Find out more about the ARU Certificate for Professional Development (ARUCPD) with our FAQs.
If you have any questions that aren't answered here, please email [email protected].
ARUCPD stands for the ARU Certificate of Professional Development. It is a unique co-curricular course offered by the Faculty of Business and Law, completely free of charge, and it allows you to undertake up to four additional modules during your time at ARU.
For completing each module, you will receive 15 credits, which will be reflected on your degree transcript on graduation.
If you complete four modules (received 60 credits) during your degree, these credits will appear on your transcript, and you will also receive a separate ARU Certificate of Professional Development.
We recommend that you aim to do 15 credits (one module) in Year 1; 30 credits (two modules) in Year 2; and 15 credits (one module) in Year 3.
ARUCPD is offered to students within the Faculty of Business and Law, completely free of charge, and allows you to take one module per trimester, up to a maximum of four additional modules during your time at ARU. At the start of each trimester (September, for trimester 1, December/January for trimester 2 and April/May for trimester 3, you will have the option to join a module. All modules are intended to be as flexible as possible, to enable you to fit them comfortably around your studies and we have classified them into three categories:
These modules have been designed to develop your leadership skills, improve your critical reasoning, and create opportunities to work with students and staff outside of your chosen course and at all levels of study.
On passing each ARUCPD module, you'll be awarded 15 credits which then appear on your final transcript to help support your employability when you graduate. If you complete four modules (60 credits) during your time at ARU, you'll receive a standalone ARUCPD certificate in addition to your degree certificate and transcript as well as being able to practice the skills you need to succeed from day one in your graduate workplace.
Completing ARUCPD modules will add invaluable benefit to your CV, by demonstrating the breadth of knowledge and skills you gained during your academic degree. It will allow you to talk to employers about the achievements you made or projects you completed during your ARUCPD, and how you managed your time and workload while also succeeding in your main degree course.
You'll meet new people, gain experience and knowledge outside your course, and create connections which could be essential in the future. You will get a chance to work with a multi-cultural community of individuals with different working styles, thus improving your leadership, teamworking and networking skills.
ARUCPD will help you gain the skills the employers seek and stand out from the competition. And it is free – may well be worth exploring!
No, you cannot. ARUCPD is not part of your degree, but an addition to it which helps you develop transferable skills and make yourself more employable. Success on the ARUCPD cannot compensate for performance deficit on your main courses of study. In other words, ARUCPD modules cannot replace modules you need to do for your degree course.
ARUCPD modules have been designed to develop your leadership skills, improve your critical reasoning, and create opportunities to work with students and staff outside of your chosen course of study, and at all levels of study.
Some modules may be subject to number caps and others may be added throughout the year. We will contact you if your chosen module becomes unavailable, and ask you to select another one should this be required.
You can take one ARUCPD module per academic trimester and can do this across the full duration of your course. You can take up to four ARUCPD modules during your time at ARU.
No, modules are usually flexible and intended to fit around your degree. Generally, you would be expected to engage with the module for approximately 50 hours. This may include any work you do for the module, not only face-to-face teaching and meetings, and may depend on your working style and productivity.
You'll be invited to sign up when you start your degree. The sign ups for ARUCPD usually open at the start of each trimester so you can join at 3 points throughout an academic year; in September for trimester 1, December/January for trimester 2 and April/May for trimester 3.
Yes – but do not worry! ARUCPD assessments do not concentrate on long pieces of academic work – they concentrate on you, your skills development, practical experience and reflection. You'll engage in negotiation or pitching sessions, create personal development plans, present your business ideas, run projects or social media campaigns and reflect on your learning. In fact, some students think that assessments are the best part of ARUCPD!
You need to complete four modules throughout your degree to graduate with a 60-credit ARU Certificate of Professional Development awarded in addition to your degree course.
ARUCPD is an opportunity, not a requirement. So you don’t have to do all four modules, and can take as many or as few as you would like.
No, you don't. If you want to only take 1 module, a couple or none at all, the choice is yours.
Our Student Engagement team are here to help you through your ARUCPD journey, offering drop in sessions, events and other engagement opportunities. You'll meet them at Welcome and find out more about ARUCPD then.
ARUCPD credits will appear on your degree transcript when you graduate and you will also receive a standalone ARUCPD certificate if you have completed four modules. You will also learn to articulate your ARUCPD skills on paper and in interviews, so that you feel confident talking about your successes to employers!