Graduate Certificate in Business Management

Lampeter Campus

About the course

This Graduate Certificate prepares students for progression onto the University’s MBA or business-related Masters programme. It has been designed to provide a balanced combination of skills and knowledge, necessary to prepare International students for Masters level study in the UK. The programme  provides the basic study skills required for a UK Masters programme in general business and management. It is designed to provide a general overview of the context, tools and structure for managing a wide range of organisations, taking into account the internal and external environment of organizations.

The programme will cover the following areas and allow students to:

  • study organisations, their management and the changing external environment in which they operate;
  • prepare for and develop a career in business and management;
  • enhance lifelong learning skills and personal development to contribute to society at large.

Students successfully completing the Graduate Certificate will be able to progress to the MBA programme of their choice at Trinity Saint David.

Awards available

  • Graduate Certificate

Programme Specification

Educational Aims

The main educational aims of the programme are to:

  • prepare students for studying at master's level in business and management subjects to enhance students’ employability and the utility of their first discipline;
  • prepare students for research or further study in the field of business and management;
  • enhance lifelong learning skills and personal development to enable students to work with self direction, originality and to contribute to business and society at large;
  • develop language, critical thinking and analytical skills to prepare international students for postgraduate study in business management;
  • prepare and enable students to undertake advanced study of organisations, their management and the changing external context in which they operate;
  • develop students’ ability to apply knowledge and understanding of business and management to complex issues, both systematically and creatively, to improve business and management practices;
  • develop students’ transferable skills of research, interpretation, critical evaluation and their ability to become reflective practitioners;
  • prepare students for a career or career development in business and management by developing professional skills.

Programme Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

It is expected that on successful completion, student will be able to demonstrate some knowledge and understanding in the following areas:

  • markets - the development and operation of markets for resources, goods and services;
  • customers - customer expectations, service and orientation;
  • finance - the sources, uses and management of finance; the use of accounting and other information systems for managerial applications;
  • people - the management and development of people within organizations;
  • operations - the management of resources and operations;
  • information systems - the development, management and exploitation of information systems and their impact upon organizations;
  • communication and information technology - the comprehension and use of relevant communication and information technologies for application in business and management;
  • business policy and strategy - the development of appropriate policies and strategies within a changing environment, to meet stakeholder interests;
  • pervasive issues - sustainability, globalisation, corporate social responsibility, diversity, business innovation, creativity, enterprise development, knowledge management and risk management.

The following sections provide cognitive, practical and transferable skills applying to the Masters Entry Programme.

Cognitive Skills

  • Being able to think critically, analytically and to synthesise. This includes the capability to identify assumptions, evaluate statements in terms of evidence, to detect false logic or reasoning, to identify implicit values, to define terms adequately and to generalise appropriately.
  • Being able to solve problems and to make decisions using appropriate quantitative and qualitative skills including identifying, formulating and solving business problems. The ability to create, evaluate and assess a range of options together with the capacity to apply ideas and knowledge to a range of situations.
  • Being able to conduct research into business and management issues, either individually or as part of a team. This requires familiarity with and an evaluative approach to a range of business data, sources of information and appropriate methodologies, and for such to inform the overall learning process.
  • Using information and knowledge effectively: scanning and organising data, synthesising and analysing in order to abstract meaning from information and to share knowledge.

Practical Skills

  • Effective performance, within a team environment, including leadership, team building, influencing and project management skills.
  • Ability to recognise and address ethical dilemmas and corporate social responsibility issues, applying ethical and organisational values to situations and choices.

Transferable Skills

  • Effective communication skills, oral and in writing, using a range of media which are widely used in business such as the preparation and presentation of business reports.
  • Numeracy and quantitative skills including data analysis, interpretation and extrapolation. The use of models of business problems and phenomena.
  • Effective use of communication and information technology for business applications.
  • Effective self-management in terms of time, planning and behaviour, motivation, self-starting, individual initiative and enterprise.
  • Interpersonal skills of effective listening, negotiating, persuasion and presentation;
  • Self reflection and criticality including self awareness, openness and sensitivity to diversity in terms of people, cultures, business and management issues. Also, the skills of learning to learn and developing a continuing appetite for learning; reflective, adaptive and collaborative learning. 

Study mode

  • Full-time
  • Part-time

Start dates

  • October

Further Information

Huw Thomas - huw.thomas@tsd.ac.uk