Postgraduate Certificate in Research Practice

Course Summary

The Graduate Education and Staff training programme in Research Practice (Generic and Transferable Skills) programme allows a flexible learning approach to provide Students/Staff with an interest in Research  with a level 9 qualification in Research Practice, and to support their ongoing research activities. 

It consists of 6 modules, which can be taken either as:

•    Single Subject Certificates (10 Credits)
•    Combining 3 modules to achieve a Level 9 Certificate in Research Practice
•    Combining 6 modules to achieve a Postgraduate Diploma in Research Practice

Teaching and Learning Methods

Interactive group learning, guest lecturers, Case studies, problem-based learning, flipped classroom and peer learning

Meet Our Lecturing Team

Professional Accreditation

QQI Level 9 Qualification

Key Course Information

Programme Attendance Requirements

For this programme, Live Lectures normally take on one evening each week for 1-2 hours between 6pm and 10pm, Monday to Thursday but this may vary depending on the availability of specific lecturers. Live Lectures will be timetabled for the same time slot each week. If the Live Classroom scheduled times for the live online lectures do not suit you, recordings will be made available through Moodle (our online learning platform).

Regarding the Study Hours that students should set aside for this course, this can vary by semester but approximately recommends a total of 10-12 hours of both live lecture and independent learning per week.

Typically, the Moodle page for this programme will have module information, lecture notes and recordings links, additional reading resources, assignment briefs and links for submitting assessments.

Application Closing Date : 15th August 2025

Entry Requirements

Minimum Academic Entry Requirement: Level 6 Certificate 

Applicants with other qualifications and with relevant work experience may also be considered through ATU Sligo’s Recognised 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.myexperience.ie which our dedicated RPL portal or by contacting our admissions team at admissions@itsligo.ie.

Career Opportunities

Research Analyst, Forensic Scientist, Business Analyst, Scientist, Research Professional

Further Study

Masters of Research or PhD

Testimonials

Name: Peter Lynch 
Job Title: Chartered Physiotherapist and Postgraduate Researcher 
Module: Creativity and Entrepreneurship

Can you share your career path to date?

• Chartered Physiotherapist in the United Kingdom 
• Chartered Physiotherapist in Ireland
• Postgraduate Researcher in ATU Sligo 

What does your current role involve?
Postgraduate Researcher in ATU Sligo involves Analysis & Problem-Solving; Project Management & Organization; Research & Information Management; Self-Management & Work Habits; Creativity and Entrepreneurship

What motivated you to start studying (Creativity and Entrepreneurship)? 

To develop knowledge and skills which will assist in transforming innovative ideas into marketable products 

Why did you choose this course from ATU Sligo?
Already a Postgraduate Researcher at ATU Sligo 

How did you find the process of studying online? What elements did you find helpful? Were there elements you found challenging? 

• Pro: Flexibility 
• Con: Less Social Interaction

In terms of your employer, were they supportive of your decision to study? Were there elements of the course that were particularly relevant to your current employer? 
My research supervisor was supportive of partaking in the course. My supervisor was particularly interested in developing my entrepreneurial skills given the research project invites innovative ideas which may be developed on. 

What advice would you have for anyone considering studying online?

• Treat it as you would in person
• Contribute
• Remove distractions

In what way has studying online with ATU Sligo benefitted your career?
More confident in the process of taking an innovative idea all the way to commercialisation and beyond 

Did this course provide any unexpected benefits to your career?
An increased research networking group

 What were the key skills you took away from your time studying at ATU Sligo?
 Entrepreneurial skills 
 

Did you know?

The target audience for this programme would be all Public Sector Bodies, particularly HEI and Industry/business.

Course Format

Semester 1