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Career Development and Employability MA (Distance Learning)

2025-26 (also available for 2024-25)

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This course is eligible for Master's loan funding. Find out more.

Start date

12 January 2026

18 May 2026

Duration

1 year full-time, distance learning
2 years part-time, distance learning

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About the course

Reasons to study

  1. Enhance your employability: you could gain a professional qualification alongside your Master's.
  2. Placement opportunities help you to develop the practical skills needed for a successful career.
  3. Academic expertise: we have been teaching career guidance courses for over 40 years.

On this distance learning course, you’ll have the opportunity to develop an understanding of critical reflection and how to employ independent learning strategies to enable you to evaluate and inform your professional practice. You’ll also develop and deepen your knowledge and understanding of educational research. This course is for those seeking a professional qualification in Career Guidance. You’ll have the opportunity to take the Qualification in Career Development (QCD) - the nationally recognised professional qualification awarded by the Career Development Institute (CDI) - alongside the Master's qualification. You’ll learn about policy, practice and theories underpinning career guidance, equality and diversity, partnership working and research-based practice.

Why Career Development and Employability?

  • The course can lead to a wide variety of interesting and rewarding career prospects in the career guidance and development sector including higher and further education careers and employability services, secondary education and third sector organisations. You can find out more via the CDI
  • Successful completion of the course can result in the Career Development Institute approved career guidance professional qualification (the Qualification in Career Development or QCD).
  • You’ll study 100% online which gives you the flexibility to work at your own pace and fit your studies alongside other work and home commitments.
  • Students who do not wish to commit to the full MA may choose to study the Postgraduate Diploma (PG Dip) which also leads to the award of the QCD.
  • Huddersfield has been teaching career guidance courses for over 40 years and has established a strong national reputation in the sector. You’ll also have access to our extensive professional and academic network which feeds directly into course design and delivery and to excellent facilities and specialist equipment.
  • This course is open to graduates from any discipline, as well as applicants with a professional qualification and/or suitable experience.

Discover more about Distance Learning at Huddersfield.

Course detail

You will study the following seven core modules:

Effective Careers Conversations (DL)

This module examines the professional role of a career development practitioner in order to enable you to develop as reflective practitioner who draws on developmental supervision. It considers the theory, principles and practice of working with individuals within a Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) setting. The module explores techniques, approaches and a range of models appropriate for use by careers guidance practitioners, and it provides the opportunity for you to critically assess and evaluate your own skills, knowledge and values as a reflective careers guidance practitioner. You will consider ethical practice and professional boundaries and analyse your own professional practice.

Theories of Career Decision Making (DL)

This module critically evaluates a range of theories relating to occupational choice and examines the relationship between theory and professional practice. Students are encouraged to understand the value of theory in their own professional practice across a range of settings. Principles of curriculum design and planning in relation to Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance in a variety of settings are also examined. The module promotes critical understanding of models of guidance, planning action and client assessment methods.

Facilitating Careers Work in Groups (DL)

This module will support you to develop the knowledge and ability to design and deliver career and employability group work whether that sits within the curriculum or not. The module also considers principles of career development learning and curriculum or programme design. It considers the theory, principles and practice of working with groups within a Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) setting. The module explores techniques, approaches and a range of models appropriate for use by careers guidance practitioners, and it provides the opportunity for you to critically assess and evaluate your own skills, knowledge and values as a reflective career development practitioner. You will consider ethical practice and professional boundaries and analyse your own professional practice.

Organisational Culture (DL)

This module examines approaches to professional practice in a range of contexts. It considers the nature of the organisation within which professional practice related to carer development and employability is located. You will develop practical skills and knowledge, using theoretical justification for a range of practices. Subjects such as, safeguarding, equality, government policy and working within formal educational settings will be considered. Learning in the workplace will focus on your own learning contract and your progress against it.

Understanding the Labour Market (DL)

This module will critically evaluate the major labour market sources used in careers and employability work across a range of relevant sectors and will explore how guidance professionals use this in their professional practice.

Research Methodology (DL)

This module will help you design and develop a piece of individual research or a professional project. You will draw upon a relevant literature review and select and explain an appropriate research design and technique. The module is designed to give you an insight into research methodology, both quantitative and qualitative, and to develop the ability to plan and conduct a research project, involving appropriate study design, data analysis, and interpretation, whilst giving due consideration to issues of ethics, reliability, validity, trustworthiness and transferability. You will have the opportunity to demonstrate your mastery of the module content by designing a research study and writing a research proposal.

Independent Research Project (DL)

This module will help you design and develop a piece of individual research or a professional project into a topic of your choice that is related to your course. You will draw upon a relevant literature review and select and explain an appropriate research design and technique. You will interpret and evaluate the findings and report them in such a way as to encourage dissemination.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for this course are normally:

  • A degree or an equivalent professional qualification. Suitably experienced applicants without a degree will be considered.

In addition you must also have:

  • Relevant experience in a paid or voluntary basis.
  • Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
  • Complete a satisfactory interview.
  • International applicants must be available for interview in person or via Skype.

In order to successfully study this distance learning course, you must also have:

  • Access to a computer with a reliable internet connection.
  • The ability to access and use online study guidance and support.
  • Appropriate video and audio devices so that you can participate in webinar tutorials.

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.0 with a minimum score of 6.0 in writing and a minimum of 5.5 in any single component. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our International Entry Requirements page.

Placements

A significant amount of your learning also takes place whilst on placement where you’ll gain the practical skills to successfully work with adults and young people in the wide range of settings in which careers guidance is practiced. These include workplaces, the voluntary sector, higher and further education careers services, secondary education and the National Careers Service.

For those students undertaking the Qualification on Career Development the course involves a compulsory work placement consisting of a minimum of 30 days. Typically, students are able to experience a placement involving a guidance agency and also within an education organisation e.g. a school/academy, or within Further/Higher Education. The aim of the placement is that students should have a wide-ranging experience of information, advice and guidance provision and should be strongly involved in developing practical skills within the guidance sector.

Staff Profiles

Student support

At the University of Huddersfield, you will find support networks and services to help you get ahead in your studies. Our Distance Learning Unit Team are at hand to make your online learning journey a positive, rewarding and successful one.

The Distance Learning Unit has specialist staff who are committed to ensuring that online teaching and learning material is accessible to all. We can recommend and provide training on assistive technologies and software which can support a range of learning styles and additional needs.

During each module, you will be able to rely on your module tutors to provide any academic support you need.

You will always have access to our online learning facilities and should you need any technical support whilst studying, you will find that many of our student support services and resources are available online or accessible during UK working hours.

Find out more about support services including finance, careers, Library, IT and disability and wellbeing.

Important information

Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons

When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by our terms and conditions, Handbook of Regulations and associated policies. It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan.

Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons

Changes to a course you have applied for but are not yet enrolled on

If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment. We may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or combine your programme with another programme if we consider this reasonably necessary to ensure a good student experience, for example if there are not enough applicants. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and we will discuss with you other suitable courses we can transfer your application to. If you do not wish to transfer to another course with us, you may cancel your application and we will refund you any deposits or fees you have paid to us.

Changes to your course after you enrol as a student

Changes to option modules:

Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have an equivalent range of options to that advertised for the course. We will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.

Major changes:

We will only make major changes to non-optional modules on a course if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change is a change that substantially changes the outcomes, or a significant part of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum. For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators or a commissioning or accrediting body. We may also make changes to improve the course in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback or to ensure you are being taught current best practice. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff leaving the University or being unable to teach, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to damage or interruption to buildings, facilities or equipment, or pandemics.

Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but may happen sooner in an emergency. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will carry out suitable consultation. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you contact us in writing before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for future tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed in accordance with the student protection plan.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.

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