Certificate in Mediation

Course details

This Special Purpose Award in Mediation will run twice yearly in both Dublin and Cork campuses. The programme is run via blended learning meaning there is a combination of both online and in-class teaching and learning. The lecturers are experienced mediators, academics and conflict management trainers with many years’ experience in both practice and training. The graduates of this programme will also hold MII (Mediators Institute of Ireland) recognition and the faculty will provide much pastoral care and career support.

Benefits of the course:

The overall aim of this Special Purpose Certificate is to ensure that the learner will be a naturalised, confident, highly effective and self-reflective mediator with advanced knowledge of the principles of mediation and the mediation process. By enabling participants to gain an in-depth understanding of the concepts and methods underlying the development and use of mediation, the programme seeks to actualise their ability to implement the skills to practise, assessed in a practical, applied way rather than solely in the abstract.

Furthermore, the programme seeks to equip the graduate with an awareness of the impact of conflict behaviour on mediation, both from the perspective of the mediator themselves, and also from the parties to the mediation. Teaching and assessment will emphasise the necessity of inherent emotional intelligence in this regard on the part of the mediator. It is sought to inculcate this by introducing the learner to both academic reading and structured self-reflection on the area.

Finally, the programme has the further objective of demystifying the law surrounding mediation in order that the learner may embark upon a career involving the use of mediation, confident of the parameters within which they work. This involves developing the learners´ familiarity with and understanding of ethical considerations in the field of mediation and cultivating their ability to discerningly evaluate the ethical code of practice of one organisation of mediators vis-à-vis another.

The Certificate in mediation takes place over three months,with classes taking place between two and four days per month. During the course you will study three modules; Introduction to Mediation & Conflict, Mediation Ethics & Regulatory Framework and Mediation in Practice. Timetables and lecturer profiles are available below.

Career Progression:

The knowledge, skills and competencies developed in the area of mediation will be transferable to both further studies, and in particular, to practice. This is not confined to the area of law and dispute resolution but can transfer into business, social studies, community affairs, human resources, management and across any area of life where conflict may arise.

Learners who complete this programme will have a range of skills that will be attractive across many sectors as a result of acquired skills such as critical thinking and evaluation, ability to self-manage and self-evaluate, independent learning, conflict management, communication, active listening and mediation.

The skills acquired on this programme help the graduate become a more effective communicator and resource in any workplace. Mediation skills are much sought after by modern Human Resource departments. Secondly, the prospect of practising as a certified mediator on a part-time or full-time basis will be attractive to graduates. As more legislation and judges encourage the directing of disputes towards mediation, the industry is invariably growing. The mediation industry is becoming established in Ireland and the robust nature of this qualification will give a graduate a unique selling point as compared with other non-academic programmes designed to accredit mediators.