Professional Diploma in Leadership & Management
Develop your ability to coordinate and motivate teams through the highs and lows of doing business. Fast-track your leadership skills by unpacking the complexity of people management and gaining valuable insights and tools to assist you in your practice.
Why UCD Professional Academy?
- Valuable, trusted qualification
- Industry expert lecturers
- Flexible live online learning

Secure your place with a 5% deposit and continue your professional development.
Course Information
Choose a start date below
Location
Supported learning with live, online lectures
Duration
36 hours: Boot camp: 7 hours per day, Monday - Friday
Timetable
Online course: 9 am - 4 pm Monday to Friday.
Course Type
Live online learning
Location
Supported learning with live, online lectures
Duration
36 hours: Evening class: 3 hours per lesson, once a week for 12 weeks
Timetable
Online evening course: 6.30 pm - 9.30 pm Tuesday evenings
Course Type
Live online learning
Location
Supported learning with live, online lectures
Duration
36 hours: Boot camp: 7 hours per day, Monday - Friday
Timetable
Online course: 9 am - 4 pm Monday to Friday.
Course Type
Live online learning
Location
Supported learning with live, online lectures
Duration
36 hours: Evening class: 3 hours per lesson, once a week for 12 weeks
Timetable
Online evening course: 6.30 pm - 9.30 pm Tuesday evenings
Course Type
Live online learning
Location
Supported learning with live, online lectures
Duration
36 hours: Boot camp: 7 hours per day, Monday - Friday
Timetable
Online course: 9 am - 4 pm Monday to Friday.
Course Type
Live online learning
Location
Supported learning with live, online lectures
Duration
36 hours: Evening class: 3 hours per lesson, once a week for 12 weeks
Timetable
Online evening course: 6.30 pm - 9.30 pm Tuesday evenings
Course Type
Live online learning
Location
Supported learning with live, online lectures
Duration
36 hours: Boot camp: 7 hours per day, Monday - Friday
Timetable
Online course: 9 am - 4 pm Monday to Friday.
Course Type
Live online learning
Location
Supported learning with live, online lectures
Duration
36 hours: Evening class: 3 hours per lesson, once a week for 12 weeks
Timetable
Online evening course: 6.30 pm - 9.30 pm Tuesday evenings
Course Type
Live online learning
Location
Supported learning with live, online lectures
Duration
36 hours: Boot camp: 7 hours per day, Monday - Friday
Timetable
Online course: 9 am - 4 pm Monday to Friday.
Course Type
Live online learning
Location
Supported learning with live, online lectures
Duration
36 hours: Evening class: 3 hours per lesson, once a week for 12 weeks
Timetable
Online evening course: 6.30 pm - 9.30 pm Tuesday evenings
Course Type
Live online learning
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Industry-focused courses recognised by top companies worldwide
We offer ambitious professionals the opportunity to stay competitive and relevant in the changing workplace. With flexible learning that slots easily into your busy life, access industry-focused courses that deliver job-ready skills. Our courses are developed and delivered by experienced industry experts.
98 of our students say they would take another course with us

Fit professional advancement into your busy career and life
As an alternative to on-campus learning, we deliver all instructor-led courses via an easy-to-use online study environment. This facilitates student-teacher interaction with live lectures delivered straight to your computer. Our friendly Student Services team is on hand to answer your questions and fix any technical issues you may have.
96 of our alumni would recommend us to friends and family
Course overview
Learning outcomes and course content
This course is the ideal way for career-minded professionals from a wide range of backgrounds to hone their leadership skills and gain practical, job-ready, people management techniques.
What will I learn?

Organisations are only as good as their people, which is why great business leaders are in demand. Learn approaches and frameworks that will help you meet this challenging responsibility. This career-transforming course will help you develop your leadership skills and learn how to encourage others to flourish while driving real business results. There is plenty of opportunity to put the theories you learn into practice with group discussions and exercises.

Organisations
Organisations
Look at the characteristics of organisations and stages of organisational development. You will discuss the environmental complexity of organisations.
- Why organisations form
- Why they deliver
Getting The Right People
Getting The Right People
Learn about resources for people planning and how to attract the right applicants with proven recruiting methods. Understand competencies.
- What is competence?
- Getting the right person
Change
Change
Dive into how change affects an organisation and how to survive it. You will look at reasons to introduce change and the major models of change management.
- Why change?
- How to survive change
Management & Leadership
Management & Leadership
Explore the different styles of leaders and managers. Learn about the ‘big three’ leadership attributes as defined by Benjamin Biermeier-Hanson and emotional intelligence.
- What is the difference?
- Why leadership works
Coaching & Mentoring As Managers
Coaching & Mentoring As Managers
Discover the eight competencies of coaching and the GROW model of mentoring. Understand organisational behaviour and positive reinforcement and discover how to make your objectives SMART.
- Models of coaching
- Coaching vs. mentoring
Teamwork & The Management Of Teams
Teamwork & The Management Of Teams
Look at the attributes of effective team reinforcement and Hackman’s team coaching model. Uncover causes of dysfunction and how to address them.
- Teams are not work groups
- Management of teams
Getting The Best From Your People
Getting The Best From Your People
Learn about defining and planning for effective performance, setting realistic expectations, and building in quantitative and qualitative feedback. Discover strategies to build employee capability.
- Managing performance
- Setting goals
- Enhancing performance
Networking
Networking
Discuss the political skills of social awareness, networking, interpersonal influence, and sincerity. Learn about influencing styles and the characteristics of effective influencers. Work on direct and indirect communication.
- Who is your network?
- Why network?
- How to go about it
Career Planning
Career Planning
Discover the ‘five most important questions’ that Drucker suggested managers ask. Learn about SWOT analysis and the skills of self-management and planning for your future.
- 5-year plans
- Choosing a pathway
- Acting on the plan
Developing Others
Developing Others
Learn to recognise and manage the talents of others, including setting up development interventions. Understand how motivation works with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
- Development plans
- HiPo identification
Difficult Conversations
Difficult Conversations
Master the art of difficult conversations, defining reality vs. individual viewpoints. Discover how to understand and influence professional attitudes and learn about the DESK model of intervention.
- Why they are stressful
- Rules for having difficult conversations
- Feedback models
Succession Planning
Succession Planning
Discover the six aspects of planning for business continuity and learn how to step up into a leadership role. Explore behavioural leadership and how to be an authentic leader.
- Succession in family business
- Succession in organisations
- Being part of the plan
Have questions about this course?
Find out how this industry-focused course will give you the job-ready skills and knowledge to advance your career.
Is this course right for me?
This course is ideal for ambitious professionals who want to accelerate their career track with proven, practical leadership and management skills.
You may be:
• A business executive
• A manager
• A team leader
• A business owner
• An HR professional
• Going for a promotion to a managerial role
How will this course help with my career?
The course will give you the communication and leadership skills necessary to advance in your career. With this qualification on your CV, you demonstrate that you are ready to effectively lead and manage people to get real business results.
What is the online learning experience like?
Our online experience is designed to be just as interactive, supportive, and inspiring as the UCD Professional Academy campus experience.
Online courses can be accessed from any computer or laptop with an internet connection.
Live lectures are delivered using Zoom. During these lectures, your teachers will use technology interactively to ensure an engaging learning experience. When appropriate, students will be encouraged to activate their microphones so that they can ask questions and communicate with other students.
What is the student experience like?
Student care is a high priority at UCD Professional Academy, which is why our Student Services team is on hand to support you throughout your time with us. They will respond to any queries you have, help you with any technical issues, and facilitate your learning experience at every point. All students are given access to our Student Portal, where you can see your timetable, access all your study materials, and manage your account.
How is this course assessed?
If you are studying an online course, your assessment will also be submitted online.
This course is assessed through a written project/paper and reflection log. You will have two weeks following the end of the course to complete and submit the final assignment. The written project is generally around 3,000 words (that’s about 5 pages of a standard Word document).
What are the benefits of a Professional Diploma?
A Professional Diploma is a relatively short, practical course that gives learners up-to-date skills in a professional area. They are suitable for learners wishing to advance their professional skills and career prospects rather than their academic credentials.
With their tight focus and duration, these diplomas are stand-alone qualifications and not referenced to NFQ levels or university degree/diploma courses. They are not generally accepted for transfer credit onto academic courses but are widely recognised and valued by employers.
How do I get my Diploma?
Your UCD Professional Academy Diploma will be issued electronically on a secure platform, with a link that you can share with employers and others wishing to verify your credentials. You can also add this qualification to your LinkedIn profile.
This Professional Diploma is not on the National Framework of Qualifications as a credit-bearing course. This is not unusual for professional courses of this nature, where the need is for fresh and actionable skills immediately applicable in the workplace.
What payment options are available?
A place on any of our programmes can be secured with a 5% deposit.
For full-time (bootcamp) programmes, the balance must be paid in full before course commencement.
For part-time programmes students will be required to pay 50% of the fees before the start of the course, with the remaining balance due within 30 days of the course commencing.
Please note that standard terms and conditions apply, which you can review here: https://www.ucd.ie/professionalacademy/terms-and-conditions/
Pricing
Professional Diploma in Leadership & Management
Master the soft and hard skills of leadership and management, balancing the day-to-day with long-term strategies for business success.