Many Universities offer CPD (Continuing Professional Development) courses, often in the form of short courses, and these are often run by academic departments. These can take the form of specific modules from, for example, Masters or Diploma programmes, and in some cases Universities may allow you to take relevant modules over a given period of time in order to gain a postgraduate qualification. However, you should not assume that, because certain modules or courses can be studied individually, you will be able to gain an award if you study in this way: you should always check with the Department concerned.
Some specialist masters and diplomas can act as Continuing Professional Development as they are generally only undertaken by professionals in a specific field intending to enhance their knowledge and expertise.
If you are working and cannot decide whether to study for a full postgraduate qualification, it may be useful to study for a single module, if possible in the department you are considering applying to. Whilst not an infallible guide, it will give you some indication of the type and level of study involved.
