Professional Development Awards
Convert your experience and learning into an affordable, flexible qualification, up to BSc or MSc.
Build your own curriculum
Our Professional Development Award is unique – it allows you to design a bespoke course that fits your job and reach your career goals.
Consolidate your work-based modules with taught elements and existing learning, which all count towards your award.
Our course experts will help you choose an optimal blend of modules or short courses to build your personalised higher education undergraduate or postgraduate award.
Contact us to discover how a Professional Development Award could work for you:
- Email: pd@uwe.ac.uk
- Tel: +44 (0)117 32 81158
Professional Development Award benefits
Design your own course content, tailored to your professional goals- No fixed start date – begin your studies when it suits you
- Awards start at 60-credit certificates and up
- Supervisors guide your accredited learning and taught modules
- Accessible and more financially manageable than traditional degrees
- Transfer existing learning to count towards your total credits
Apply now
Find out everything you need to know about our Professional Development Award, what you can achieve, course fees through to our application process.
Undergraduate Professional Development Award
Gain a Professional Development Award qualification, ranging from Certificate to BSc level.
Postgraduate Professional Development Award
Gain a Professional Development Award qualification ranging from PGCert to MSc level.
"If you are a busy professional looking to consolidate and extend your existing qualifications, I would be very surprised if you found a programme that is more affordable or flexible than the Professional Development Award at UWE Bristol."
Dominic Masters degree, Professional Development Award
About the Professional Development Award
What subject areas will I be studying?
You can study a Professional Development Award in any subject – the course is open to professionals working in all sectors.
Browse our available modules to get an idea of how you could build your own curriculum.
How long does it take achieve a Professional Development Award?
A Professional Development Award does not have a fixed duration or start date – you can complete your studies in a timeframe that is convenient to you.
Because you design your own curriculum, there is no common pathway. Find out more on our Undergraduate and Postgraduate Professional Development Award course pages.
How much does a Professional Development Award cost?
Professional Development Awards have a £200 registration fee and a pay-as-you-go structure, making upskilling more accessible and financially manageable compared to traditional university degrees.
How do I transfer credits from any previous qualifications?
You can transfer credits from previous qualifications to count towards your Professional Development Award on your Negotiated Learning Plan (NLP).
An academic facilitator will support you through the process from start to end. In your Negotiated Learning Plan, you’ll record any achievements to date that could count towards your award and negotiate which modules and taught elements you’ll need to build up enough credit to gain your ideal UWE Bristol qualification.
Find out more about the application process, including an example NLP to illustrate how the award works in practice on our Undergraduate and Postgraduate Professional Development Award course pages.
What are the benefits for employers?
A professional Development Award can address skill shortages, staff development objectives while offering a bespoke qualification valued by employers and employees alike.
Meet Alison
Meet Alison, our Master’s graduate in the College of Health, Science and Society – hear about how the UWE Bristol Professional Development course and work-based learning boosted her career.
Contact us
We’re happy to answer any questions you might have about our Professional Development Award and help you with your application or Negotiated Learning Plan (NLP).
- Telephone: +44 (0) 117 328 1158
- Email: pd@uwe.ac.uk
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