MSc Professional Skills Development module (SD50001)

At Master’s level, it’s not just about deepening your subject knowledge—it’s also about becoming a confident, capable professional.

This module helps you develop the personal and academic skills essential for success in your degree and your future career.

You will explore professional skill development, resilience, and self-awareness. You will do this while building strong foundations in academic writing, critical thinking, and communication. You will reflect on your learning journey so far and identify strategies to maintain motivation and passion in your field.

You will also explore key professional values. These include equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I). You will learn what it means to be a responsible and self-aware member of an academic and professional community.

Through guided activities, self-reflection, and practical planning, you’ll leave this module with a clear sense of direction and the tools to thrive in both academic and professional settings.

What you will learn

In this module you will:

• create a personalised plan for academic and career development
• learn to build greater self-awareness. You will learn to reflect on your strengths and areas for growth
• learn to sharpen your academic skills. These will include writing, research, and communication
• learn how to stay motivated and engaged with your subject
• develop skills to strengthen your resilience and learn how to manage challenges effectively

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• understand your role in promoting equity, diversity and inclusion in professional settings

Assignments / assessment

• completion of topic tasks (100%)

This module does not have a final exam.

Teaching methods / timetable

• Online tasks
  • Material is provided for you online. This will allow you to work through it at your own pace.
• Informative classes
  • These will be delivered by our careers service, academic skills centre, librarians and academics.