Postgraduate Certificate in Systems Thinking in Practice

Knowledge and understanding

On completion of this certificate you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the following:

• Key systems concepts and multiple traditions of systems thinking in practice
• The concept of practice and its ethical and systemic dimensions
• A range of systems thinking approaches
• Learning and its role as a form of systems thinking in practice
• The transformative potential of systems thinking in practice

Cognitive skills

On completion of this certificate you will be able to:

• Frame complex situations, both holistically and analytically
• Design inquiries and actions to improve situations
• Engage in reflective practice, including an awareness of the links between your own tradition and those of others
• Develop awareness of ethical behaviour in a given situation.

Practical and/or professional skills

On completion of this certificate you will be able to:

• Make effective use of systems ideas
• Design systemic inquiries with a sensitivity to the context within which you are working
• Build issues of ethics, critical thinking, politics and power into your practice
• Manage relationships with clients and other stakeholders, taking into account the perspectives of all groups.

Key skills

On completion of this certificate you will be able to demonstrate the following key skills:

• Learn in familiar and unfamiliar situations
• Communicate effectively using diagrammatic presentations as appropriate
• Seek relevant information from appropriate sources
• Develop ways of improving complex and problematic situations

There are two routes through this qualification:

• Route 1 is for all new students.
• Route 2 is for students who started their studies in May 2024 or earlier. If you’re following this route, you must complete your studies by 31 December 2025.

Route 1

To gain this qualification, you need 60 credits as follows:

30 credits from:

• Making strategy with systems thinking in practice (TB871)
• Managing change with systems thinking in practice (TB872)

Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued modules TU811 and TU812

Route 2

To gain this qualification, you need 60 credits as follows:

30 credits from:

• Making strategy with systems thinking in practice (TB871)
• Managing change with systems thinking in practice (TB872)

Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued modules TU811 and TU812

30 credits from:

• Making strategy with systems thinking in practice (TB871)
• Managing change with systems thinking in practice (TB872)
• Strategic capabilities for technological innovation (T849)
• Technology innovation management (TB801)
• Making environmental decisions (T891)
• Sustainable organisations: theory and practice (T892)
• Information security (M811)
• Digital forensics (M812)
• Software development (M813)
• Software engineering (M814)
• Project management (M815)
• Data management (M816)
• Advanced networking (CCNA) (T829) 1
• Global development in practice (D890) 1
• Understanding Global Development (DD870) 1
• Financial markets and the financing of organisations (B815)
• Sustainable creative management (BB851)
• Entrepreneurship in Context (BB842)
• Leadership and management of public services (BB852)
• Contemporary issues in organisations (BB853)

Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued modules B820, B821, B822, B823, B825, B856, B857, B858, BB844, BB845, BB846, BB847, BB848, H807, H808, S808, T835, T837, T839, T840, T846, T848, T850, T851, T852, T853, T861, T862, T863, T867, T877, T878, T879, T882, T883, T889, T890, T894, TD866, TU811, TU812, TU870, TU871, TU872 and U810.

1You may count only 30 credits from this 60-credit module towards this qualification. You can, however, count the remaining 30 credits toward the PG Diploma or the MSc.

You should note that the University’s unique study rule applies to this qualification. This means that you must include at least 20 credits from OU modules that have not been counted in any other OU qualification that has previously been awarded to you.

The knowledge and skills developed through this postgraduate certificate course will provide benefits in a wide variety of economic sectors to you as well as to your employers or other organisations. Applications exist in any organisation where complex processes exist and where a change is required, including, for example, health services, environmental and development management, manufacturing and IT.

Managers at all levels will find the ability to approach complex problems from a systems perspective to be a useful addition to their management and leadership skills portfolio. If you are self-employed you may also find the knowledge developed enables you to take a more objective and innovative view of the systems you have already created and how to change these for the future.