Career Development and Management MA/PGDip
Study level: Postgraduate
Career guidance remains at the heart of UK government policies regarding education, employment and training, which are more important than ever in our rapidly-changing economy and labour market.
Year of entry
2023-24
Location
Coventry University (Coventry)
Study mode
Full-time
Part-time
Online/Blended
Duration
1 year full-time
2 years part-time
Course code
HLST202
Start date
September 2023
The information on this page is for 2022-23 entry and should be used as guidance for 2023-24 entry. Please keep checking back on this course page to see our latest updates.
Course overview
Career guidance remains at the heart of UK government policies regarding education, employment and training, which are more important than ever in our rapidly-changing economy and labour market.
The aim of the MA/PGDip in Career Development Management is for you to develop the practical skills, theoretical knowledge and professional values that would allow you to meet the needs of clients in a wide range of work settings.
- Aims to equip you with relevant, high quality career guidance practitioner skills such as interviewing and developing career learning programmes
- Aims to provide you with the skills to design and use labour market information to provide effective insight and advice.
- Gain an understanding of how to deliver careers support to diverse individuals and groups and manage career development activities, as well as how to manage your own career development.

Joint Top Modern University for Career Prospects
Guardian University Guide 2021 and 2022
5 QS Stars for Teaching and Facilities
QS Stars University Ratings
Top 5 UK Student City (Coventry)
QS Best Student Cities Index 2023Why you should study this course
- The course teaching team includes professionally qualified, experienced practitioners, who are academically rooted and research-informed (staff may be subject to change).
- Draws on UK and international perspectives alongside offering placement opportunities that are longer than the minimum stipulated by the CDI2.
- Placements are offered in a variety of settings taking account of your individual needs and aspirations (any additional costs incurred in attending placements, such as travel costs, are the responsibility of the student2).
- Alongside the CDI qualification, students completing the MA can achieve a Level 7 Chartered Management Institute (CMI) award. Please see the Accreditation and Professional Recognition section.
- Fully accredited by the Career Development Institute (CDI) – upon successful completion you will additionally be awarded the Qualification in Career Development (QCD), providing eligibility to join the professional practitioners’ register (please see the Accreditation and Professional Recognition section).
Accreditation and Professional Recognition
This course is accredited1 and recognised by the following bodies:

Career Development Institute (CDI)
Successful completion of the PgD or MA course and successful completion of the CDI Professional Report will enable you to join the UK Register of Career Development Professionals. Joining the Register demonstrates you are a qualified Career Development professional. Additional costs to become a member of the CDI and join the register will apply.
This course is accredited by CDI for the 2022/23 intake.

Chartered Management Institute (CMI)
The MA course currently includes the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) accredited module, Leading Strategic Change through Creativity and Innovation. Upon successful completion of the module, you will gain the CMI Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice at no additional cost. Further details can be found on the Professional Development module homepage.
Coventry University’s accreditation with CMI is currently ongoing for the relevant modules and is regularly reviewed and monitored by the CMI through their quality systems.
What you'll study
Study themes include:
- Career Development theory and practice from a client, service, national and international perspective
- Practitioner skills development
- E-learning, social media and digital platforms for professional development and client-based practice
- Ethics and diversity
- Organisational development.
We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.
How you'll learn
This course can be studied over one year full-time or over two years part time. Full-time students are normally taught through a mixture of weekday classes and Saturday schools; part-time students are normally taught via Saturday schools alone. All students follow a comprehensive blended learning programme including the following methods:
- Recorded lectures
- Extensive topic guides
- Blogs
- Digitised guided reading
- Flexible tutorials via email, phone, Microsoft Teams, or face-to-face discussions
- Minimum 30 days on professional placement (Placements may be subject to competitive application and may incur additional costs, such as travel.)
- 5 days of Continuing Professional Development- CPD can include training events, career fairs, employer visits to career companies/providers, networking events and others2.
This course can be offered on a part-time basis. Whilst we would like to give you all the information about our part-time offering here, it is tailored for each course each year depending on the number of part-time applicants. Therefore, the part-time teaching arrangements vary. Request further information about part-time study.
Teaching contact hours
Full-time students should spend approximately 10 hours per week on the blended learning programme, plus two days’ placement per week usually starting in early November (10 days in semester 1 and 20 days in semester 2). There is access to tutors for 1:1 and group tutorial support.
Part-time students are expected to spend at least six hours per week on the blended learning programme, plus (at predetermined times) one day per week on placement activities. They will need to attend 8-10 Saturday Schools (normally 10am-4pm) at the university in year one and 4-5 in year two. MA students will need to attend an additional 5 Saturday Schools in year two. All Saturday Schools include workshops and group activities. In addition, there is access for 1:1 tutorial support.
The contact hours may be made up of a combination of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials, and online classes and tutorials.
As an innovative and enterprising institution, the university may seek to utilise emerging technologies within the student experience. For all courses (whether on-campus, blended, or distance learning), the university may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via online technologies and methods.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are prepared for courses due to start in or after the 2022/2023 academic year to be delivered in a variety of forms. The form of delivery will be determined in accordance with Government and Public Health guidance. Whether on campus or online, our key priority is staff and student safety.
Assessment
Assessment methods include:
- Individual written assignments
- Vlogs
- Group presentations
The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.
International experience opportunities
Students have, in the past, been able to attend the Asia-Pacific Careers Conference, had a placement organised in Australia and conducted field research in Vietnam as part of their dissertation studies2.
Please note that all international experience opportunities may be subject to additional costs, competitive application, availability and meeting applicable visa and travel requirements are therefore not guaranteed2.
Entry requirements
Fees and funding
2023/24 tuition fees.
Student | Full-time | Part-time |
---|---|---|
UK | £11,200 (MA) | £7,466 (PGDip) per year | Request fee information |
International | £18,600 (MA) per year | Not available |
For advice and guidance on tuition fees3 and student loans visit our Postgraduate Finance page.
We offer a range of International scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.
Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them.
The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees:
- Any optional overseas field trips or visits: £400+ per trip.
- Any costs associated with securing, attending or completing a placement (whether in the UK or abroad).
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How do you know if you need to pay UK or international tuition fees?
We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Your fee status determines your tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available to you. The rules about who pays UK (home) or international (overseas) fees for higher education courses in England are set by the government's Department for Education. The regulations identify all the different categories of student who can insist on paying the home rate. The regulations can be difficult to understand, so the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) has provided fee status guidance to help you identify whether you are eligible to pay the home or overseas rate.
If you meet all the criteria required by any one category, including any residence requirements, your institution must charge you the home rate. You only need to find one category that you fit into.
Facilities
This course uses a blend of online and on-campus learning. Based in the Coventry University main campus, this course is part of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences.
Careers and opportunities
On successful completion, you will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of: the theories that may account for career choice and development; models of career guidance interventions, such as interview models, career learning approaches and the research, design and use of labour market information; the political, social, economic and technological contexts that shape and inform career guidance provision, including relevant policies and legislation; and relevant codes of ethical practice that inform and underpin career guidance practice
- Conduct career guidance interviews based on a comprehensive understanding of relevant interview models
- Plan, design and deliver career learning programmes and sessions, also based on an in-depth insight into relevant theories of learning and models of delivery
- Operate effectively in a range of complex organisational contexts.
Career development professionals provide activities and services which assist individuals or organisations seeking support to facilitate a wide range of career transitions. These may be associated with life and career stages, including the development of young people’s career ideas.
Successful completion of the course should provide you with skills to seek employment as a guidance practitioner in the statutory services, careers guidance within further education and higher education institutions, adult guidance partnerships, charitable organisations, community-based agencies and opportunities in the voluntary and private sectors.
Coventry University is committed to preparing you for your future career and aims to give you a competitive edge in the graduate job market. The University’s Careers and Employability team provide a wide range of support services to help you plan and prepare for your career.
Where our graduates work
Recent graduates have gone on to work for universities such as Coventry, Warwick, Bristol, Nottingham Trent, UCB and Birmingham; FE colleges, public and private schools in England; the Prison Service, NHS and Careers Wales. Others have moved in to self-employment as careers consultants and coaches.
How to apply
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UK students
To apply to study for a postgraduate course at Coventry University, you can apply online.
For further support or more information about your course get in touch with us today.
Chat with our admissions team
Complete our contact form.
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International students
Full-time international students applying to start in September should apply directly to the university. Read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply.
How to applyFor further support for international applicants applying for postgraduate degree view our International hub.
You can also download our International guide which contains lots of useful information about our courses, accommodation and tips for travel.
Get in touch with us today for further advice and guidance.
Chat with our admissions team.
Complete our contact form.
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Disclaimers
Coventry University together with Coventry University London Campus, CU Coventry, CU London, CU Scarborough and Coventry University Online come together to form part of the Coventry University Group (the “University”) with all degrees awarded by Coventry University.
1Accreditations
The majority of our courses have been formally recognised by professional bodies, which means the courses have been reviewed and tested to ensure they reach a set standard. In some instances, studying on an accredited course can give you additional benefits such as exemptions from professional exams (subject to availability, fees may apply). Accreditations, partnerships, exemptions and memberships shall be renewed in accordance with the relevant bodies’ standard review process and subject to the university maintaining the same high standards of course delivery.
2UK and international opportunities
Please note that we are unable to guarantee any UK or International opportunities (whether required or optional) such as internships, work experience, field trips, conferences, placements or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be subject to additional costs (which could include, but is not limited to, equipment, materials, bench fees, studio or facilities hire, travel, accommodation and visas), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable travel COVID and visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand the visa requirements, please contact the International Office.
3Tuition fees
The University will charge the tuition fees that are stated in the above table for the first Academic Year of study. The University will review tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation.
For International Students, we may increase fees each year but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation. If you defer your course start date or have to extend your studies beyond the normal duration of the course (e.g. to repeat a year or resit examinations) the University reserves the right to charge you fees at a higher rate and/or in accordance with any legislative changes during the additional period of study.
4Facilities
Due to COVID-19, some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) and some non-academic offerings (particularly in relation to international experiences), may vary from those advertised and may have reduced availability or restrictions on their use.
Student Contract
By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. The 2023/24 Contract is currently being updated so please revisit this page before submitting your application. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the university will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.