Postgraduate Certificate in Financial Management & Sustainability (Online)

Course Summary

The Postgraduate Certificate in Financial Management and Sustainability's philosophy is to facilitate and require the student to consider and understand that finance, sustainability of business, society, and strategy are interconnected, where the success of one supports the success of the other. Students will have an opportunity to gain knowledge into broad areas of financial management, client management, strategy, and sustainability.

This new learning provides students with a macro perspective that is of value to those who are in roles of leading, change, and strategy or aspiring to those roles in the financial services sector. The programme is an online delivery model, well-established in ATU. The programme was developed in consultation with industry and colleagues in the LIA.

There are a small number of subsidies available for the programme for those who are successful in the application process. 

Key Course Information

The Postgraduate Certificate in Financial Management and Sustainability is delivered online two evenings a week for one academic year. The programme intake will be in September, and the students tend to begin their semester-one studies in mid to late September.

Live lectures for this course normally take place on two evenings per week and each lecture will last for approximately 1-2 hours. If the Live Classroom scheduled times for the live online lectures do not suit you, recordings will be made available through Moodle (our virtual learning environment), and you can watch back. The class will be scheduled for the same time each week and will be delivered live.

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.  As well as live lecturers, you must allocate time for independent learning, communicating with your lecturers and classmates and carrying out assignments. Some weeks students will do a little more, and other weeks less. The key is to keep up with the reading and learning as you go, making it a more manageable and enjoyable experience.

Assignments/Examinations: Students are assessed using different methodologies, case studies, closed-book exam, and reports. For Examinations, students may have to attend at the ATU campus through which they completed their studies. For some programmes, it may be possible for the Exam to be taken remotely via online proctoring. ATU Students resident in the Republic of Ireland will be invited to attend exams at an exam centre located in Ireland. Students resident outside of Ireland or with exceptional circumstances may be eligible to attend remotely via online proctoring, where examinations are taken online and supervised virtually, subject to availability.

On-Campus Attendance: There is an opportunity to attend campus for a network day per term.

Additional Reading: There will be some additional reading and learning requirements available for students. Additional reading and other requirements will be outlined in the module outline, and the lecturing team will guide you to valuable resources. This programme is open to applicants with an honour’s degree (Level 8), with a 2:2 or higher evidence. The programme will interest those in the financial services and finance sectors.

The students who apply for the award are interested in the financial services and finance sector and will use the qualification to improve their knowledge, skills and competencies to support their current role and future career progression.

Application Closing Date : 31st August 2024

Entry Requirements

This programme is open to applicants with an honour’s degree (Level 8), with evidence of a 2:2 or higher.

Applicants with other qualifications and with relevant work experience may also be considered through ATU Sligo’s Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) process. RPL is a process that may allow you to gain admission to a programme or to receive exemptions / credit from some parts of a programme based on demonstrated learning that you may have achieved through another programme of study or through your work and career. Further information is available through www.atu.ie/recognition-of-prior-learning which our dedicated RPL portal or by contacting our admissions team at admissions.sligo@atu.ie.

Career Opportunities

The students who apply for the award are interested in the financial services and finance sector and will use the qualification to improve their knowledge, skills and competencies to support their current role and future career progression.

Further Study

Students may consider undertaking the Postgraduate Diploma in Business in Financial Planning through the LIA  (Life Insurance Association) and combine to achieve a Master`s in Financial Planning and Sustainability.

Students of this award may also apply to undertake Master and Doctorate studies at ATU or elsewhere.

Programme Fees

Academic Year 2024/25 Fees

Total Programme Fees: €3,390

Funded Places Available
Successful applicants to this course may receive funding for their fees on this course through the HCI Pillar 3 Micro-Credentials Learner Fee Subsidy initiative. The number of funded places is limited and will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. 
*Micro-credentials Subsidised Fee: €678
Please see here the eligibility criteria - HCI-Micro-credentials-Fee-Subsidy-Eligibility-Criteria.pdf (hea.ie)

Applicants should note that they can only be registered on one programme at a time (including a micro-credential), at ATU during the academic year (September to May).

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