Professional Diploma in Project Management
Learn to manage projects effectively and efficiently with this comprehensive course. Initiate, run, and close projects of all types. The average salary for a Project Manager in Ireland is €55,000, with higher salaries for specialisation in project methodologies or industries.
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 hour 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 Thursday evenings
Course Type
Live Online Learning
Location
Supported learning with live, online lectures
Duration
36 hour 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 Wednesday evenings
Course Type
Live Online Learning
Location
Supported learning with live, online lectures
Duration
36 hour 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 Wednesday evenings
Course Type
Live Online Learning
Location
Supported learning with live, online lectures
Duration
36 hour 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 Wednesday evenings
Course Type
Live Online Learning
Location
Supported learning with live, online lectures
Duration
36 hour 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 Wednesday 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
Discover how to achieve successful project outcomes while minimising risk, keeping to budgets, and meeting deadlines. Master different project management methodologies and intervene on any project in any context.
What will I learn?

Delivered through lectures, group discussions, and individual and group exercises, this comprehensive course covers every aspect of project management – initiation, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and finally closing the project. With new projects often representing significant expense and high risk, project owners seek the assurance that practitioners have the knowledge, experience, and skills to bring high performing projects to successful completion.

Introduction & Project Fundamentals
Introduction & Project Fundamentals
What to expect from the course and how it will be graded. Define a project, programme, and portfolio. Understand project lifecycles.
- Introductions
- Walkthrough of the course
- Project and exam requirements
- Definitions: project, programme, and portfolio
- Project lifecycles
Project Environment & the Role of the Project Manager
Project Environment & the Role of the Project Manager
Understand the different environments in which projects operate and the impact they have on project success. Define the role of the project manager and understand their sphere of influence.
- Operations vs. projects
- Project lifecycles and processes
- Project phases and phase gates
- Organisation structures and roles
- Sphere of influence and competencies
- Leadership vs. management
Project Integration
Project Integration
Introduction to project processes and how we identify and co-ordinate these processes and project management activities into process groups. Learn to identify interdependencies between project management knowledge areas.
- Developing a project charter
- Initial development of project plans
- Directing and managing project work
- Monitoring and controlling project work
- Performing integrated change control
- Closing a project or phase
Scope Management
Scope Management
Define project and product scope and their differences. Identify how scope interacts with areas such as cost and schedule. Understand how to collect requirements to create a work breakdown structure.
- Product scope vs. project scope
- Scope interactions
- Scope planning
- Collecting requirements
- The work breakdown structure
- Validating and controlling scope
Schedule Management
Schedule Management
Define project schedules and differentiate them from project plans. Identify and sequence activities and estimate their duration. Discover scheduling tools and learn how to control and remediate a schedule.
- Schedule planning
- Defining and sequencing activities
- Estimating activity durations
- Developing a schedule using tools
- Controlling a schedule
Cost Management
Cost Management
Differentiate between cost and schedule management. Learn to estimate and forecast costs and measure and correct variance. Understand contingency and management reserves, earned and planned value, and preventing cost variance.
- Cost vs. schedule management
- Planning cost management
- Estimating and forecasting costs
- Contingency vs. management reserves
- Earned and planned value management
- Measuring and interpreting cost variance
Resource Management
Resource Management
Define and plan project resource management. Discover activity estimation techniques. Understand the project manager’s responsibility for acquiring, developing, managing, and controlling resources.
- Planning resource management
- Estimating activities
- Acquiring resources
- Developing, managing, and controlling resources
Communication Management
Communication Management
Develop a project communication plan. Identify and manage communication channels. Understand how to manage and control project communications.
- Communication plan management
- Communication channels
- Managing and controlling communications
Risk Management
Risk Management
Understand the relationship between risk, opportunity, and threats. Identify risk factors and attitudes. Plan for risk through qualitative and quantitative risk analysis. Document risk responses and monitor and control risks.
- Risk, opportunity, and threats
- Risk factors and attitudes
- Risk planning and identification
- Qualitative vs quantitative risk analysis
- Risk responses
- Monitoring and controlling risk
Stakeholder Management
Stakeholder Management
Understand how to identify all project stakeholders. Plan stakeholder engagement using a stakeholder engagement assessment matrix. Create a stakeholder register.
- Identifying stakeholders
- Planning stakeholder engagement
- Stakeholder register
- Stakeholder engagement assessment matrix
Introduction to Agile Project Management Practices
Introduction to Agile Project Management Practices
The history of agile project management, including the Agile Manifesto. Contrast definable work with high uncertainty work. Understand iterative, predictive, incremental, and agile lifecycles. Face delivery challenges in an agile environment.
- The Agile Manifesto
- Definable and high uncertainty work
- Iterative, predictive, incremental, and agile lifecycles
- Creating an agile environment
- Delivering in an agile environment
Agile Practices Part 2 & Exam
Agile Practices Part 2 & Exam
Measuring progress in an agile environment. Organisation considerations when working in an agile environment. Final exam.
- Delivering in an agile environment (cont.)
- 60-minute multiple choice exam
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?
Our industry-focused project management course is ideal for career-minded professionals from a wide range of backgrounds who wish to apply project management skills and methodology to their role.
You are likely to already have some project management experience. You may be:
A business executive
A manager
A team leader
A business owner
Going for a promotion to a managerial role
How will this course help with my career?
This Project Management course will give you the project management skills necessary to advance in your career. With this qualification on your CV, you demonstrate that you can be trusted to ensure the success of high-power projects at an international level. The average salary for a Project Manager in Ireland is €55,000.
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 and a 1-hour online exam at the end of the course. 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 Project Management
Learn the skills and methodologies to achieve successful project outcomes while minimising risk, keeping to budgets, and meeting deadlines.