Business - Conversion Course

Overview
The Higher Diploma in Business is a conversion course for non-business graduates who wish to acquire core business skills which will enable graduates play an active role in the management, sustainability and development of commercial enterprise. Graduates will, upon completion of this programme, enter the business world and/or progress to a management role within a general or specific field or sub-field of business. Throughout the course learners will have acquired the necessary skills and business acumen to strategically appraise business opportunities and challenges and effectively integrate into decision-making roles with an organisation. The Higher Diploma in Business will see graduates being capable of dealing with diverse intrinsic and extrinsic opportunities and challenges in the business world and do so in a creative fashion promoting business sustainability and growth. Graduates will be also be in a position take up further Level 9 postgraduate studies.

Aims of the Programme
The specific programme objectives are to:
• Equip learners with an understanding of the theory and principles underlying business function(s) and administration.
• Advance in learners an appropriate expertise in the major aspects of business, and an awareness of core disciplines.
• Develop a range of key interpersonal skills, characteristics and attitudes to learners to work professionally, individually and in a team.
• Cultivate in learners a range of key skills, personal qualities and attitudes essential to support progression to a career in business or to further academic study.
• Develop learner capacity to organise diverse information, arguments, and conclusions and present them in a clear coherent way.
• Relate business principles, concepts and theories and frameworks to a wide range of business and industry settings.
• Understand the various functions of business and demonstrate this awareness by producing a multi-faceted and innovative business strategy.
• Enable learners to apply their learning through in their professional lives reflecting their professional and personal development.

Structure
The Higher Diploma in Business programme comprises 60 ECTS. The programme has ten 5 ECTS module and one 10 ECTS module with the latter acting as a capstone. In the full-time mode, 60 ECTS will be delivered in one academic year over two academic semesters. In part-time mode, 60 ECTS be delivered over eighteen months, three academic semesters.

Semester one lays the groundwork for the programme. This semester encompasses foundational modules such as Management and Organisational Behaviour and Marketing as well as Business ICT and focuses on providing a solid and comprehensive understanding of the relevant concepts, such as a proficiency in the use of ICT and the interpretation of the Legal Issues in Business and the economic backdrop to the business environment.

Semester two builds on this by covering Human Capital Management, Strategic Marketing, Business Finance, Innovation and Entrepreneurship as well as Business Strategy in which the knowledge, understanding and skills acquired in the first semester can be employed. Soft skill or competency based modules are found in Semester 1 namely Professional Skills for Personal Development, specifically from a business-oriented perspective. The modules when taken together provide key skills for enabling the execution of strategic changes based on insights from interdisciplinary outputs such as marketing or ICT to ensure agility within the market.

Business Strategy is proposed as a Capstone module capture the learning acquired in semester one as well as previous learning and experience. To synthesise learning into a strategic report is a key graduate attribute and ensures the diversity of modules on the programme are linked and interrelated as they would be in a contemporary business organisation within a global business environment.

Taken together these skills will enable graduates to secure job positions in industry in the diverse field of business.

Core Modules
• Management and Organisational Behaviour
• Marketing
• Business ICT
• Legal Issues for Business
• Economics
• Professional Skills for Personal Development
• Human Capital Management
• Strategic Marketing
• Business Finance
• Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Business Strategy (Capstone)

The minimum entry requirements for the Higher Diploma in Business are:
• A Level 8 primary undergraduate honours degree with a minimum Pass classification from a recognised third level institution in a non-cognate area.

• For applicants whose first language is not English and who have not previously undertaken a degree taught through English, evidence must be provided of proficiency in English language equivalent to B2+ or above on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL). This must be evidenced through a recognised English Language test such as IELTS, Cambridge Certificate, PTE or DBS English Assessment. Test certificates should be dated within the last two years to be considered valid.

Applicants who do not have a Level 8 qualification at a pass award level and who have at least 3 years’ work experience may also be considered through the college’s normal RPL procedures. Relevant professional experience may be taken into account and individuals will be assessed on a case-by-case basis through DBS RPL procedures.

We are now accepting applications for programmes taking place in 2024.

Full Time: 1 Year
Part-Time: 2 Years

Next intake: September 2024

Career Opportunities
Graduates, upon completion of this programme, will be able to enter the business world and/or progress to a management role within a general or specific field or subfield of business. Throughout the course learners, acquire the necessary skills and business acumen to strategically appraise business opportunities and challenges and effectively integrate into decision-making roles with an organisation. The Higher Diploma in Business produces graduates capable of dealing with diverse intrinsic and extrinsic opportunities and challenges in the business world and do so in a creative fashion promoting business and commercial enterprise sustainability and growth. Graduates therefore, are in a position take up further Level 9 postgraduate studies as well as enter the field of business professionally.

Graduates will have the skills necessary to move into a management role within a variety of business functions such as marketing, people management or management of a department such as ICT within an organisations. They will have the business expertise to take a strategic view of business opportunities and challenges, and graduates will effectively integrate cutting edge analytics into decision-making in their company. In this way, the Higher Diploma in Business offers a consolidated and emphasised focus on strategic business decision-making fully integrated with personal and professional skills development as an effective means to improve business performance, productivity and efficiency.