UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

Continuing professional development
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Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

The University of Glasgow is committed to meeting the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) needs of a wide range of professionals. Over 300 short courses, conferences and accredited programmes are run annually across all faculties of the University.

The range of CPD Activities undertaken

A wide range of activities are included within the University's definition of CPD, from conferences, seminars, very short courses (even lunchtime meetings) to credit-rated and award bearing programmes such as MBAs, MScs and other more traditional postgraduate taught (PGT) courses spread over a number of months/years for part-time students. Some PGT courses have been 'opened up' to allow professionals and other interested students to study individual modules either for credit or not.

Recognition for CPD activity

CPD events undertaken at GU may be recognised in a number of different ways:

  • Award of a specified amount of credit at a specific Higher Education (HE) level. This includes credit for individual courses (modules) as well as recognised awards, for example Postgraduate Diplomas (PgD), Postgraduate Certificates (PgC) and Masters, for completion of a full programme of courses.
  • The credit awarded may or may not accumulate towards a designated award from GU, but will generally be consistent with the Scottish Curriculum and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) definitions of credit and level of the main qualifications of Higher Education in Scotland. As such, the credit received might contribute to specific awards at other Scottish HEIs, subject to their individual regulations. Further information may be obtained from the SCQF booklet An Introduction to the Scottish Qualifications Framework, Second Edition (October 2003) which may be downloaded from the SCQF website.
  • For courses that do not award credit, or if participants have chosen not to take assessment for credit, a certificate of 'satisfactory course completion' is normally awarded by the Department or Faculty running the course.
  • Any of the above-mentioned modes of CPD study may be recognised by an appropriate Professional Institution or other external body, usually to meet the requirements of their own CPD schemes. Further information is available on the CPD requirements of professional institutions.

Certificates for CPD

Individual Departments are encouraged to use the standard style University Certificates for the recognition of both non-accredited and accredited CPD study for individual courses/modules that do not in themselves lead to one of the recognised University Awards.

CPD Contacts

Arts (incl. Divinity) - Debbie Goldie
Biomedical and Life Sciences - Alan Taylor
Information and Mathematical Sciences - Frances Goldman
Education - Alan Britton
Engineering - enquiries@eng.gla.ac.uk
Medicine (inc. Dentistry and Nursing) - Christine Edwards
Physical Sciences - David Forrest
Law, Business and Social Sciences - Robbie Paton
Veterinary Medicine - Arlene MacRae