UCD Professional Diploma in Creativity, Innovation and Leadership for Summer 2026

By the end of the Professional Diploma in Creativity, Innovation and Leadership, you will:

• Be inspired
• Gain an innovator’s mindset
• Build creative confidence via practical challenges
• Build your CV with a substantial innovation project module
• Develop your leadership skills to engage others
• Build a peer network of friends, contacts and collaborators
• Leave ready to apply your new skills to progress your career
• Have a Level 9 qualification from UCD

How To Apply

***Applications for our Springboard courses are currently closed and the next intakes will be starting from July 2026. Register your interest above and keep an eye on your inbox for updates on application opening dates, upcoming information sessions, and related events.***

This programme is funded through the Higher Education Authority Springboard+ Initiative*, with 90 – 100% funding available to eligible applicants, for full-time residents in the Republic of Ireland.

See the Springboard eligibility criteria here.

• FREE for eligible jobseekers receiving DEASP Payments
• FREE for returners to work and carers
• 90% subsidised (student pays €300) eligible individuals in employment or self-employment, and the formerly self-employed

If you are an international student or ineligible for Springboard funding, please contact a member of our recruitment team at innovation.academy@ucd.ie for assistance with direct application to the course. There is no alternative funding available for applicants who are ineligible for Springboard funding and are applying directly for this programme.

Please follow the steps below to apply for a Springboard funded place.

Step 1)

***Applications for our Springboard courses are currently closed and the next intakes will be starting from July 2026. Register your interest above and keep an eye on your inbox for updates on application opening dates, upcoming information sessions, and related events.***

Step 2)

Upload the required documents listed below:

A) Current CV

B) Letter of Motivation (one page), addressing the following:

• Why you want to do the course at this time
• What you hope to achieve from doing this course
• What you can contribute to this course

C) A copy of your academic transcript to show that you have a minimum of an Undergraduate Honours Bachelor’s Degree (NFQ Level 8, 3-4 years of study). If you previously studied at UCD, please provide your UCD student   number on a Word document/PDF. Please note a degree certificate/parchment unaccompanied by a transcript will not suffice. You need to upload your academic transcript or diploma supplement.

Need help with your application? 

If you require any further assistance with your application, please contact us at innovation.academy@ucd.ie or schedule a call with our recruitment team.

Please note that completed applications are reviewed and places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Places on this course are filling up fast, we recommend you finalize your application as soon as possible to secure your place.

*Springboard+ is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union

D) Applicants who do not have a level 8 qualification can apply through Recognition of Prior Learning.

Under UCD’s Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) policy, consideration will be given on a case by case basis to applicants who do not hold a Level 8 primary degree (Honours Bachelor’s Degree) but who fulfil either of the following criteria:

Holding a Level 7 primary degree (Pass/Ordinary Bachelor’s Degree): upload your academic transcript of your Level 7 and demonstrate min. 2 years work experience on your CV. Professional references may be required.

No Level 7/8 degree: min. 5 years work experience and 2 recently dated professional/employment references required. These should be on headed paper or from an official email address and including the referees name, role and email address.

Please review your CV to ensure that it clearly demonstrates the following:

a. Any experience of leadership and self-direction;

b. Any experience of management or entrepreneurship;

c. A description of any responsibilities that demonstrate accountability, resource management, or client engagement (if applicable).

E) If English is not your first language, an English language qualification is required. Click HERE for full English Language Requirements for UCD.

Step 3)

If you are successful, you will be offered a provisional offer.

Following provisional offers, UCD Innovation Academy will request evidence of eligibility in respect of holding a valid PPSN; Nationality; Current Residency; 3 of 5 Years EU/EEA residency; and current Employment Status between six weeks and two weeks from the stated course start date.

It is only at this point that eligibility for funding through the HEA Springboard initiative can be ascertained.

Visit our FAQs here.

UCD Innovation Academy’s programmes operate a Pass/Fail grading system rather than a traditional grading system.

We do this for a number of reasons:

Focus on mastery rather than competition: Pass/fail systems encourage students to master the content rather than compete with peers for ranking positions or worry about minor grade differences.

Promotes exploration and risk-taking: Students often feel more comfortable taking trying new approaches, an essential component of innovation, when they are not worried about specific grades.

Reduced stress and anxiety: When students don’t have to worry about achieving specific grade thresholds, they can focus more on learning the material thoroughly rather than strategizing to maximize points or grades.

The programme operates a robust continuous assessment process.

Full participation and engagement throughout the programme is essential.

IA40110:

• 30% Participation in challenges and exercises
• 40% Active participation and engagement
• 30% End of module reflection report

IA40260:

• 20% Presentation pitching your action learning project
• 40% Active participation and engagement
• 40% End of module reflection report

IA40500:

• 70% Project report and presentation
• 30% End of module reflection report

All courses at the Innovation Academy are developed and facilitated by our exceptional team of educators. 

The team boasts a wealth of experience from a wide variety of backgrounds. They are international entrepreneurs, doctors (both medical and academic), robotics experts, storytellers, conservationists, campaigners, and creatives. 

What they all have in common is their love of the innovative, learning-by-doing approach to learning and their devotion to delivering a world-class student experience. 

Read more about the people behind this course.

• Maurice Knightly Course Director and Entrepreneurial Specialist
• Eina McHugh Entrepreneurial Specialist
• Fergal Brophy Entrepreneurial Specialist

In an IBM study of 1,500 CEOs, creativity came out as the most important leadership quality and as a valuable skill in almost every industry, at every stage in the career. 

This course will teach you the skills you need to become your organisation’s champion for creativity and innovation or jumpstart your own creative endeavour.

You’ll explore how innovation can solve some of the most challenging issues facing Irish businesses – AI, automation, disruption – and equip you to face whatever’s next.

Employers are looking for people who can think their way around these problems. If you’re looking for your next job, having this Diploma on your CV will be sure to make you stand out from the crowd.

If you’re already in work, you’ll be primed to take on new responsibilities and step into more senior roles. Expect your employer to get you working more closely with senior management, running business-critical projects, and to put you top of the list for promotion.