Key facts
Qualification & Course Explainer
Level 9 UCD accredited program (20 ECTS).
Hear from Program Director Maurice Knightly below
Delivery
In-Person at UCD or Online.
All classes take place from 9:30am to 1:30pm with self-directed individual or team project work in the afternoons. See ‘Course Structure‘ below for the 2024/25 timetable.
Duration
7 months, part-time
Fees and Funding
€2,600 (EU) or €2,600 (Non-EU)
This programme is funded through the Higher Education Authority Springboard+ Initiative, with 90 – 100% funding available to eligible applicants.
See the Springboard eligibility criteria here.
- FREE for eligible jobseekers receiving DEASP Payments
- FREE for returners to work and carers
- 90% subsidised (student pays €260) eligible individuals in employment or self-employment, and formerly self-employed
Entry Requirements
- Letter of motivation & CV
- A minimum honours degree (Level 8) qualification
OR
- Applicants who do not have a level 8 qualification can apply through Recognition of Prior Learning (5+ years of relevant employment)
- An English language qualification if English is not your first language
See the ‘How To Apply‘ section for further details and Springboard funding requirements.
Information Events & Deadline to Apply
7 August: Online Information Session
Join us on Wednesday, August 7th at 1pm. Learn how this program can help you master the mindset, skills, and tools to cultivate an innovative environment within your organisation. Discover the course structure, learning outcomes, funding options and whether this course best suits your career goals.
Deadline to Apply: 10 October 2024, 12pm
Overview
The most successful leaders adapt well to change. In an era of polycrises and advancing technology, organizations seek agile, creative leaders to drive innovation. This course will help you master the mindset, skills, and tools to become an intrapreneur and cultivate an innovative environment within your organization. You’ll learn to influence others, harness team energy to solve challenges, and apply these skills to a real innovation project, enhancing your CV. No matter your career stage, this professional diploma will reignite your spark, boost your confidence, and prepare you to lead. This exceptional learning experience will open your mind to more creative and innovative thinking.
Our funders
Who is it for?
This course is perfect for anyone looking for their next step in their career. You’ll learn the skills and confidence to become an innovation champion and take your career to the next level.
You might be:
- Unemployed or formerly self-employed
- A carer or returner to work
- A career changer
- Working in a large corporate or an SME
- Making the leap into leadership
Course Structure
The course is split into 3 core modules, totalling 20 ECTS.
The first two modules of this course are delivered over 5 days each in October and November 2024. The final module is delivered over 4 months across 5 days, combining; external project work, milestone classes, meetings and mentoring sessions, and finally, the module culminates in the Action Learning Project.
Mornings will be delivered in-person at UCD (in-person intake) or live online (online intake) from 9.30am – 1.30pm. Afternoons will be a mixture of self-directed learning, reflective learning and group or individual work.
As the programme involves continuous assessment, participants must attend all class sessions.
See modules and timetable dates below:
- IA40310 Creative Thinking & Innovation Mon 21 - Fri 25 Oct 2024
- IA40340 Leadership for Innovation and Creativity Mon 25 - Fri 29 Nov 2024
- IA40210 Professional Practice (Action Learning Project – Innovation in the Workplace or Your Community) Thurs 23 Jan, Thurs 20 Feb, Thurs 27 March, Weds 16 April, Thurs 17 April
- Why choose us?
- Learning outcomes
- How to apply
- Assessment
- Who leads this course?
- Career opportunities
UCD Innovation Academy sits at the cutting-edge of education in Ireland, and the world.
We’ve been challenging students to see the world differently since 2010, when we became one of the first universities to offer experiential learning experiences.
Our team has been innovating ever since, shaping and refining our courses with input from some of the world’s best. Thousands of students have passed through the Academy, and each one has played their part in making our courses better and better. We have countless examples of our alumni accelerating their careers and changing the world from within organisations or as entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs.
UCD is ranked among the top 1% of higher education institutions in the world. We’re Ireland’s global university and ranked Ireland’s best for graduate employability. And we currently have Professor Sir Mark Welland, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Cambridge acting as our External Examiner.
Here at the Innovation Academy we have everything you need for a learning experience you’ll never forget.
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
Please note that applications are reviewed and places offered on a rolling basis so we encourage you to apply early to secure a place on the programme.
Deadline to Apply: 10 October 2024, 12pm
If you have any questions or would like to speak with a member of the Innovation Academy team about your application, email us at innovation.academy@ucd.ie or call us at 01 716 2065. We’d be happy to support you staring your education journey.
How To Apply
If you are an international student or ineligible for Springboard funding, please see ‘Applying Directly to UCD’.
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.
Funding:
- FREE for eligible jobseekers: those who are currently receiving eligible DEASP Payments.
- FREE for returners to work and carers.
- 90% subsidised (student pays €260) eligible individuals in employment or self-employment, and the formerly self-employed.
Please follow the steps below to apply for a Springboard funded place.
Step 1)
Begin your Springboard application.
Online Program: Apply Here
In-Person Program: Apply Here
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). If you previously studied at UCD, please provide your UCD student number on a Word document/PDF.
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 primary degree but who can demonstrate extensive professional experience. Typically, such applicants would have five years or more experience where their role includes managing teams, leading projects, programmes or business units.
If you are applying under RPL, please review your CV to ensure that it clearly demonstrates the following-
- Any experience of leadership and self-direction
- Any experience of management or entrepreneurship
- A description of employee, budget and client responsibilities
RPL applicants should also upload two recently dated professional/employment references. These should be on headed paper or from an official email address and including the referees name, role and email address.
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
Applying Directly to UCD
Step 1)
Apply for the course via UCD. You will need to create an account if you do not already have a UCD Connect account.
Online Program: Apply Here
In-Person Program: Apply Here
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). If you previously studied at UCD, please provide your UCD student number on a Word document/PDF.
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 primary degree but who can demonstrate extensive professional experience. Typically, such applicants would have five years or more experience where their role includes managing teams, leading projects, programmes or business units.
If you are applying under RPL, please review your CV to ensure that it clearly demonstrates the following-
- Any experience of leadership and self-direction
- Any experience of management or entrepreneurship
- A description of employee, budget and client responsibilities
RPL applicants should also upload two recently dated professional/employment references. These should be on headed paper or from an official email address and including the referees name, role and email address.
E) If English is not your first language, an English language qualification is required. Click HERE for full English Language Requirements for UCD.
As the course involves continuous assessment, students must attend all class sessions.
The rest of the course is assessed through a combination of individual and team assignments, project reports and presentations.
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.
In an IBM study of 1,500 CEOs, creativity came out as the most important leadership quality.
This course will teach you the skills you need to become your organisation’s champion for creativity and innovation.
UCD Innovation Academy is delighted to partner with Accredible in the provision of digital credentials across all of our programmes. We believe lifelong learning should be encouraged and celebrated, and digital credentials will allow you to share your accomplishments on LinkedIn and other online platforms to promote among your network.
Students who successfully complete and pass this programme will receive a digital certificate of completion. The certificate is issued online once the UCD Exam Board sits and approves your grade. UCD Exam Board sits three times a year (Autumn, Spring, Summer trimester) and approval times vary depending on the Exam Board calendar. The certificate of completion is separate to the official parchment, which arrives in hard copy at a later date.
You’ll explore how innovation can solve some of the most challenging issues facing Irish businesses – Covid-19, 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.
