Diploma In Community Development Practice / Certificate In Community Development Practice

Course details

The Certificate/Diploma in Community Development Practice are part-time programmes, designed to enable community activists gain a thorough understanding of community development combined with the practical skills necessary to work effectively in development work.

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

Candidates must have experience of working in a community or voluntary organisation. There are no special educational requirements for entry to Certificate or Diploma programmes. Numbers accepted on these programmes are limited. Students are required to complete the programme application form in addition to attending an informal interview.

All applicants whose first language is not English, or who have not been educated through the medium of English language during their two most recent years of study, must present one of the following qualifications in the English language: IELTS: 6.5 or TOEFL (IBT): 92.

Course Outline

Students completing the Certificate programme study three modules which involve a minimum of 120 hours of instruction and assignments.

Modules:

• Community Development Theory and Practice
• Social Analysis
• Communication, Group Work and Leadership Skills

Students completing the Diploma programme study six modules and complete a project. The Diploma course involves a minimum of 240 hours of instruction and project work.

Modules:

• Community Development Theory and Practice
• Communication, Group Work and Leadership Skills
• Research Techniques
• Social Analysis
• Public Policy
• Project Planning, Development and Evaluation

A number of special interest workshops and field trips will be organised during each course throughout the year, reflecting the needs and interests of the course participants. These visits to other community development projects will give participants opportunities to make contact with the practice of community development in other locations.

Requirements And Assessment

Classes take place once a week for 3 hours (timeline is dependent on location of delivery). There are also two Saturdays per term when attendance at workshops or fieldtrips are required, and a minimum of 75% attendance per term/overall is mandatory in order to successfully complete the programme.

In addition to the above mentioned attendance requirement, participants will submit assignments for each module (including a profile and a project) and will be required to reach a pass standard in all relevant coursework. Each aspect of the programme will be monitored by the programme board and will be delivered by course tutors who are based locally.