CPD courses

Student wearing headphones and using a laptop

Our CPD courses and training programmes are informed by leading experts across a broad range of disciplines using the latest academic research – ensuring you gain practical skills and insights that give you an immediate impact in the workplace.

With the University of Leeds, you can:

Learn flexibly through online, part-time or blended study options created specifically for working professionals.
Gain recognised CPD hours/points as well as University of Leeds credits.
Build your own pathway, choosing from a selection of short courses or standalone modules that can contribute towards a postgraduate qualification, including online degree.
Learn from academic experts who collaborate closely with employers, industry bodies and professional associations to ensure course content reflects current sector needs.

Explore all CPD courses

Business and leadership

Exceptional Non-Executive Director (NED) Programme

The Exceptional NED training programme enables business executives to gain skills and knowledge to become an effective Non-Executive Director. This programme has been uniquely designed for individuals with experience at executive level who are looking to further develop their skills through a blend of workshop sessions and a three-month placement as a NED at a high-growth SME.

Finance for Non-Financial Leaders

This is a practical executive development programme designed for professionals who make strategic and operational decisions and need the financial insight to evaluate performance, assess investment opportunities, and drive stronger organisational outcomes. Over the course of three days, this programme bridges financial theory and real business application, helping participants build the confidence to interpret financial data and apply it to strategic and operational decisions.

Future Leaders

The Future Leaders Programme is designed for ambitious professionals who are ready to take the next step in their leadership journey. This blended learning Executive Education programme will help participants create a Personal Leadership Action Plan – a practical, evolving roadmap to guide their leadership journey, contribute more strategically to their business, and continue their development beyond the classroom.

Help to Grow: Management Course

The Help to Grow: Management course focuses on helping SME senior leaders to grow their business fast and is 90% funded by the government. The 12-week programme combines a practical curriculum, with one-to-one support from a business coach, peer-learning sessions and an alumni network. By the end of the programme, you will develop a tailored business growth plan to lead your business to its full potential.

Leading Business Transformation

This is a hands-on executive development programme designed for experienced leaders who need to influence organisational priorities, lead sustainable change, and harness digital innovation for immediate business impact. Facilitated by idustry and academic experts, over the course of four consecutive days, this programme bridges theory and practice, helping participants turn strategic insight into measurable organisational transformation.

Chemical and Process Engineering

Chemical Plant Commissioning

2026 marks the 50th anniversary of our Chemical Plant Commissioning short course. To celebrate this significant milestone, the July 2026 course will be delivered during a special anniversary year, bringing together five decades of expertise, industry insight, and professional practice. Alongside the established course content, the anniversary year provides an opportunity to reflect on the evolution of chemical plant commissioning over the past 50 years, as well as to consider current best practice and future challenges facing the industry.

Crystallisation Science and Engineering

This three day short course will outline the fundamental science and engineering of crystallisation processes. The programme embraces digital transformation and weaves together the best experimental and computational workflows. The course will include laboratory experimental sessions to demonstrate crystallisation processes, application of advanced process analytical technologies (PATs) and particle characterisation techniques. The delegates will also have first-hand opportunities to use crystallisation modelling software.

Fluid Bed Processing and Formulation

This course focuses on the use of fluid beds in particle engineering area and covers the basic principles behind fluidisation, the importance of particle properties and the impact of bed design on the structure and optimal operation of fluid beds, both batch and continuous.

Industrial Powder Mixing

Powder flow and its significance in selecting the most appropriate mixers will be discussed. Quality assurance, powder sampling techniques, a practical discussion of the statistics of mixing and the value of statistics at the formulation stage will be covered. The handling, packaging and marketing of powder products will also be discussed.

Spray Drying and Atomisation of Formulations

This practical three-day course combines demonstrations, theory and real industrial case studies to provide a comprehensive understanding of spray drying and atomisation. You will explore core scientific principles, observe hands-on laboratory demonstrations and examine how spray drying is applied across a range of industries.

Sustainable Coatings and Encapsulation: Fundamentals of Films and Microcapsules

This course provides a strong foundation in coating and encapsulation science and technology, with a clear and timely emphasis on the development of more sustainable solutions across these application areas. Participants will gain both fundamental understanding and practical insight into how sustainability considerations are shaping current and future practice.

Civil Engineering

ICE Accredited Law and Contract Management (NEC4) Live Online Course

This course is designed to improve your understanding of contracts, covering contractual conditions, their legal framework and the management procedures you need to successfully complete projects. It follows the Institution of Civil Engineers syllabus and will prepare you for the ICE Law and Contract Management examinations.

Project Leadership for Sustainable Futures

The Project Leadership for Sustainable Futures short course is an opportunity for individuals who are looking to take on or expand their leadership responsibilities in projects to develop their understanding and skills on leadership, future making and governance with an underpinning of sustainability.

Design, technology and textiles

Professional Academy for Creative Enterprise (PACE) courses

PACE is a pioneering organisation within the School of Design at the University of Leeds. Drawing on 150 years of experience and expertise, PACE fuses academic research with industry practice to empower businesses and professionals with the knowledge, skills, and services they need to thrive.

Design, technology, and creativity form the cornerstones of PACE, while our multidisciplinary team collaborates closely to advance our clients interests, aspirations, and impact through meaningful and ongoing industry partnerships.

Explore the full range of short courses at the PACE website

Education

Education (MA)

MA Education is a practice-based course aimed at teachers, educators and future leaders in education, designed to improve your practice and deepen your theoretical understanding of education through a highly personalised and flexible Masters-level programme.

Deaf Education (Teacher of the Deaf Qualification)

The MA Deaf Education is a two-year course leading to the Mandatory Qualification for Teacher of the Deaf (QToD).This course is taught part-time using blended learning, providing the opportunity to study both online and face-to-face. This flexibility allows you to balance your studies alongside your existing work and other commitments.

Initial Teacher Training

We work in partnership with Red Kite Teacher Training to deliver School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT), providing the professional grounding you need for a successful career in teaching.

Ethics

Applied and Professional Ethics Short Course

This course introduces you to the concept of professional ethics and some of the key issues in this area. These might include trust, integrity, duty, conscientious objection, ethical fragmentation, codes of ethics, truth and deception in professional contexts, and the interaction between the professional and the personal. You'll also consider what it means to be a professional and the implications of this on whether professional ethics is distinct from or a specific application of ethics. This course takes place during November – January.

Biomedical and Healthcare Ethics Short Course

Discover a range of ethical issues in medical and nursing practice. These might include truth-telling, trust, confidentiality, and consent in carer/patient relationships as well as the content and stringency of the philosophical arguments that underlie these issues. You'll also consider the role of ethical codes in a medical professional's decision-making and the justification, if there is one, to appeal to conscience in objecting to undertaking certain practices in healthcare.

Distributive Justice and Scarce Medical Resources Short Course

Explore issues concerning the fair allocation of resources in health care. You’ll examine some central views about the just/fair allocation of benefits and burdens in society, and their implications for the just/fair allocation of health care. You’ll gain an understanding of some of the philosophical and ethical issues and arguments within healthcare allocation and their implications for health policy. You’ll also develop critical awareness of the ethical rationales underlying current approaches to central concepts in healthcare allocation and health policy.

Ethics and Malpractice in Higher Education

Develop your knowledge and understanding of a range of ethical issues and aspects of malpractice in academic contexts by investigating various aspects of teaching and research practice. You’ll examine how these relate to individuals’ professional practices. You’ll also develop your ability to analyse current issues, evaluate relevant research and to demonstrate application of knowledge to the field of practice.

Ethics at the Beginning of Life

Explore several ethical issues around the beginning of life, considering background theory as well as more specific issues. For example, we will examine when life begins, and whether abortion is permissible and why. We’ll also look at fertility treatment and reproductive rights, feminist perspectives on reproductive autonomy, and whether surrogacy should be legally permitted. This short course will be of interest to anyone wanting to develop their understanding of these sorts of ethical issues, as well as the analytical tools to grapple with them.

Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and Data

We are living through a technological revolution. Artificial Intelligence systems are poised to take on decision-making roles and perform tasks currently requiring human beings in an increasing range of domains. This shift has been fuelled through the groundwork of massive amounts of personal data being collected, extracted from mobile computing and the general Internet. This short course provides you with the analytical and theoretical tools to engage with the ethical questions that this revolution raises. This course takes place during February – April.

Languages, culture and societies

Academic Leadership

By completing this course you’ll reach an in-depth understanding, and be able to critique the concept of, academic leadership and what it means in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) context. This includes the analysis of different models and manifestations of leadership and the examination of the range of professional relationships within diverse educational and EAP contexts.

Essentials in Arts Fundraising

External investment and philanthropy have always been crucial for arts and culture organisations. As the sector recovers from the pandemic, fundraising is more important than ever. This online course, led by experts in the area of arts fundraising, will let you pick up practical skills to help you fundraise from a variety of sources and build resilience, even in times of crisis.

Intercultural Communication and English for Academic Purposes

On this course you’ll explore the relationship between language, culture, and the teaching of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in various academic contexts. You’ll engage with theories and debates in the field of intercultural communication applicable to your own teaching and learning contexts. This will allow you to reflect on and critically analyse relevant educational settings, using a range of practical examples, policy documents, education materials and scenarios.

Knowledge, Politics and Cultures in Academia

Examine how knowledge is constructed within and across disciplines, how academic cultures shape and are shaped by disciplinary epistemologies, and how social structures and forces shape academic practices. By completing this course, you’ll reach an in-depth understanding and be able to critique current knowledge and issues in academia, disciplines and English for Academic Purposes (EAP) related to the social, political, epistemological, and cultural forces and practices that configure higher education.

Leadership in Arts Fundraising

Effective leadership is vital for successful fundraising in the arts and culture; a sector that heavily relies on external funding as part of its income mix. This three-week course delivered by industry experts is designed to help you understand your role as a leader in developing and embedding fundraising with your arts organisation.

Participants, Practices and Pedagogies in Academic Communication

The focus of this course is on teaching practice that develops your understanding of academic communication. You’ll gain an understanding of the range of contexts and genres in which academic communication takes place. This will help you to plan and critique lessons and teaching materials that aim to support students to develop their language for academic purposes.

Practioner Development and Scholarship

Develop and demonstrate an understanding of the roles of professional development and scholarship in teaching and demonstrate an ability to practically apply these in professional methods. You’ll gain an in-depth critical understanding of the many factors that influence professional development of the self and the field, and an awareness of the approaches to professional development that enhance practitioner agency through a focus on expertise, knowledge, and practices.

Principles of Curriculum and Assessment Design

By completing this short course you’ll reach an in-depth understanding and be able to critique current knowledge and issues in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) related to curriculum and syllabus design, assessment and feedback. You’ll demonstrate the progress in your understanding of the field by developing your own syllabus based on a needs analysis (including questionnaire and ethnographic study) and demonstrate how it is appropriate to the context, and based on clear EAP-informed principles and values.

Text Analysis

Develop an ability to analyse academic texts from various perspectives in the context of scholarly literature and pedagogical application. These texts will draw on literature within a range of academic contexts, and you’ll evaluate approaches to text analyses for pedagogical and research purposes. You’ll apply and critically evaluate these approaches for the purposes of teaching, scholarship and research. You’ll demonstrate the ability to apply your knowledge of the field to professional practice, justify the choices you make and consider the implications of these within higher education.

Medicine, healthcare and nutrition

Clinical Trials

This course is exclusively available to NHS delegates. To ensure fair access and accommodate limited spaces, we can accept up to 3 delegates per organisation/Trust. The Clinical Trials short course has been developed by NHS TSET (the Technical Specialist Education and Training group) and is facilitated by the University of Leeds.

Developing Your Teaching: Utilising the Multidiciplinary Team Meeting

This workshop shall help and guide participants on how to introduce and manage interprofessional workplace learning. Participant-led, this course will recognise barriers and challenges and through the sharing of ideas and tips, teaching and learning opportunities will be recognised. Teaching during the MDT meeting is an opportunity for Interprofessional teaching and is a valuable resource for future proofing the healthcare team in managing evolving healthcare needs.

Leeds Mixed Method Systematic Review online course

Join our expert-led online courses to deepen your skills in mixed methods synthesis and evidence searching. Mixed methods systematic reviews combine qualitative and quantitative evidence to tackle complex health and public health questions. These approaches are vital for understanding why interventions work differently for different people in different situations.

National Musculoskeletal Medicine and Rehabilitation

This three-day course is aimed at physicians managing non-inflammatory musculoskeletal conditions and will appeal to those in Rehabilitation Medicine, Sport and Exercise Medicine, Rheumatology, Pain Medicine, Radiology, Orthopaedics & General Practice. The comprehensive course aims to cover both basics and advanced skills in musculoskeletal medicine and rehabilitation for those in training and established specialists in the area. Physicians who manage secondary musculoskeletal complications in their non-MSK practice will also find the course useful.

Pharmaceutical and aseptic services

Aseptic Preparation and Dispensing of Medicines (APDM)

This course is designed to: meet the needs of pharmacy staff (pharmacists and experienced senior technicians) who are engaged in the aseptic processing of medicines, cover the principles and practice of asepsis and provide an update on knowledge of standards, practices and quality assurance arrangements relating to the aseptic preparation and dispensing of medicines.

Aseptic Services for Managers

This course is a follow-up to the Aseptic Preparation and Dispensing of Medicines (APDM) course for senior, experienced pharmacy staff involved in aseptic preparation activities.

Cleanroom Behaviour and Comportment for Aseptic Services

This one-day course covers the risks of poor cleanroom practice, getting into a cleanroom, cleanroom behaviour, organising the critical work zone, understanding human behaviours, and detecting problems and investigations (supervisor skills). The course has been developed by NHS TSET (the Technical Specialist Education and Training group) and is facilitated by the University of Leeds.

Human Factors in Aseptic Services

This course has been developed by NHS TSET (the Technical Specialist Education and Training group) and is facilitated by the University of Leeds. Designed specifically for professionals committed to advancing their knowledge and skills in aseptic processes. This course delves into the critical role human factors play in ensuring the safety, quality, and efficiency of aseptic services.

Medical Gases for Service Managers

This course will cover the general provision of medical gases, the legal position, roles and duties of personnel involved in the provision of medical gases, a description of services and some potential problems and hazards and a guided walk-through of the medical gas pipeline systems and cylinder management.

Pharmaceutical Medical Gas Testing

This is a five-day CPD course which will be delivered with presentations, group discussions and practical sessions illustrating the principles of pharmaceutical medical gas testing. There will be an assessment at the end of the course.

Pharmaceutical Medical Gas Testing (Update) Refresher and Reassessment Programme

This two-day refresher and reassessment programme is specifically designed for you if you’re required to take the formal assessment of competency required under HTM02 every five years. The aim is to give an opportunity for QC (MGPS) personnel to be aware of developments and best practice and to enhance personal skills.

Specialised Ventilation in Healthcare Premises

On this course you’ll examine the specific requirements for the provision of ventilation in healthcare premises and will discover the thinking behind current standards.

Supervisory Skills for Technical Services

Best Practice for Team Leaders, Supervisors and Aseptic Services Managers.Good supervision of aseptic processing is essential for ensuring a high quality, efficient and safe service. As the quality of the end product is dependent on performance of the aseptic services team, the supervisor plays a crucial role in ensuring that the team understand what is required from them, follow procedures, adapt to changes in demand and can promptly resolve problems together.

Understanding Microbiology for Aseptic Services

A one-day course covering intelligent monitoring, interpretation of data, control measures, trending data, and investigations.

Transport

Advanced Choice Modelling

This three day course, run by the Choice Modelling Centre (CMC) at the University of Leeds, will provide you with in-depth insights into the estimation of advanced choice models. The course is a continuation of our annual winter course on ‘Choice modelling and stated choice survey design’ and assumes participants have the ability to estimate basic choice models, including the mixed logit model.

Geocomputation and Data Analysis with R

The aim of Geocomputation and Data Analysis with R is to get you up-to-speed with high performance geographic processing, analysis, visualisation and modelling capabilities from the command-line. The course will be delivered in R, a statistical programming language popular in academia, industry and, increasingly, the public sector. It will teach a range of techniques using recent developments in the package sf and the ‘metapackage’ tidyverse, based on the open source book Geocomputation with R (Lovelace, Nowosad, and Meunchow 2019).