Postgraduate courses online in Ireland, diplomas and MBA.
For graduates. Two postgraduate diplomas, in Business Strategic Management and in Human Resource Management, are Ofqual-regulated OTHM qualifications at QQI Level 9 equivalent, studied online with no exams. The business diploma leads into the Arden University MBA top-up, finished in about a year.
- Level
- QQI Level 9
- Entry
- A bachelor’s degree, or strong work experience
- Time
- 10 to 15 months, then about a year for the MBA
- Price
- From €220 a month
Postgraduate study from Ireland.
Two diplomas and the MBA. A diploma first; the MBA follows the business diploma if you want the master’s.
Business Management2 courses
- PostgradMaster of Business Administration (MBA) top-upThe MBA at Arden University, online, entered from the postgraduate diploma.£285 a monthQQI 9 · One year
- PostgradPostgraduate Diploma in Business Strategic ManagementSix modules at master’s level for graduates and senior managers. Leads into the MBA.€220 a monthQQI 9 · 10 to 15 months
Also at this level: ACCA. The chartered accountancy qualification, taught online by LSBF and priced per paper. ACCA online →
What postgraduate study does.
The two steps, who they are for, and what they change.
What you hold at the end
Each postgraduate diploma, Business Strategic Management or Human Resource Management, is an OTHM qualification regulated by Ofqual, at master’s level: sixty ECTS credits towards a ninety-credit master’s. On Ireland’s framework it is QQI Level 9 equivalent. Finish the business diploma and you can enter the Arden University MBA top-up and hold the full MBA about a year later. The HR diploma leads into a master’s top-up in HR management, offered by an external university.
Who it is for
Graduates in any subject, and people without a degree whose professional experience earns an exemption. The school confirms entry when you apply. It is built for people already managing a team or a business who want the qualification that matches the job.
What it changes at work
Senior and strategic roles increasingly list a master’s or MBA as the requirement. The postgraduate diploma alone is a recognised QQI Level 9 qualification; the MBA is the one that appears in job adverts. The business diploma’s six modules are strategic management, strategic leadership, strategic human resource management, business research methods, strategic financial management and strategic marketing. The HR diploma’s are strategic HRM, engagement and organisational learning, leadership development and performance management, global resourcing, talent and reward, employment relations and law, and business research methods.
How you study it
Online, with recorded lectures, unlimited one-to-one tutor sessions and written assignments instead of exams. Ten to fifteen months for the diploma alongside a full-time job, €220 a month, no deadlines set by us. The MBA then takes about a year.
Entry requirements.
The school confirms entry to the postgraduate diploma; Arden confirms entry to the MBA. We check both with you first.
- A QQI Level 7–8 qualification or the equivalent: a bachelor’s degree in any subject
- Or: no degree, but strong professional work experience, which can earn an exemption
- Age 21 or over by the start date
- English: taught and assessed in English, so you need to read and write it well
- 120 UK credits at EQF Level 7 (QQI Level 9 equivalent) in a business or management award, such as the Postgraduate Diploma in Business Strategic Management
- English: IELTS 6.5 with no element below 6.0, or evidence that your postgraduate diploma was taught in English
- Arden University confirms entry when you apply
How you study.
Every course here is online, in English, and built for people with a job. This is what that means day to day.
You watch when it suits you: before work, on a lunch break, on Sunday morning. Nothing is live, so nothing is missed.
Each module ends with a written assignment, marked by a tutor with feedback. You submit online. There are no exams on any diploma.
Unlimited one-to-one sessions with a tutor, for any module, as often as you need. A course advisor at Elephant & Cross stays with you from the first call to your certificate.
You set the pace. The average is ten to fifteen months, and course access lasts up to five years, so if a busy quarter gets in the way, the course waits.
What you pay.
The diploma
€220 a month over eighteen payments, €3,960 in total, interest free. No sign-up fee. A full refund for seven days after your start date; after that you can stop at any time and owe nothing further. Payment policy →
The MBA
£285 a month over twelve months at Arden University; the payment plan is set out in Arden’s offer letter. You decide whether to continue after the diploma; nothing is committed in advance.
Employer funding
Many employers fund postgraduate study that relates to the job. Ask us for the documents your employer needs.
Where postgraduate students work.
Most people who take these are already managing when they start. The qualification catches up with the job.
What QQI Level 9 means in Ireland.
Ireland uses the National Framework of Qualifications, run by QQI. It numbers levels differently from the European EQF: a QQI Level 6 is the same level as an EQF Level 5, and a QQI Level 9 is an EQF Level 7.
The courses here are UK qualifications regulated by Ofqual. The QQI level shown is the equivalent level on Ireland’s framework. QQI levels against the EQF, the table →
Postgraduate in Ireland: the questions we get.
Do I need a degree for the postgraduate diploma?
A bachelor’s degree in any subject, or strong professional work experience in place of one, which can earn an exemption. The school confirms entry when you apply.
Where does a UK MBA sit on Ireland’s framework?
A UK master’s degree is EQF Level 7, which corresponds to QQI Level 9 on the National Framework of Qualifications.
Postgraduate diploma or MBA: which one?
The diploma is six modules, ten to fifteen months, €220 a month, no exams. If you then want the master’s, the MBA top-up at Arden takes about a year more. You decide after the diploma.
Can I do it alongside a full-time job?
Yes. Online, no timetabled lectures, and no deadlines set by us on the diploma.
More from Ireland.
The other levels, and the subject pages.
Studying from Malta? In Malta the same courses carry MQF levels, and Maltese residents can claim up to 70% back. Postgraduate in Malta →