School of Social and Political Science

Professional Development Certificate

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What is the Professional Development Certificate?

The Professional Development Certificate recognises attendance at Student Development Office (SDO) skills development workshops but requires a shorter time commitment than the Edinburgh Awards.

By attending SDO workshops over the year you are demonstrating an ongoing commitment to your skills development and learning, having a certificate outlining this commitment is an excellent addition to your CV.

This opportunity is exclusive to School of Social and Political Science (SPS) students only.

All SPS students are welcome to enrol on the certificate, and you may start the Professional Development Certificate at any time during the academic year.

Certificate Levels

Three levels of Certificate are available, based on the amount of time you are able to commit to attending workshops

Bronze

Complete 12 hours of skills workshops

Silver

Complete 16 hours of skills workshops

Gold

Complete 20 hours of skills workshops

 
How to Enrol on the Certificate

To enrol on the Certificate you must:

  • Review the Graduate Attributes

Graduate Attributes (PDF)

  • Complete the Graduate Attributes Analysis Survey

Initial Survey

  • Attend workshops between October and March

Workshops and events

 

Receiving your Certificate

At the end of Semester 2, the Student Development Office will send you details of the final reflective submission.

This requires you to complete a 500-word reflective summary of your skills development over the course of the Certificate.  Once submitted and reviewed, you will receive confirmation of your Certificate.

Available Support

Book a one-to-one appointment

You can book a 15-minute appointment to talk about your progress and any questions you may have.

Book an appointment

Email SDO staff

You can email the Student Development Office to get an update on your workshop hours at any time.

Email the SDO team

Additional Useful Information

How do I track my hours?

Use a spreadsheet, notebook or document to create a list of the workshops you attended, when they took place and how long the workshop was. 

The SDO track them as well, so we can check the number of hours we have recorded.

How do I cancel my place on a workshop?

Please cancel your place via the online booking system (Eventbrite) or email the SDO to let us know that you aren't able to attend. By cancelling your place, you will allow another student to benefit from the training.

If you continually fail to attend sessions without cancellation, you may not be allowed to register for future workshops.

What happens if I don’t attend enough sessions?

If you are unable to attend enough skills training sessions, you will be withdrawn from the Certificate. Don't worry if this happens you and the SDO Administration team are the only people who know, it will not show on your transcript that you did not complete. You can still include those workshops you did attend on any list of additional learning. 

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