About this course
The short course informs and equips students to effectively respond to the governance challenges organisations face today.
In addition, the course aims through a variety of teaching and learning mechanisms, to investigate the key components for securing the highest standards of effective corporate governance, encompassing topics such as:
- the values that underpin corporate governance;
- corporate governance and decision-making and decision support functions;
- business ethics; corporate sustainability;
- corporate citizenship; cause-based investing;
- ethical trade; responsible entrepreneurship;
- social and environmental audit; and
- stakeholder engagement and needs assessment.
Corporate scandals in recent years, followed by the credit crunch and resulting global economic downturn, have led to corporate governance attaining a new prominence in corporations' operations.
Corporate governance has been defined by one commentator[1] as: who is in charge of what in organisations; who sets the direction and parameters within which the direction is to be pursued; who makes decisions about what; who sets performance indicators, monitors progress and evaluates results; and who is accountable to whom, and for what.
Corporate governance is also centrally concerned with how the principles that underpin it - including transparency, accountability and integrity - are translated into practice for achieving organisational objectives as effectively and ethically as possible.
This short course informs and equips students to effectively respond to the governance challenges organisations face today. The regulatory focus of subjects such as Company Law, Company Secretaryship and Financial Accounting for example, stimulate students' understanding about the structural aspects of governance architecture. These subjects are complemented by the detailed analysis and evaluation of important issues relating to organisational behaviour and management, HRM and strategy.
This blended, holistic approach to the study of governance issues is then synthesised formally in the Corporate Governance module, delivered in Semester Two. This extended and engaged approach to these important corporate governance issues ensures that students are introduced to the critically important subject of ethical behaviour: as a result, they are encouraged to see its application across the entire programme, thereby benefitting from a progressive approach to the delivery of high quality, meaningful governance education that adds significant organisational value.
Linked programmes
PgDip/MSc Housing Studies,
MSc Management and Corporate Governance,
PgCertPD Professional Development
Assessment
Project (Coursework) [100%]
This project will involve the student selecting a case company within a sector of their choosing, and conducting a critique of the company's corporate governance policies and practices and the implications these have for the strategic and operational arrangements in that organisation and how they are organised. This process will include benchmarking the case company with recognised corporate governance norms.
This 5,000 word project will make reference to a wide range of corporate governance techniques and issues to be considered; both conceptual issues emanating from the academic literature and business press, reflecting practice. Such an approach, engaging the worlds of theory and practice, will allow students to demonstrate: critical evaluation and synthesis of complex issues and material; clear evidence of relevant applications informed by current research and practice in the area; and wide knowledge and depth of understanding of complex and specialised principles and the development of ideas and practice.
Consequently, the successful completion of such a programme of work will allow students to present a project that is academically rigorous, professionally focused and educationally relevant.
Attendance
This course requires on-campus attendance, at Dublin, Marino Institute of Education, during Semester 2, 2025.
* Please note, dates and timetabling are to be confirmed and may be subject to change.
Entry requirements
Applicants should have a second class honours degree in any subject from a recognised institution or have obtained an equivalent standard in a professional or other qualification recognised by the University for this purpose, for example, the CGIUKI Diploma in Business Practice.
If you do not meet the above requirements, you may be admitted at the discretion of the Course Committee. In this case, normally you will be interviewed to assess your capability to undertake a rigorous course of study. The award of GradCG will depend on whether you meet the CGIUKI entry criteria.
Students who have achieved relevant professional or postgraduate qualifications MAY be granted exemptions from modules on the course, in accordance with the University's accreditation of prior learning (APL) policy.
Other Qualifications
If you do not meet the above requirements, you may be admitted at the discretion of the Course Committee and in accordance with the University's APL policy. In this case, normally you will be interviewed to assess your capability to undertake a rigorous course of study. The award of GradICSA will depend on whether you meet the CGIUKI entry criteria.
Conditions of Claiming Graduate Status of CGIUKI
You must have registered with CGIUKI as a collaborative student and pay the fee to become a registered student member of CGIUKI. Those with the relevant work experience can apply for chartered secretary status and use the post nominal ACIS.
English Language Requirements
Applicants whose first language is not English must meet the minimum English entrance requirements of the University and will need to provide recent evidence of this (certified within the last two years).
Most of our courses require a minimum English level of IELTS 6.0 or equivalent, with no band score under 5.5. Trinity ISE: Pass at level III also meets this requirement.
Additional information on English language requirements for admission at Ulster University, is available at - www.ulster.ac.uk/global/apply/english-language-requirements
Start dates
Teaching, Learning and Assessment
The content for each course is summarised on the relevant course page, along with an overview of the modules that make up the course.
Each course is approved by the University and meets the expectations of:
Attendance and Independent Study
As part of your course induction, you will be provided with details of the organisation and management of the course, including attendance and assessment requirements - usually in the form of a timetable. For full-time courses, the precise timetable for each semester is not confirmed until close to the start date and may be subject to some change in the early weeks as all courses settle into their planned patterns. For part-time courses which require attendance on particular days and times, an expectation of the days and periods of attendance will be included in the letter of offer. A course handbook is also made available.
Courses comprise modules for which the notional effort involved is indicated by its credit rating. Each credit point represents 10 hours of student effort. Undergraduate courses typically contain 10, 20, or 40 credit modules (more usually 20) and postgraduate courses typically 15 or 30 credit modules.
The normal study load expectation for an undergraduate full-time course of study in the standard academic year is 120 credit points. This amounts to around 36-42 hours of expected teaching and learning per week, inclusive of attendance requirements for lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical work, fieldwork or other scheduled classes, private study, and assessment. Teaching and learning activities will be in-person and/or online depending on the nature of the course. Part-time study load is the same as full-time pro-rata, with each credit point representing 10 hours of student effort.
Postgraduate Master’s courses typically comprise 180 credits, taken in three semesters when studied full-time. A Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) comprises 60 credits and can usually be completed on a part-time basis in one year. A 120-credit Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) can usually be completed on a part-time basis in two years.
Class contact times vary by course and type of module. Typically, for a module predominantly delivered through lectures you can expect at least 3 contact hours per week (lectures/seminars/tutorials). Laboratory classes often require a greater intensity of attendance in blocks. Some modules may combine lecture and laboratory. The precise model will depend on the course you apply for and may be subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. Prospective students will be consulted about any significant changes.
Assessment
Assessment methods vary and are defined explicitly in each module. Assessment can be a combination of examination and coursework but may also be only one of these methods. Assessment is designed to assess your achievement of the module’s stated learning outcomes. You can expect to receive timely feedback on all coursework assessments. This feedback may be issued individually and/or issued to the group and you will be encouraged to act on this feedback for your own development.
Coursework can take many forms, for example: essay, report, seminar paper, test, presentation, dissertation, design, artefacts, portfolio, journal, group work. The precise form and combination of assessment will depend on the course you apply for and the module. Details will be made available in advance through induction, the course handbook, the module specification, the assessment timetable and the assessment brief. The details are subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.
Normally, a module will have 4 learning outcomes, and no more than 2 items of assessment. An item of assessment can comprise more than one task. The notional workload and the equivalence across types of assessment is standardised. The module pass mark for undergraduate courses is 40%. The module pass mark for postgraduate courses is 50%.
Calculation of the Final Award
The class of Honours awarded in Bachelor’s degrees is usually determined by calculation of an aggregate mark based on performance across the modules at Levels 5 and 6, (which correspond to the second and third year of full-time attendance).
Level 6 modules contribute 70% of the aggregate mark and Level 5 contributes 30% to the calculation of the class of the award. Classification of integrated Master’s degrees with Honours include a Level 7 component. The calculation in this case is: 50% Level 7, 30% Level 6, 20% Level 5. At least half the Level 5 modules must be studied at the University for Level 5 to be included in the calculation of the class.
All other qualifications have an overall grade determined by results in modules from the final level of study.
In Masters degrees of more than 200 credit points the final 120 points usually determine the overall grading.
Figures from the academic year 2022-2023.
Academic profile
The University employs over 1,000 suitably qualified and experienced academic staff - 60% have PhDs in their subject field and many have professional body recognition.
Courses are taught by staff who are Professors (19%), Readers, Senior Lecturers (22%) or Lecturers (57%).
We require most academic staff to be qualified to teach in higher education: 82% hold either Postgraduate Certificates in Higher Education Practice or higher. Most academic and learning support staff (85%) are recognised as fellows of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) by Advance HE - the university sector professional body for teaching and learning. Many academic and technical staff hold other professional body designations related to their subject or scholarly practice.
The profiles of many academic staff can be found on the University’s departmental websites and give a detailed insight into the range of staffing and expertise. The precise staffing for a course will depend on the department(s) involved and the availability and management of staff. This is subject to change annually and is confirmed in the timetable issued at the start of the course.
Occasionally, teaching may be supplemented by suitably qualified part-time staff (usually qualified researchers) and specialist guest lecturers. In these cases, all staff are inducted, mostly through our staff development programme ‘First Steps to Teaching’. In some cases, usually for provision in one of our out-centres, Recognised University Teachers are involved, supported by the University in suitable professional development for teaching.
Figures from the academic year 2022-2023.
