Train with Mediation NI's highly experienced tutors who combine classroom and practical sessions to help you qualify as a professional mediator.
This short course, offered in partnership between Ulster University and Mediation Northern Ireland will allow students to consider the nature of conflict, to explore the process of mediation and experience the role of mediator.
As well as constituting a module of study assessed by the University this course, when fully completed, also covers the content of "Mediation Theory & Practice" - a Mediation Northern Ireland training course accredited by the Open College Network Northern Ireland as a Level 3 course earning 9 credit points. "Mediation Theory & Practice" equates to an NVQ Level 3 or an Advanced Diploma and is one of the recognized qualifications for mediators in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
Successful completion of this short course will (subject to particular criteria specified by Mediation Northern Ireland and formally agreed between the student and Mediation Northern Ireland) entitle students to also apply, via assessed practice, submission of end of day assessment worksheets and a final oral exam, to Mediation Northern Ireland for this recognised professional qualification.
In this section
Given the cost of litigation (perhaps dwarfing any award made to the successful party) and the pressure on an overburdened legal system, both governments and the legal professions have increasingly recognised and advocated (though not, at least yet, required) that Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) be considered in any civil dispute.
Mediation, a flexible, confidential and voluntary process involving a neutral third party assisting the parties to work out their own settlement, is a key form of ADR. This course, offered in partnership between Ulster University and Mediation Northern Ireland will allow students to consider the nature of conflict, to explore the process of mediation and experience the role of mediator.
This course aims to consider the nature of conflict and to allow students to explore and evaluate mediation as a mechanism for dispute resolution.
The course introduces a basic mediation process for use in a two-party dispute or in constructive relationship building.
Successful students will be able to:
Portfolio (Coursework) [100%]
Portfolio-based assessment, of approx 5,000 words, will account for 100% of the total marks available.
Mediation Northern Ireland OCN Professional Accreditation
This course includes the content of "Mediation Theory & Practice" - a Mediation Northern Ireland training course accredited by the Open College Network Northern Ireland (OCN) as a Level 3 course earning 8 credit points. "Mediation Theory & Practice" equates to an NVQ Level 3 or an Advanced Diploma and is one of the recognized qualifications for mediators in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.
Accordingly, students who undertake this module will be required to submit a learning portfolio to pass the module and to gain recognised mediation accreditation. Students who comply with the requirements specified by Mediation Northern Ireland will thus have the opportunity to be awarded the accredited "Two-Party Mediation" qualification at no extra charge.
In order to gain the Mediation Northern Ireland OCN accredited "Two-Party Mediation" qualification, students must complete worksheets for Mediation Northern Ireland during the module and in order to receive accreditation, participants must also (in particular) attend a minimum of 80% of classes. Full attendance on Assessed Practice days is essential for qualification. The completed collection of worksheets will form the portfolio to be assessed by Mediation Northern Ireland.
This course requires on-campus attendance, at our Derry~Londonderry campus, on Tuesdays, from 09:30am - 5:30pm, during Semester 1, in 2024.
The course runs on the dates below -
* Please note, dates and timetabling may be subject to change.
Additional Information
The course will be delivered via block teaching (8 full days with approximately 7 contact hours per day).
Some classes will involve lecture style delivery relating to core theory, however the majority of classes will be in the form of interactive student engagement covering both theoretical and practical elements of conflict and mediation.
In particular, students will be required to actively engage in mediation case study practice, experiencing the role of parties to a dispute, mediators and peer observers.
Participants are also expected to prepare for each day by reading the assigned material or watching the video demonstrations for that week - personal time should be scheduled for this preparation work.
As well as constituting a short course of study, assessed by Ulster University, this course, when fully completed, also covers the content of "Mediation Theory & Practice" - a Mediation Northern Ireland training course accredited by the Open College Network Northern Ireland as a Level 3 course earning 9 credit points. "Mediation Theory & Practice" equates to an NVQ Level 3 or an Advanced Diploma and is one of the recognized qualifications for mediators in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
Successful completion of this short course will (subject to particular criteria specified by Mediation Northern Ireland and formally agreed between the student and Mediation Northern Ireland) entitle students to also apply, via assessed practice, submission of end of day assessment worksheets and a final oral exam, to Mediation Northern Ireland for this recognised professional qualification.
In the alternative
In the event a student does not wish to proceed with professional accreditation then they will in the alternative be set a coursework-based assessment which will account for 100% of the total marks available for this module.
Students will be required to complete a written assignment of 4000 words.
The aim of this assessment is to give students the opportunity to review and consolidate their learning and demonstrate the extent to which they have acquired knowledge, understanding and skills.
Students will receive written feedback on the assessment.
An undergraduate degree in any discipline will be accepted for entry onto this course.
In the event that a candidate does not have a degree, relevant workplace experience may also be considered for entry.
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
Visas and Immigration
International applicants will also require a short-term study visa.
Further information is available at - www.ulster.ac.uk/international/visa-immigration
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:
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 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%.
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.
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.
Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and EU Settlements Status Fees: £1,890.00
England, Scotland, Wales and the Islands Fees: £1,890.00
International Fees: £N/A
Payment of Fees and Deposits
Information about how to pay for a course including different payment options is available at - www.ulster.ac.uk/finance/student/tuition-fees-payments
Fees and Funding
Information and advice about course fees and a guide to budgeting for your living costs, as well as sources for financial assistance including hardship funding, scholarships, prizes and awards, is available at - www.ulster.ac.uk/student/fees
It is important to remember that costs associated with accommodation, travel (including car parking charges) and normal living will need to be covered in addition to tuition fees.
Where a course has additional mandatory expenses (in addition to tuition fees) we make every effort to highlight them above. We aim to provide students with the learning materials needed to support their studies. Our libraries are a valuable resource with an extensive collection of books and journals, as well as first-class facilities and IT equipment. Computer suites and free Wi-Fi are also available on each of the campuses.
There are additional fees for graduation ceremonies, examination resits and library fines.
Students choosing a period of paid work placement or study abroad as a part of their course should be aware that there may be additional travel and living costs, as well as tuition fees.
See the tuition fees on our student guide for most up to date costs.
