Postgraduate Certificate in Health Promotion and Wellness Practice

Course Summary

This programme aims to introduce students to the core concepts and competencies required for health promotion and wellness practice.  Students will become proficient in utilising evidence informed practice, statistical and data analysis and in health behaviour change approaches.

Objectives of Post-Graduate Certificate in Health Promotion & Wellness Practice 

• To develop health promotion competencies and show evidence of using these in health or other settings  
• To develop skills in the planning, implementation and evaluation of evidence based health behaviour change initiatives 
• To be able to appraise, communicate and disseminate evidence of health promotion research and  practice 
• To develop self - reflective skills as a health promotion and wellness practitioner 
• To develop professional practice skills to work autonomously and in collaboration with a broad range of relevant stakeholders. 

Professional Accreditation

Graduates from the Certificate in Health Promotion and Wellness Practice are automatically eligible to apply to become an International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) Registered Health Promotion Practitioner. This means that graduates of the combined programmes have qualifications that are recognised worldwide.

Key Course Information

The programme is taught over one year on a part-time (online) basis. The online delivery of the Post Graduate Certificate in Health Promotion and Wellness Practice affords educational flexibility for those wishing to attain a formal qualification in this area but who are not able to attend campus based or full-time programmes. 

Study hours: Whether you are studying part-time online, blended or full-time online, it is very important that you allocate enough study time to your online course to stay focused, reduce stress and achieve your goals. For part-time online or blended learning, it is recommended that you should try to allow for 5-6 hours per week per 5 credit module to your studies.

   
Live Lectures: Live lectures normally take place between 6pm and 10pm, Monday to Thursday but this may vary depending on the availability of specific lecturers. For the Certificate in Health Promotion and Wellness Practice, students are expected to attend 2 lectures each week which can range from 1-3 hours. If the Live Classroom scheduled times for the live online lectures do not suit you, recordings will be made available through Moodle.

Application Closing Date : 15th August 2025

Entry Requirements

Applications with a 2.2 Honours award in any discipline may apply.

Applicants who do not meet this entry criterion may be considered through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).  RPL is a process that may allow you to gain admission to a programme or to receive exemptions/ credit for some parts of the programme based on demonstrated learning that you may have achieved through another programme of study or through your work or career. Further information is available at www.atu.ie/recognition-of-prior-learning which our dedicated RPL portal or by contacting our admissions team at admissions.sligo@atu.ie 

We welcome graduates from a wide variety of backgrounds including but not limited to those working in; health sciences, public health, health and wellbeing, employee wellness, health promotion, occupational health , nursing and medicine, social work, children services, psychology, health and wellness coaching, counselling, disability services, primary care services, mental health services, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, dietetics, nutritional therapy, physiotherapy, sport, recreation and leisure industry, education, social sciences and childcare services.

Career Opportunities

This programme will equip graduates with the skills and knowledge to work in a variety of health and wellness/health promotion and/or research roles in the statutory, community and voluntary health and social care sector and the private sector. Such opportunities may include but are not limited to roles in acute hospital services, consumer services, health and wellbeing services, primary care services, mental health services, solder persons services, disability services, public health services, health and wellbeing projects,  employee wellness programmes, research programmes and the sports, recreation and leisure sector.

Further Study

Students who wish to continue their studies following completion of this programme can enrol on the Postgraduate Certificate in Health Project Management. Both awards combined with a completed thesis module leads to a Master of Science in Health Promotion and Project Management. 

If you would like to apply for the thesis module, please apply here and select ‘Health Promotion and Project Management Thesis – Restricted Entry’ in the drop-down box for the course you are applying for. 

Students can enrol directly onto the Master of Science in Health Promotion Practice.  

Programme Fees

Academic Year 2024/25 Fees

Total Programme Fee: €2,000

To help make the payment of fees more manageable for students who are self-funding their studies, tuition fees can be paid through payment instalment plans at ATU Sligo. For further information on instalment plans, please visit our Fees and Funding webpage. 

If you apply and are approved for an online course at ATU Sligo, you will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit of €250 to secure your place. Your deposit will then be credited against the course fees once you are registered as a student. Students at ATU Sligo are also eligible to claim tax relief at the standard rate for tuition fees.

For further information and guidance about Fees and Funding for online and part-time courses at ATU Sligo, click here.

If you are seeking to take your exams online, and you meet the eligibility criteria (overseas students and those with extenuating circumstances), an additional examinations fee will apply. For further information, please visit our Examinations webpage. 
 

Course Format

Semester 1

Semester 2