Management & Corporate Governance

Overview

Due to the great demand for the GradCG qualification (formally GradICSA), Ulster University offers this course with face-to-face tuition to help you achieve a demanding professional and academic qualification. This course leads to graduate membership of The Chartered Governance Institute UK and Ireland, the international membership and qualifying body for chartered secretaries and other governance professionals. The course has been developed in close collaboration with the Institute and is fully accredited by them. By completing this course, students achieve a masters qualification from Ulster University and also the professional qualification from the Institute.

F/T Programme

Year one

Accounting & Finance

Risk Management and Board Dynamics

Corporate Governance

Company Law & Compliance

Strategic Management

Behavioural Dynamics: Managing People and Teams

Research Methods

Management Project



P/T Programme

Year one

Accounting & Finance

Corporate Governance

Company Law & Compliance

Behavioural Dynamics: Managing People and Teams



Year two

Risk Management and Board Dynamics

Strategic Management

Research Methods

Management Project

You 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

English language requirements for international applicants



International students will be required to have achieved IELTS 7 (with no contributing band at less than 6.0) or equivalent.



Ulster recognises a number of other English language tests and comparable IELTS equivalent scores.



• For English language requirements go to: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/global/apply/english-language-requirements



• For Your country go to: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/global/apply/country



Exemptions and transferability

applicants who have completed masters level qualifications, qualifications from the Governance Institute or other professional bodies, or who have significant work experience may apply to be exempt from modules. Please contact a member of the Course Team for more information.

Your Application

You can apply directly to Ulster at any time of year. We advise that you submit your application no later than two weeks prior to your course start date. This is to ensure there is sufficient time for your application to be reviewed and, should you be made an offer, time for you to complete all the necessary pre-enrolment tasks.



Some programmes will have specific deadlines as additional selection (e.g. interview, portfolio submission etc) is required, so please check the course page to ensure you have sufficient time to complete your application.

Attendance

The full-time MSc Management and Corporate Governance course is usually taught on two days a week, with lectures taking place during the afternoon and evening. As well as weekly lectures some subjects are taught on a "block" basis - meaning that the modules are taught over four days; one module in semester 1.



Students completing the Master's qualification will be required to take three modules in semester 3, these are usually taught on a 4 day "block" basis between May and July.

Start Date: September 2026.

Careers and Opportunities

Students who study the part-time route through this course may be able to seek promotion within their own organisation. There is a great demand for graduates from this course who have both a valuable academic qualification and a professional qualification from The Chartered Governance Institute UK and Ireland.



A number of organisations recruit directly from this course each year and the course can boast an employment rate of over 90% over the past few years with successful students being appointed to graduate level positions in organisations such as the following:



Maples Finance, BDO Ireland, Mason Hayes and Curran, FBD Holdings, Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Lex Tray, Eversheds (Manchester), Mazars, Citi, A & L Goodbody, Bank of Ireland, Action Aid, KPMG, William Fry, PWC, Blackrock, Maples Finance and Deloitte.



Chartered secretaries are high-ranking professionals with a diverse set of skills unique amongst many professions. Trained in corporate law, finance, governance and corporate secretarial practice, Chartered secretaries are the focal point for independent advice about the conduct of business, governance and compliance. They can also offer legal and accounting advice and manage the development of strategy and corporate planning.



A great deal more information on the job, opportunities and salaries of such skilled individuals can be found at www.cgi.org.uk.