strong Institutions

Graduate Attributes:
  • Creator, evaluator and communicator of knowledge
  • Digitally Fluent
  • Effective global citizen
  • Independent and creative thinker
  • Socially Responsible

Work-Integrated Learning (Including Placement):
No

The Higher Diploma in Social Policy (Online) is directed at graduates without a background in the social policy, who are seeking a conversion course to gain access to an array of professional courses for which social policy is a requirement.

The programme is delivered online (asynchronous/anytime) and can be taken over the course of one year (full-time) or two years (part-time). The Higher Diploma in Social Policy (Online) is designed to be flexible, to attend to students' employment and care responsibilities. Pre-recorded content is released on a weekly basis to allow students to design a study schedule around their other responsibilities. 

The programme involves a series of modules designed around short lectures. The short lectures are approximately 8 to 12 minutes in length and will engage students with theory, practice, and research, at the heart of social policy. Core readings and rich media resources will complement the short lecture series. All academic work conducted on the programme is desk-based involving analysis of literature, society, policy, and reports.

Students take 60 credits. To avoid workload imbalance, students can take up to and no more than 35 credits in either semester.

Programme Requirements

For information about modules, module choice, options and credit weightings, please go to Programme Requirements.