With one of our eight free postgraduate courses
Funded postgraduate courses
If you have been furloughed, made redundant or unable to gain employment in your field as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, you may understandably be feeling uncertain about your future.
Using this time to acquire in-demand skills could be the ace up your sleeve when you do return to the workforce.

Queen's University is offering a suite of free Postgraduate Certificates, funded by the Department for the Economy.
These programmes are to upskill individuals in a range of subjects including Software Development, Data Analytics, Applied Cyber Security, Advanced Chemical Analysis, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics and many more.
These PGCert funded programmes are open to applicants resident in Northern Ireland only. They are not open to applicants from outside Northern Ireland. You will be required to provide evidence that you are resident in Northern Ireland through the application and enrolment process.
Applications will close on Friday 4 December at 12pm. We would encourage applicants to apply as soon as possible. The course will start in January 2021 with the bulk of teaching completed by the end of March 2021. Assessment activities will follow-thereafter.

Programmes on offer include:
- Software Development
- Applied Cyber Security
- Audio-visual Post Production
- Data Analytics
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics
- Zero Carbon Engineering
- Advanced Chemical Analysis
- Materials Science and Engineering
Whether you want to stay ahead of the talent curve in your current role or you’re looking for a career changing stepping stone into our full Masters programmes, these programmes will ensure you stay professionally relevant.
No previous experience? No problem. Many of these courses are aimed at those with no prior experience in the subject area, however you will be required to hold a Honours Degree or equivalent, or be able to demonstrate Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL).
INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS
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COURSE DELIVERY
Teaching and assessment will be fully delivered online, with the exception of Cyber Security which requires on-campus teaching for certain modules. Online learning will be delivered through a mixture of self-directed study and practice materials.
Courses will require approximately 16-24 hours of study effort each week for most students in order to complete the programme by March 2021.
- START DATE
Applications will close on Friday 4 December 2020 at 12pm. We would encourage applicants to apply as soon as possible. The courses will start in January 2021 with the bulk of teaching completed by the end of March 2021. Assessment activities will follow-thereafter.
- PROGRESSION
If you are seeking to continue with your professional development you will have the opportunity to self-fund progression to the full Master’s subject to meeting the academic requirements for progression.
- ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
These courses are open to applicants resident in Northern Ireland. Admission is not open to applicants from outside Northern Ireland.
The admission criteria for entry onto the programme is normally an Honours degree or above, or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University.
Applicants who do not meet the entry requirements may be considered for admission under Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL). When completing your online application you will be asked for a degree transcript; in place of that please submit the two RPEL forms below along with a copy of your current CV.
Specific entry requirements for each course can be found on the specific course pages.
Socioeconomic requirements:
The course is specifically targeted towards people who have been directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The following list indicates the criteria which you must evidence that you meet in order to be eligible for a funded place on the course:
- Unemployed since 1 March 2020 – evidence: redundancy notice or recent welfare benefit
- Furloughed – evidence: provide confirmation from employer
- Economically Inactive and partner furloughed, unemployed or on reduced earnings as a result of impact of COVID-19 – evidence: confirmation from employer; benefit/grant application/HMRC scheme application
- Self-employed and income affected by COVID-19 – evidence: benefit/Self Employed Income Support application/ signed personal statement (to include: Your full name and your date of birth; Assertion that you are currently self-employed indicating the duration of your period of self-employment i.e. date that you became self-employed; Brief account of the impact that COVID has had on your income since March 2020). At the bottom of the statement, please include the following: “I hereby certify that the information provided here is true and correct.” Ensure to sign and date the personal statement.
- Recent graduate unable to secure employment in their chosen field since graduation will be considered on the individual merit of their application – evidence: benefit/grant application/HMRC scheme application.
If you are unable to provide evidence that you meet the socioeconomic requirements by the application deadline, your application will not be considered.

by 4 December at 12pm
- Log in to your existing account or create a new account in the Queen's Direct Application Portal.
- Fill in an application for the Postgraduate Certificate you are interested in. Applications will close on Friday 4 December at 12pm. We would encourage applicants to apply as soon as possible.
- If eligible and if required for your chosen programme of study, you will be invited to a remote aptitude test. Successful completion of the test and provision of academic qualifications will result in an offer being made.
- You will be required to provide evidence of your identity and eligibility through the application process. This same evidence will be checked for enrolment and registration purposes too.
CONTACT US
Queries for Biostatistics and Bioinformatics should be sent to askmhls@qub.ac.uk
Queries for Audio Visual Post Production should be sent to askahss@qub.ac.uk
Queries for Software Development, Applied Cyber Security, Data Analytics, Zero Carbon Engineering, Advanced Chemical enginnering and Materials Science and Engineering should be sent to askeps@qub.ac.uk
All other queries should be sent to studentrecruitment@qub.ac.uk