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Graduate Diploma in Organisation & Leadership for Social Change

Graduate Diploma
(Postgraduate)

For social entrepreneurs, board directors and management staff of non-profits as well as practitioners in for-profit firms aspiring to drive positive social impact.

Graduate Diploma in Organisation & Leadership for Social Change


Overview

The Graduate Diploma in Organisation and Leadership for Social Change (GDOLS) aims to help you navigate the complex social ecosystem and harness synergies across sectors to drive social transformation. On completing the programme, you will have the knowledge and skills to level up management practice in your organisation and have a deep appreciation of the social ecosystem necessary to drive positive transformation in our communities.

Unique Features of the Programme

  • Interact and receive latest updates from industry practitioners and experts from the public, private and people sectors
  • Learn to apply management skills and organisation theory to solve problems in the social sector
  • Practical applications from the extensive use of local case studies
  • Be part of the learning community to keep abreast of the latest developments, exchange best practices and advance next practice

Admission Requirements

Refer to general admission criteria for graduate programmes.

This programme is currently unable to take in international students, i.e., you must be a Singapore citizen, permanent resident or a resident in Singapore (e.g., Employment Pass holder) in order to apply for admission.

Financial Assistance

The programme fees before subsidy and GST is estimated at $15,840 for Singaporeans and Permanent Resident. University offers course fee concession for selected graduate programmes. Please click here for fee updates and more details.

The following courses are eligible for SkillsFuture Funding (SSG Funding)
- NPM520, NPM522 and NPM524.

Please click here for course fees after SSG funding.

Do note that you will need to have 75% attendance, submit all assignment/assessment and pass the course for courses that are funded by SSG.

CCMDA Funding

If you are currently working in the community care sector, you may be eligible for the CCMDA funding. 90%of the course fees will be funded by CCMDA, the remaining 10% will be co-funded by your hiring organization.

For more details, please visit AIC website or contact the CCMDA Secretariat at 6632 1144 or email [email protected].

Programme Structure

The curriculum for this programme comprises a total of 30 credit units of courses.

You may choose from two registration options for the Graduate Diploma in Organisation & Leadership for Social Change (GDOLS) programme. The first option is by direct admission into the graduate diploma.

The second option is by the Continuing Education and Training (CET) pathway through one of the two graduate certificate programmes - Graduate Certificate in Leading Social Transformation (GCLST) or Graduate Certificate in Organisation & Leadership for Non-profits (GCOLN).

Registration by the second option will be via the SUSS Academy. For GCOLN, you may register for each of the three courses individually. For GCLST, you will have to register for all 3 courses due to the assessment strategy. On successful course(s) completion, you will earn course credits that you may use when applying for admission to either GDOLS or other SUSS graduate programmes - subject to meeting the programme requirements.

Students in the Master of Management programme may opt for Graduate Diploma in Organisation & Leadership as their specialisation.

To graduate with the GDOLS, students are required to complete all courses under GCOLN and GCLST and earn a minimum CGPA of 2.5. All courses are 5 cu unless stated otherwise.

Graduate Diploma in Organisation & Leadership for Social Change

The Graduate Diploma in Organisation & Leadership for Social Change (GDOLS) programme is designed for social entrepreneurs, board directors and management staff in non-profit and for-profit organisations.

Graduates from the Graduate Diploma in Organisation & Leadership for Social Change (GDOLS) programme will have specialised knowledge of the social sector in Singapore and be able to apply their knowledge and skills in sectors including, public service, charity and IPCs, social enterprises and commercial sectors.

The GDOLS programme will also empower students who are already in leadership roles to add value to their existing work through continuous learning and networking.

  1. How many intake(s) are there in a year for Graduate Diploma in Organisation & Leadership for Social Change (GDOLS)?
    One intake a year; every January (from 2022 onwards).

  2. What are the minimum and maximum durations of GDOLS?
    GDOLS is a minimum 1-year programme, and student may stretch to a maximum of 2 years to complete.

  3. How many courses do students take in each semester?
    Students are recommended to complete 3 courses per semester.

  4. When are the lessons scheduled?
    Classes are held on Saturdays, 9am - 5pm.

  5. Upcoming dates

    For January 2025 semester
    NPM520 – 18 Jan 2025, 25 Jan 2025, 01 Feb 2025, 15 Feb 2025
    NPM522 – 22 Feb 2025, 01 Mar 2025, 08 Mar 2025, 15 Mar 2025
    NPM524 – 22 Mar 2025, 29 Mar 2025, 05 Apr 2025, 12 Apr 2025

    For July 2025 semester
    NPM526 – 16 Aug 2025, 23 Aug 2025, 30 Aug 2025, 06 Sep 2025
    NPM528 – 13 Sep 2025, 20 Sep 2025, 27 Sep 2025, 04 Oct 2025
    NPM530 – 11 Oct 2025, 18 Oct 2025, 01 Nov 2025, 08 Nov 2025

    SUSS reserves the right to change the dates without prior notice. Please refer to the student portal for the confirmed dates.

  6. What are the courses that I should complete to obtain the Graduate Diploma in Organisation & Leadership for Social Change (GDOLS)?
    Students are required to complete a total of 6 courses, three each from Graduate Certificate in Organisation & Leadership for Non-Profits (GCOLN) and Graduate Certificate in Leading Social Transformation (GCLST).

  7. What happens if I do not complete the graduate programmes (e.g. Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Master) within the candidature period? Can I apply to take the remaining courses via CET pathway?
    Students who have not completed their graduate programmes within the stipulated candidature period will not be eligible for the award of the qualification for such graduate programmes. Such students however may apply to take, via the CET pathway, the remaining courses which they did not complete under their graduate programmes as part of their personal learning and development . Such application will be subjected to the CET admission requirement. However, as such students have exceeded the candidature period for their graduate programmes, they will not be awarded the qualification for such graduate programmes even after taking and completing the remaining courses via the CET pathway (“Condition”).

    PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS COURSE, IS ONE OF THE COURSES UNDER A GRADUATE PROGRAMME. THEREFORE, APPLICANTS FOR THIS COURSE ARE SUBJECT TO THE FOREGOING CONDITION. BY SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION FOR THIS COURSE, THE APPLICANT AGREES TO BE SUBJECT TO THE FOREGOING CONDITION.
Dr Caroline Lim
Course: NPM522 Maximise Human Capital for Social Impact
Course: NPM520 Lead and Manage Diverse Stakeholders

Mr Nick Netto
Course: NPM530 Design Thinking for Social Innovation

Mr Benedict Cheong & Ms Florence Lee
Course: NPM524 Develop and Create Value for Organisation and People

Mdm Theresa Goh
Course: NPM526 Leadership for Collective Impact

Mr Sng Hock Lin & Ms Christina Cheng
Course: NPM528 Systems Thinking for Transformative Strategy
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