The UX Design Institute is proud to provide the world’s first and only online Professional Diploma in UX Design to be credit rated by an internationally recognised and respected educational body; Scotland’s Glasgow Caledonian University. In this article, you’ll find all the info you need to know about GCU and its partnership with the UX Design Institute.
During the research process for the development of our Professional Diploma in UX Design programme, we discovered that while there are many companies and educational bodies that offer courses in UX design, none of them are credit-rated or accredited by an official university.
While our courses were created on the back of years of practical experience in UX design, forging a relationship with an academic institution became a top priority for several reasons. Firstly, university credit rating immediately signals to potential students that we are offering quality qualifications. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, it indicates to employers that our graduates have reached a professional standard within a framework set by experts in education.
Why GCU is a good fit for the UX Design Institute
Glasgow Caledonian University (or GCU), whose motto is ‘for the common good’, has an approach that’s been commended by the Confederation of British Industry and Future Fit, among others, for successfully preparing its students for employment.
GCU is one of only 29 universities and colleges in the world to be certified as a ‘Changemaker Campus’ by Ashoka U, for promoting higher education as a vehicle for social change. It is also the first Scottish university to be accredited by the Living Wage Foundation.
Given that our core mission is to prepare students with the practical skills and know-how needed to secure a successful career and become world-class UX designers, GCU proved a more than natural fit to our values as an educational body.
About GCU
According to the university, GCU aims to “contribute to society in a manner that embraces yet goes beyond the traditional role of a university”.
This ethos is embedded within all of its programmes (including our own courses) and the wider student experience. Each course is designed to prepare students to develop the college’s four Common Good Attributes and equip them to make a positive difference to the communities they will serve.
The Common Good Attributes
GCU’s Common Good Attributes helps students achieve their educational goals by integrating the university’s core values of Integrity, Creativity, Responsibility and Confidence into their curriculum.
The Common Good Attributes are as follows:
- Active and Global Citizenship – e.g. recognising and actively seeking to address global social challenges; participating in the community at a local, national or global level
- Entrepreneurial mindset – e.g. identifying opportunities for change; creating solutions and putting these into practice in response to identified real world problems
- Responsible Leadership – e.g. developing solutions that are ethical, visionary, realistic and sustainable; exercising empathy, resilience and professionalism
- Confidence – e.g. challenging yourself and continually learning from experience; believing you can make a positive difference by what you do
Internationally recognised qualifications
The UX Design Institute’s partnership with GCU means that we are proudly able to offer internationally accepted qualifications to our students.
Our first globally recognised, university credit-rated qualification is the Professional Diploma in UX Design. By the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) the diploma equates to a Level 8 qualification.
Check out your region’s level equivalent in the table below:
| Region | Framework | Equivalent |
| Europe | European Qualifications Framework (EQF) | Level 5 |
| Ireland | National Qualifications Framework (NQF) | Level 6 |
| Scotland | Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) | Level 8 |
| England | Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (RQF) | Level 5 |
| Northern Ireland | Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) | Level 5 |
| Wales | Credit and Qualifications Framework of Wales (CQFW) | Level 5 |
| Australia | Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) | Level 5 Diploma/ Level 6 Associate Degree/Advanced Diploma |
| New Zealand | New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) | Level 5 or 6 Diploma |
| USA | United States Network for Education Information (USNEI) | Associate Degree |
| Canada | Canada has provincial qualifications frameworks | Associate Degree |
| South Africa | South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) | Level 6 Diploma |
Questions or comments about GCU?
If you’ve got any questions about the UX Design Institute’s partnership with GCU that haven’t been answered here, please feel free to drop us an email at hello@uxdesigninstitute.com. We’d love to hear from you!
