Public Management

The Professional Diploma in Human Rights and Equality is a one-year, part-time programme. It has been developed in conjunction with the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. It seeks to give public servants and others a better understanding of the place that human rights and equality occupy in public management and administration. The responsibility to devise policy, deliver services, and follow processes that protect human rights and further equality has become explicit since the introduction, via legislation, of the public sector duty in this area. This programme provides instruction in the most relevant laws and in their implications for the civil and wider public service. 

Professional Diploma in Human Rights and Equality

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Key Facts

Delivery Method

The programme is delivered through a blended learning model. Students attend in-person seminars at the IPA on eight selected weekdays, study bespoke course material, and access a range of online resources. The seminars are delivered in two-day blocks during the week.

Entry Requirements

Applicants require a Leaving Certificate with a minimum grade C in two higher level papers and grade D in four other subjects. The papers passed must include Irish, English and a third language. 

OR

Mature students (students over 21 on January 1 of the calendar year of entry) may enter a programme without the above qualifications. 

Duration

One academic year

Accreditation

NUI

Place on NFQ

Level 8 (Special Purpose award) what is this?

Commences

October 2024

Application Deadline

October 2024

Fees

The cost of the programme is €2,650 per annum (includes all matriculation and examination fees), payable in two instalments. 

Employers and Fees

Where employers are paying fees, students, when enrolling, must provide a PO number and employer authorisation on the applicaiton form OR submit a letter from their employer confirming that fees will be paid directly. 

Students Paying their own Fees

Fees can be paid by:

  • Electronic transfer (contact the Undergraduate Office).
  • Debit/credit card (contact the Undergraduate Office).
  • Cheque (payable to the Institute of Public Administration).
  • Bank draft.

Note: Fees may increase slightly from year to year. Where this occurs, students will be charged the increased fee.

Progression

Students who successfully complete this programme can enter the second year of the BA (Hons) on a completing a bridging programme. 

Expand all

The Programme

The Professional Diploma in Human Rights and Equality is a one-year, part-time programme. It has been developed in conjunction with the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. It seeks to give public servants and others a better understanding of the place that human rights and equality occupy in public management and administration. The responsibility to devise policy, deliver services, and follow processes that protect human rights and further equality has become explicit since the introduction, via legislation, of the public sector duty in this area. This programme provides instruction in the most relevant laws and in their implications for the civil and wider public service. 

Is This Programme for you?

Yes, if you know you would benefit from a comprehensive education in how human rights and equality influence contemporary public policy and service delivery. Students will come from all parts of the wider public service and beyond and will work at various grades. They will all be keen to understand how the laws and policies around human rights and equality have become intrinsic to the day-to-day delivery of services and to obtain an informed perspective on the challenges that human rights and equality developments have for the workplace. No prior knowledge of the law in this area is required. 

Subjects
Philosophical and Political Perspectives on Human Rights and Equality

This module introduces students to the historical and conceptual foundations of contemporary human rights and equality law. Students will learn about the major historical developments in this area, the key theories that have been advanced in support of the universality of human rights and equality, and the current debates about the application of these theories in national and international contexts.

The International and European Frameworks for Human Rights

Students will be introduced to the United Nations human rights system, the Council of Europe human rights mechanisms (including the European Convention on Human Rights), and the European Union human rights and equality framework. The module is essentially concerned with the international legal framework within which Irish laws and policies sit.

Human Rights and Equality in the Irish Legal System

The main aim of this module is to introduce students to the protections around human rights and equality provided by the Constitution of Ireland and to the very considerable body of legislation and case law that has developed in Ireland, particularly in recent years.

Human Rights and Equality in Public Management

This module will give students the knowledge, resources, and skills they need to apply what they have learned about human rights and equality to their working lives and to their organisations. It will use case studies from different sectors to provide guidance on the human rights and equality issues that regularly arise in the working lives of public servants and those charged with managing and delivering public services of all sorts. This module includes coverage of the Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty. .

Assessment

Assessment involves assignments given over the course of the year and final examinations. 

Other Information

How To Apply
  1. Download this Application Form and complete it (if your fees are being paid by your employer, be sure to include all the relevant details on the form).
  2. That form MUST be accompanied by: (a) proof of ID (copy of passport, birth cert, or driving licence), (b) a passport photo, (c) the programme fee (see section on Fees).

Send the completed application form and the above items to undergrad@ipa.ie.

You may also apply by post.

Prospectus

Programme Delivery and Applications

IPA programmes are part time and generally delivered through a blended learning model.  To apply, see the How to Apply section on the relevant programme and download the application form below.

Undergraduate Application Form 2024

 

Enquiry Form

 

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