MACareer Development
| Study location | United Kingdom, Nottingham, City Campus |
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| Type | Master courses, full-time |
| Nominal duration | 1 year |
| Study language | English |
| Awards | MA |
| Tuition fee | To be confirmed |
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| Entry qualification | Undergraduate diploma (or higher) You will need an undergraduate degree equivalent to a UK undergraduate honours degree or other equivalent higher education qualification e.g. HND / DipHE. The entry qualification documents are accepted in the following languages: English. Often you can get a suitable transcript from your school. If this is not the case, you will need official translations along with verified copies of the original. |
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| Language requirements | English IELTS: 6.5 (with a minimum of 5.5 in each skill) |
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| Other requirements | At least 2 reference(s) must be provided. A motivation letter must be added to your application. Interview All suitable applicants will be interviewed as part of the admissions process – either face-to-face, or by phone or Skype for those applicants living overseas. The interview process will explore the applicant’s understanding and interest in the following areas: career development and guidance, often evidenced by visiting a guidance provider or by relevant work experience DBS checks DBS checks are mandatory for this course. If a DBS check indicates that a student is unsuitable to work with young people or vulnerable adults, their case will be reported to the Dean of the School of Social Sciences and the student will be required to withdraw from the course. |
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| More information |
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Overview
The MA / Postgraduate Certificate in Career Development course is designed to equip you with the skills, qualities and knowledge required of a professional practitioner working in the career development and employability sector, enabling you to meet the needs of clients in a variety of settings.
NTU has successfully been teaching career guidance courses since 1973, and has established a strong national reputation in this field. You’ll benefit from a broad spectrum of contemporary thinking and debate on careers education, information, advice, guidance and coaching, and you’ll develop the skills to make a positive impact on the sector and the profession.
The curriculum offers flexibility – you have the choice of studying a MA Career Development full-time or a Postgraduate Certificate by blended learning, and there are module options to help you develop specialisms. This course is ideal if you’re looking to find employment in the sector, or are already employed in a career development or related role and seek Continuing Professional Development opportunities (CPD).
Rather than commit to the full MA, you can choose to study a Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert) in Career Development. Those studying on the full-time MA will have the option of completing the Qualification in Career Development (QCD) award accredited by the Career Development Institute (CDI) professional body.
Programme structure
As a student on the PG Cert, you’ll complete the two modules below to achieve 60 credits of the Masters. Masters students will also study these modules before continuing their studies to complete the full MA qualification.
Ethical Stances and Professional Practices
The aim of this module is to develop essential skills with students who are either currently in practice, or who would like to work with individuals in a one-to-one situation – such as in education, youth work, social care, and in health contexts where the focus is on enabling individuals’ development. You’ll appraise a range of national and international theoretical perspectives and approaches on contemporary guidance practice, and you’ll reflect upon ethical perspectives and principles.
By the end of this module, you’ll have developed the skills to plan, execute, critique and reflect upon one-to-one guidance interactions, based on an informed ethical stance and tailored to specific individual contexts. The knowledge, skills and approaches explored are also appropriate to coaching, mentoring, and advisory work.
Frameworks for Professional Practice
The focus of this module is on professional networks and collaborative working arrangements. You’ll develop the critical thinking and analytical skills needed to facilitate career-related group activities with clients across a range of settings. Contemporary career education, information, advice and guidance development (CEIAGD) policy and curriculum initiatives will be explored. You’ll evaluate their impact, as well as examining how organisations and individuals work in partnership in the context of CEIAGD.
On successful completion of both of these modules, you’ll have completed the Postgraduate Certificate. You can either graduate, or transfer onto the MA to complete the remaining 120 credits and be awarded a full Masters qualification.
Career opportunities
The course will equip you with attributes that are highly sought after by employers in the careers and employability sector. As such, employability is a core theme throughout the course – not only will you have acquired the skills necessary for professional practice within the career development sector, but you’ll be able to apply these perspectives to yourself in order to assist you in managing your own employability.
Through our close links with the sector, you may have the opportunity to network with employers and practitioners at national career development events such as the CDI Student Conference and the National Career Guidance Show.
Upon graduating from the course, there are a range of jobs you can pursue in the career development and employability sector that align to the roles outlined in the CDI’s Career Professionals in the 21st Century – A Blueprint of Learning Outcomes for Professional Roles in the UK Career Development Sector. These include:
career information and assessment experts
career educators
career counsellors
programme and service managers
social systems intervenors and developers.
Students from our previous Career Guidance course have entered a range of roles in career guidance and employability, including:
Careers advisor
Secondary enrichment coordinator
Learning advisor
Career consultant
Student advisor
Progress coach
Learning technology consultant
Freelance career counsellor
Recruitment leader
Community mentor
European partnerships assistant
Europe/Tallinn time
Europe/Tallinn time