Course Essentials
Welcome to the PGCert in Research Methods. My name is Puneet Tiwari, and I am the Course Director for this programme. The PGCert Research Methods is designed to provide you with advanced understanding, practical application and skills of research methods. I look forward to meeting you at your induction session, where we will introduce the course, answer your questions, and help you get started.
Puneet Tiwari
Course Director
Your Teaching Timetable
Teaching for your course will begin w.c 21 September 2026.
To help you plan your first few weeks, you can view an overview of the teaching activities for your course.
View your first trimester teaching timetable.
On a mobile device, click the arrow next to “Search” at the top right of the page to view your timetable.
If your course is taught in groups, the overview will show activities for all groups. You will only need to attend sessions for your allocated group.
Once teaching begins, your individual timetable and group allocation will be available in MyTimetable provided you have completed online registration and created your computing account.
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Your Semester 1 Modules |
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Principles of Research |
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Managing a Research Project |
Key dates
Academic Calendar: Trimesters
View key dates for this Academic Calendar for 2026-27 including when teaching starts and finishes and when you break for holidays.
Welcome
PGCert in Research Methods will give you a strong grounding in the principles of research and research project management. It is especially useful if you are thinking about doing a PhD. The course is also valuable if you are already in work and would like to develop your research methods skills. It can help you strengthen your current role and support your future career development.
Your Welcome Week is an important introduction to your course and the wider University. It includes several useful activities for PGCert students, so please check your Welcome Week pack for full details. You should also explore the Student Events Hub and attend the Students’ Union Welcome Fair. These are great opportunities to get to know the University, meet other students, and make new friends.
Getting started
In the course, you will study two modules, totalling 60 credits. The way these modules are delivered will depend on whether you are studying the course full-time or part-time. The first module is Principles of Research and the module leader is Dr Puneet Tiwari. The second module is Managing a Research Project and the module leader is Dr Elisabetta Corvo.
The teaching is 4 hours per week of face-to-face contact per 30 credit module, 5 hours per week of asynchronous guided learning activities per module and approximately 10 hours of independent study per week per module.
CCCU uses Blackboard as the VLE. Blackboard is a user-friendly learning platform that will serve as the main channel of communication. On Blackboard there will be general information about the Masters programme and its modules, as well as all module materials such as slides and guided learning activities, which will be assigned and suggestions for the purpose of independent study.
The first weeks of teaching are focused on giving students the time to acclimatise to the new learning environment. Each module lead will spend time introducing the Handbook, the Blackboard and the assignments for the module.
Your Must Do Tasks
Once you have been invited to register for your course, there are some key tasks you'll need to complete to make sure you are ready to become a CCCU student.
Registration invitations are sent towards the end of August. We'll send yours to the email address you used when you applied, so please check this inbox regularly to make sure you don't miss any important information.
Pre-course reading
Robson, C and McCartan, Kieran (2024). Real World Research. London: John Wiley.
Kerzner, H., (2023) Project management metrics, KPIs, and dashboards: a guide to measuring and monitoring project performance. John Wiley & Sons.
International student success programme
International students: don't miss out! Make sure you register for our international student success programme which provides practical advice on preparing to live and study in the UK.
Contact details
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