PROGRAMME AIM

The aim of the  programme is to provide a comprehensive education and postgraduate qualification in all aspects of management that will equip non management or related graduates or managers, with the techniques  and ability  to develop the high level of skills, understanding and leadership capability necessary to enter a career in professional  Administration and Business Administration, and to obtain a deeper understanding of the contemporary problems and issues faced by managers and business professionals through the development of:

. The transferable intellectual skills necessary for senior management roles
. The application of corporate governance to the organization
. The study of management and organizational behaviour, and
. The management of the legal environment of the organization

The programme is also designed specifically for the busy and management professionals who want to refresh and improve their skills with most current management techniques and practices.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

The programme is specially designed to combine rigorous analytical work with personal and professional development and to give participants a thorough grounding in management concepts and principles to improve their managerial skills and help them to develop reflective and critical thinking. It is therefore divided into four modules:

• Nature of Management
• Organisational Behaviour, Leadership & Change Management
• Company law
• Operations Management

PROGRAMME LEARNING OUTCOMES

Because the programme provides a comprehensive grounding in key business disciplines that makes it possible for participants to familiarize themselves with a wide variety of techniques and approaches, improves interpersonal skills and self-awareness, and exposes them to a diverse range of managerial challenges and contexts, they should, by the end of the programme, be able to:

• demonstrate comprehension of the theory, concepts and principles related to Management as well as to be able to deal confidently with specialists (in finance, marketing, human resources, for example) and tackle complex cross-functional problems;

• evaluate your organisation’s practices and contribute to its improved performance;

• appreciate the contribution of management theories, recognising when and how they can be applied in organisations;

PROGRAMME PROFESSIONAL ACCREDITATION

The programme is accredited by the International Professional Managers Association-UK for exemptions from some of its licensing professional examinations, up to professional part 1 stage.

PROGRAMME DURATION

The normal duration for the programme is 12 months. 

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

A good non management related Degree/HND (or equivalent) in any discipline. Candidates without this qualification may be considered but he/she must be able to demonstrate significant successful managerial experience.   
The programme is taught and examined entirely in English. Therefore, students must be proficient in use of English language.

PROGRAMME TRAINING METHODS

Our training  methods provides focused, text book based and on-line supported, directed learning experiences which will enable students to study at their convenience and  more importantly to balance their employment, family and social commitments. Students will similarly complete their study programmes at their own pace to ensure that they have acquired a comprehensive understanding of the requirements of the course and thus have the necessary skills to apply in the work place. The frustration of attending traditional classes and its related travelling arrangements and costs is removed.

We also recognise the value of shared experiences in the process of learning. Therefore students have access to their tutors and to their fellow students through our e-forum systems. This interaction and discussions with others and instructors will provide additional and invaluable insights into the subject being studied.

The educational emphasis developed by KGMC to accomplish its mission has three key components:
(1) distance learning,
(2) active self-learning, and
(3) one-on-one mentoring.

Our goal is to promote an environment of active self-learning with the assistance of qualified and experienced faculty mentors. Active self-learning recognizes that education is a process where individuals with different learning needs and styles can be accommodated. It emphasizes learning that is meaningful, enjoyable and involved. This will result in individuals acquiring knowledge to further improve their career prospects.

The College’s faculty supports the adult's active learning role by guiding and stimulating the learning process through one-on-one interaction. Our faculty recognizes and takes into account individual learning styles and needs, encourage one-on-one contact, and assistance towards understanding of the learning materials. The faculty member is there to provide guidance, answers your questions, and evaluates your work. 

 Learners are provided with relevant materials for each course. This includes a course outline, detailed syllabus, the required textbook for the course, and reference materials including details on how to communicate with the designated faculty mentor.

Our teaching programs are designed to encourage your success and to encourage lifelong learning habits and commitment

LEARNER RESPONSIBILITY

It is your responsibility to be familiar with the information presented in this handbook, and to observe all our regulations, policies and procedures relating to the course you are pursuing. Responsibility for following all College’s policies and meeting all requirements and deadlines for study programs rests with you. We will not waive regulations or grant exemptions in any circumstances.

PROGRAM COURSE START DATE

Each and every programme delivered by KGMC begins on the first of each month. Students must take this into account when making their application to join the courses.

COURSE PARTICIPATION

Learners are ultimately responsible for their personal course participation using any or a combination of the following academic activities:

1. uploading or emailing assignments,
2. posting to relevant discussion groups
3. responding to mentor and academic advisor inquiries.

Learners are expected to be involved in ongoing instructional activities based on the recommended schedule for course completion as detailed in the syllabi.  In order to actively participate in a course, Learners must make contact with their faculty mentor on a regular basis through one of the following methods:

Posting of their assignment or course work via the course work area of the course web site.

Posting of an assignment to share with the faculty mentor and other Learners in the course web site (e.g., a review of a book or an article, a proposal for a research study, or a presentation in the form of a PowerPoint presentation file, reporting on participation in a research study, etc).

Participation in a threaded discussion in the course web site (e.g., commenting on a discussion question posted by the faculty mentor, providing feedback to another Learner, etc.).

Viewing instructional materials (e.g., a PowerPoint presentation prepared by the faculty mentor, a streaming audio or video presentation, etc.).

LEAVE OF ABSENCE

Learners may take up to three 30-day Leave of Absence within the programme duration. (9months). The Request for a Leave of Absence must be submitted through the Course Review section of the College's website, and must include sufficient information for the leave request.
A Leave of Absence will not be granted in the final month of a course term, except in emergency situations and must be approved by the Provost. Taking a leave of absence during a course WILL extend the course end date. If a Learner is not currently enrolled in a course, the Learner will have 30 days from the end date of the leave to enroll for their next course. Learners may not submit coursework during their leave of absence.

COMPLETION REQUIREMENTS

Because the College offers courses through distance learning, it does not require formal, on-campus or classroom attendance and therefore does not have a physical residence requirement. All students are required to enrol on courses and it is their responsibility to make progress towards completing all the course requirements in order to maintain their active status. Learners must use the KGMC messaging system on our website to contact faculty mentors.

Programme Assessment

The programme assessment is a mixture of continuous assessment and examination. It tests student’s understanding through practical application. Each subject has a tutor marked assignment submitted via the internet, and an unseen three hour case study examination which tests their ability to apply the concepts they have learned to a real situation. The programme examination periods are as contained in the programme time table section of this handbook. 

The assessments are broken down as follows:

i) Continuous Assessment   contributes to 40% of the overall marks
ii) Final External Examination contributes to 60% of the overall marks
The final mark for the subject is calculated as the sum of the 2 assessment methods.

The following grades are assigned according to marks achieved in the assessment:

            Distinction      -           75% and above
            Merit               -           65-74%
            Pass               -           50-64%

            The fail bands are:
           
            Grade A Fail  -           46-49%
            Grade B Fail -            40-45%
            Grade C Fail -           20-39%
            Grade D Fail -             0-19%

Students will be permitted one further attempt to re-submit / re-sit for the subject. If the learner fails to secure an overall pass (50% or more) the whole subject has to be retaken.

TRANSCRIPTS

Students can have access to all their moderated and final marks and grades via the website. Official copies may be ordered from the Registrar at a cost of £3,00 each to cover administrative costs. Official transcripts will not be issued if the student has outstanding financial obligations to the College.

LEARNERS RIGHT TO APPEAL A GRADE

A Learner has a right to appeal against the marks given by a faculty tutor. All appeals must be made in writing to the College on our standard form within 15 days after receiving notification of the marks. The decision of the Provost on the appeal is final

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

All assignments, exams, term papers, and other projects submitted to faculty tutors must be the Learner’s own work. The submission of another person’s work represented as that of the Learner’s without properly citing the source of the work will be considered plagiarism and will incur serious consequences for the student concerned.

Every faculty tutor has the right to challenge submitted work and may require the learner to resubmit their assignment.  Faculty tutors have the authority to reject questionable work and not assign marks or grades.  If plagiarism is discovered, faculty tutors may assign an unsatisfactory grade for the assignment or for the entire course.

Any discovery of plagiarism will result in a formal warning by the Provost. KGMC reserves the right to conduct an investigation to review past assignments or work submitted by the Learner for all prior courses. KGMC reserves the right to amend past marks or grades awarded. If additional incidences of plagiarism are committed in the future the Learner will be informed accordingly and will be reviewed by the Provost. Further action by the Provost may include the dismissal of the learner from the College.

The Learner’s has a right of appeal through the set College’s Appeal procedure.

Assessment Criteria and Feedback

Each module has specific assessment requirements, designed to suit the content and learning outcomes of the module. The form, content and balance of the summative and formative assessment methods used in the programme are designed to produce an assessment strategy which meets both the specific module learning outcomes and the overall requirements of the programme. Specific marking criteria, reflecting each module’s learning outcomes, aim to ensure that different markers work to consistent criteria. In addition, module-specific and generic assessment criteria provide the framework for evaluation of the quality and competence of a student's work and directly inform the standards of performance which are confirmed within the student's work. All assessed work is marked within these criteria frameworks.

 There is a formal moderation process, which requires all marked work (assignments and examinations) to be considered within an agreed sample framework.   The aim of moderation is not to second-mark all assessments undertaken for that module, or element of the module, but to ensure that, through the consideration of samples within an agreed framework, the marking undertaken within the module is consistent with the agreed marking criteria for that assessment and that the criteria are being applied in a consistent manner across the module. Moderation also provides an opportunity for feedback to those engaged in the marking process.

The marking process for all assessments, with the exception of examinations, requires markers to give feedback that clearly reflects the level of performance achieved. It is recognised that constructive feedback is a critical element of the formative methodology and the written feedback will include an indication of:

• • The strengths and weaknesses of the work with reference to the criteria used in the assessment of the work
• • Rationale for the mark awarded
• • An indication of how the student might have improved his/her work

It is important that students reflect on the comments made by those involved in the assessment process, as this should help them improve their performance.
The marking process for examinations is the same as that for other forms of assessment. However, after the examination, a general report on the overall performance of those undertaking the examination and the main strengths and weaknesses identified during the assessment process is produced for each subject examined.

MODE OF REGISTRATION AND ONLINE SUPPORT SERVICES

Registration for all our programmes may be either online or by post to our local offices. On payment and compliance with our payment terms, a Study Pack comprising of the set text book for the selected subject, related study guide and a CD of initial reading materials will be despatched by post.

Each study pack of learning materials will specify course assignments and tasks that each student has to complete. These have to be sent to the College or its local administrative office for assessment and marking.

Students that experience difficulty or require further help in understanding the demands of the course, advice or reassurance in meeting the assignment requirements can either communicate directly with their instructor electronically or by fax.

All electronic communication to faculty mentors and to the College is via the website. This is to enable us to have centralised control of all student communication, problems and requests. It is our responsibility to ensure that all communication and concerns from students are fully satisfied, dealt with and resolved satisfactorily. We do not encourage direct communication between instructors and students as we have the overall responsibility to ensure that students concerns and problems in both academic and operational dimensions are met.

Direct telephone communication is also available subject to acknowledgement of time differences between the UK and your country. A record of this conversation will be maintained accordingly.

COMMENCEMENT DATES

Though the programmes are delivered entirely by Distance Learning, we do have definite commencement dates, which are January, April, July and October each year.

ENROLMENT PROCEDURE

Collect and complete PGC  Enrolment /Registration Form in CAPITAL LETTERS  together with the IPMA Student Membership Registration Form enclosed in your programme application form  and then submit both forms to our accredited agents in your area or post it to KGMC along WITH your Fee payment (either the Full Fee or the first Instalment) by registered and airmail post.

ACCEPTANCE TO THE COLLEGE

Upon receipt of the Application for Admission materials, the College will evaluate the applicant’s experience and goals to assure that the desired programme is appropriate. The academic evaluation includes a review of the applicant’s educational intent, prior college work, professional experiences, future goals, and writing skills.
Applicants will be notified of their admission status and the requirements for the study program. The Applicant has 30 days to accept his/her enrolment, request and make payment arrangements for the first course(s)
 STEPS TO COMPLETING YOUR PROGRAMME
The College assigns a faculty mentor for each course. Once tuition has been paid, accounting will notify the registrar to issue the course materials and the Learner will receive email giving the course details
Additional instructions, communications, questions, and answers are handled personally between the Learner and the Registrar. As the course progresses, the Learner incrementally submits assignments to the faculty mentor for evaluation and feedback.
The focus of active self-learning is to encourage Learners to incorporate the course knowledge into their personal situations using faculty mentors as resources and facilitators in the process of learning. Learners demonstrate mastery of the course material and its personal relevance by completing assignments, term papers, examinations, or participating in class discussion forums as required.
Upon completion of the course requirements, the Learner receives a course grade and PGC certificate from the College as well as IPMA Exemptions conformation from Foundation to Professional Part 1 examinations.

ONLINE LIBRARY FACILITIES

To aid their studies, all registered students of KGMC(irrespective of the course they are offering) are entitled to access the Emerald Online Library which hosts over 160 magazine titles and over 35,000 articles and lecture notes in general management, human resource management, information management, marketing, operations, production and economics, property, training and education, and engineering. The Emerald Library can be accessed from any PC through any Internet connection. Students can download any lecture note and articles relevant to their study, and research

NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY

Kent Graduate Management College welcomes all Learners and does not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, national origin, religion, disability, gender, age or in any other way in any of its policies, practices, or procedures involving applicants, Learners, faculty, employees and the public. However, please note that the College reserves the right to refuse admission to anyone the College believes does not meet its academic standards.

JOB PLACEMENT ASSISTANCE

The College does not guarantee job placement to Learners upon program/course completion or upon graduation.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION
PROGRAMME TUITION AND FEES

The Total Fee for the PGC programme is £800 (including supply of text book)
This schedule reflects the tuition and fees in effect at the time of publication. KGMC charges tuition on a per programme basis. When the Learner requests to enroll in a programme, payment arrangements must be made at that time.
Learners should use the same tuition payment option for their entire program. Tuition payment options are:
Single Payment
Tuition is paid in full prior to beginning the course.
Instalment Payments
Half the tuition must be paid before beginning the programme and the balance in four equal payments during the next four months on or about the 10th of each of the month. 

DEFAULT OF FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS

If the Learner’s financial obligations are in default, defined as not paying a financial obligation within 30 days of due date, KGMC may declare the entire balance due without further notice. That amount must then be paid immediately. Failure to pay the unpaid balance within 10 days may result in any or all of the following: a) denial of registration, examination (both internal and external) transcripts, diplomas, grades and graduation; b) assignment of the account for collection; and c) reporting the delinquent account status to a credit bureau.
Furthermore, if this account is turned over for collection, the Learner is obligated to pay KGMC’s collection expense. If a lawsuit or other action is filed, the Learner agrees to pay KGMC’s attorney’s fees as fixed by the trial court. If any party appeals any part of the trial court’s decision, the Learner promises to pay KGMC’s attorney’s fees for the appeal as fixed by the appellate court.

LEARNER'S RIGHT TO CANCEL PROGRAM

Within ten days of responding to admission acceptance and requesting first course:
The Learner may cancel his/her program and receive a full refund of all monies paid to date minus the application fee, if cancellation is requested in writing and postmarked or emailed within ten days after the date signifying acceptance.
More than ten days after responding to admission acceptance and requesting first course:
The Learner has the right to cancel the program and withdraw from the College by notifying the College Registrar in writing. The date the notification is postmarked or emailed is the effective date of the withdrawal. Tuition refunds may be paid when a Learner pre-pays a portion or all of the tuition for the course session or the program, and a refund is due per the schedule below. Tuition refunds will be made within 30 days of notice of withdrawal. The Learner will be notified if a balance is due to the College. Tuition refunds are based on the following policies and schedule:
Before start of the course: 100% of the total due and paid will be refunded.
Course start date (day 1) through day 10: 80% of the total due and paid will be refunded.
Day 11 through day 20: 60% of the total due and paid will be refunded.
On or after day 21: 0% of the total due and paid will be refunded.

POST GRADUATE DIPLOMA
IN MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
(PROGRAMME TIME TABLE)

PROGRAMME BATCH	BATCH CODE	STUDY PERIOD	COURSE TITLE	COURSE EXAM DATES
JANUARY BATCH	JB1	2ND JANUARY – MARCH 28TH	NATURE OF MANAGEMENT	MARCH  28 TH
APRIL  BATCH	AB2	1ST APRIL – JUNE 28TH	NATURE OF MANAGEMENT	JUNE     28 TH
JULY BATCH	JB3	1ST JULY – SEPTEMBER 28TH	NATURE OF MANAGEMENT	SEPT.    28 TH
OCTOBER BATCH	OB4	1ST OCTOBER – DEC. 28TH	NATURE OF MANAGEMENT	DEC.    28 TH
JANUARY BATCH	JB1	1ST APRIL – MAY 30TH	ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR, LEADERSHIP & CHANGE MANAGEMENT	MAY 30TH
APRIL  BATCH	AB2	1 ST  JULY – AUGUST 30 TH	Organizational BEHAVIOUR, LEADERSHIP & CHANGE MANAGEMENT	AUGUST 30 TH
JULY BATCH	JB3	1ST OCT. – NOV. 30 TH	Organizational BEHAVIOUR, LEADERSHIP & CHANGE MANAGEMENT	NOV. 30 TH
OCTOBER BATCH	OB4	1ST DEC. - MARCH 10 TH	Organizational BEHAVIOUR, LEADERSHIP & CHANGE MANAGEMENT	MARCH 10 TH
JANUARY BATCH	JB1	JUNE – JULY 30 TH	COMPANY LAW	JULY 30 TH
APRIL  BATCH	AB2	SEPT. – OCT. 30TH	COMPANY LAW	OCT. 30 TH
JULY BATCH	JB3	DEC. – MARCH 10 TH	COMPANY LAW	MARCH 10 TH
OCTOBER BATCH	OB4	11 TH MARCH – 12 TH MAY	COMPANY LAW	12 TH MAY
JANUARY BATCH	JB1	AUG – SEPT. 30 TH	OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT	SEPT. 30 TH
APRIL  BATCH	AB2	NOV. – DEC. 30 TH	OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT	DEC. 30 TH
JULY BATCH	JB3	11 TH MARCH – MAY 12 TH	OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT	MAY 12 TH
OCTOBER BATCH	OB4	12 TH MAY – JULY 12 TH	OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT	JULY 12 TH