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

What You Will Walk Away With

By the end of this programme, you will have more than a new set of skills. You will have a different way of thinking.

You will leave with a Level 9 qualification from University College Dublin — a fully accredited credential that carries real weight in any career conversation. Alongside that, you will have completed a substantial innovation project that demonstrates your capability in practice, not just in theory. This is the kind of evidence that makes a CV genuinely compelling.

You will have developed an innovator’s mindset — the ability to approach uncertainty with curiosity rather than anxiety, to reframe problems as opportunities, and to generate and test ideas with creative confidence.

You will have grown as a leader — more capable of bringing others with you, communicating with clarity and conviction, and driving change in the environments you work in.

And you will have built something that will pay dividends for years to come: a peer network of driven, curious professionals from across sectors — people who will challenge your thinking during the programme and become collaborators, connectors, and colleagues long after it ends.

You will leave ready to lead, and ready for whatever comes next.

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. Learn more about the 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 for more information.

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 with 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 strategising to maximise points or grades.

The programme operates a robust continuous assessment process.

Full participation and engagement throughout the programme is essential.

Assessment across the different modules are as follows:

• 30% Group work assignment
• 40% Participation in learning activities
• 30% Reflective assignment

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, academics, 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.

• Jacinta Owens Programme Lead

According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 — drawing on perspectives from over 1,000 leading global employers — creative thinking ranks among the top five skills essential to the workforce today, and is one of the fastest growing in importance between now and 2030.

As AI and automation reshape how we work, distinctly human capabilities like creativity, leadership, and the ability to drive innovation are not becoming less relevant. They are becoming more so.

Graduates of this programme go on to shape the direction of their organisations, lead innovation teams, and drive culture change from the inside. Others use it as the launchpad for an entrepreneurial venture, a portfolio career, or a long-considered pivot into a field that genuinely excites them.

The diploma equips you with a toolkit that is immediately applicable — whether you are stepping into a leadership role, making the case for a new initiative, or redefining what your career looks like from here.

Past graduates have gone on to roles in innovation strategy, organisational development, social enterprise, service design, creative leadership, and entrepreneurship. Many cite the programme not just as a career catalyst, but as a turning point in how they see themselves as professionals.

Whatever your starting point, this diploma is designed to expand what you believe is possible — and give you the confidence and capability to pursue it.

You’ll explore how creativity and innovation can address some of the most pressing challenges facing organisations today — AI, automation, rapid disruption — and build the mindset and skills to meet whatever comes next.

Employers increasingly need people who can think differently, lead through uncertainty, and turn complex problems into opportunities. For those actively job-seeking, this Diploma signals exactly that capability — and gives you something concrete and credible to point to in a competitive market.

If you’re already in work, the impact tends to be immediate. Graduates regularly find themselves taking on new responsibilities, contributing to more senior conversations, and becoming the person their organisation turns to when it needs fresh thinking on a difficult challenge.