PGCert Design for Dementia and Ageing

This course will give you access to specialist knowledge in relation to architectural practice and environmental design for ageing and dementia. At the end of this course, graduates will develop key skills including:

• in-depth knowledge of key concepts informing aged care and dementia care practice;
• key principles and concepts in relation to age friendly and dementia friendly housing;
• the role of the environment in influencing the experience of dementia and ageing;
• key principles in relation to the design and implementation of age inclusive and dementia inclusive environments;
• international and multidisciplinary perspectives regarding environmental design practice for ageing and dementia care;
• practical examples of the ageing and dementia inclusive design process;
• assessing and evaluating age inclusive and dementia inclusive environments.

If you’re interested in studying a module from this course, the Postgraduate Certificate or the Postgraduate Diploma then please email Graduate Admissions to discuss your course of study.

Based at the Iris Murdoch Building – the world’s first purpose-built dementia friendly public building – the Dementia Services Development Centre at the University of Stirling provides world leading consultancy in environmental design practice for dementia and ageing design.

During the course, students will have access to our design and technology suite where they can experience the most recent environmental design research in-situ.

Additionally, each student will have access to a tour (online or in person) of this unique building and learn from the international  design principles and features first hand.

When you study Design for Ageing and Dementia you are drawing on three decades of pioneering research, design and consultancy within the University of Stirling and the Dementia Services Development Centre.

We have led the world in research on dementia inclusive environments, with recent research projects in this area include Designing Homes for Healthy Cognitive Ageing, a £1.8m Economic and Social Research council project exploring the challenges and opportunities arising from age friendly housing and environmental design.

Leading research at Stirling has also included Nurolight: sleep light and dementia, which explores the impact of artificial light on our sleep/wake cycle, and the Our Connected Neighbourhoods project, which has explored the role of communities and neighbourhoods in promoting dementia inclusive environments. Our research is undertaken in collaboration with people with lived experience and with international organisations in countries such as Australia, Japan and Sweden.

Underpinning the expertise of our staff, the University of Stirling scored highly in the most recent Research Excellence Framework 2021 – a UK-wide assessment of universities’ research output. In the Social Work and Social Policy unit of assessment, we ranked 3rd in Scotland and top 25 in the UK – with 100% of our research environment and 88% of our research deemed world leading or internationally excellent.

You will study during three semesters at Stirling. Modules offer a mixture of online content including videos, recorded short lectures, interactive activities and online face to face teaching sessions.

You will be encouraged to develop as an independent learner, working through reading and tasks set on a weekly basis.

You are expected to set aside a substantial part of your week to complete this work. During teaching sessions, you will discuss topics you have been given to prepare in advance, work through tasks in groups and can ask questions. This allows you to consolidate your knowledge, delve into the subject and work with your fellow students, who will come from diverse backgrounds. These activities will help you develop graduate attributes including team working, communication skills and time management.

As well as these sessions, you might have to complete tasks to help your understanding of the subject and develop your skills. Our learning and teaching approach is not only about transferring knowledge to you, but also about you building confidence to learn independently while developing a wide range of skills.

Your learning will be assessed against the learning outcomes of each module you take, throughout your degree. These contribute to demonstrating that you have met the overall learning outcomes for your degree. Assessment requirements for each module will be explained at the outset of the module, so you will know what you need to do, how and when.

Assessments will take a range of styles including online open folder examinations; closed book examinations; reflective writing; essays; reports; presentations; multiple choice tests; and creating digital artefacts like podcasts.

A common pattern is to submit a mid-term coursework assessment followed by a further assessment at the end of the module. Some modules will offer formative assessments early in the module, which do not count towards your module grade, but give you the opportunity to practice your technique and test your knowledge.

The role of feedback in learning cannot be underestimated and you will receive feedback in a range of formal and informal ways. For example, you will receive formal feedback on all coursework. Informal feedback will be given by tutors and other students during tutorials, you will have opportunities to discuss requirements before completing assignments and will have access to grade descriptors so you understand what is expected of you and you will have the chance to discuss your feedback with your tutors. This helps you understand what you are doing well, where you might improve and take responsibility for your learning. All formal feedback is returned within 15 working days of when you submit work.

Students are expected to spend 200 hours per module. Student contact involves a range of activities, with most activities involving self-directed learning through course materials delivered through our virtual learning environment. This includes short lectures, guest seminars, podcasts, videos and textual content, links to external resources and pdf workbooks. Students are also supported via an optional personal tutor meeting.

Professor Lesley Palmer, Professor of Ageing and Dementia Design

Professor Lesley Palmer is course director and module coordinator for the module DEMPGC4, Design for Ageing and Dementia, International and multidisciplinary perspectives. 

Dr Martin Quirke, Lecturer in Dementia, Ageing and Design. Dr Martin Quirke is a tutor on the programme.

Dr Junjie Huang, Lecturer in Dementia, Ageing and Design. Dr Junjie Huang is a tutor on the programme.

Dr Richard Ward, Senior Lecturer in Dementia. Dr Richard Ward is module coordinator for the module DEMPGC2, Dementia, Space and Place.

Learn more about available funding opportunities or use our scholarship finder to explore our range of scholarships.

Postgraduate tuition fee loans

Scottish students may be eligible to apply to the Students Award Agency for Scotland (SAAS) for loans of up to £11,500 to cover tuition fees and associated living costs.

English students can apply for a loan of up to £12,167 each year as part of the Postgraduate Masters Loan Scheme.

Welsh students can apply for financial support of up to £18,770 as a combination of grant and loan from Student Finance Wales.

Northern Irish students can apply for a postgraduate tuition fee loan of up to £5,500 from Student Finance NI.

We aim to be as flexible as possible, and offer a wide range of payment methods - including the option to pay fees by instalments. Learn more about how to pay

Throughout your studies you’ll gain transferable skills that enable you to impart knowledge to colleagues and other students, transfer awareness and implement action in practice and provide training to colleagues in architecture, environmental design, housing or health and social care.

The course enhances employablility within the broad field of architecture, environmental design and housing for dementia and ageing. The qualification can also equip you to move to more specialised and promoted posts within health and social care settings.

Because everyone studying the course is working in a professional field related to environmental design for dementia and ageing, you’ll automatically find yourself engaging with a wide range of organisations across statutory, private and not-for-profit sectors in different countries within the UK, Europe and worldwide.

Our teaching team and the Dementia Services Development Centre have extensive contacts with a range of commercial and non- for-profit organisations across the world.

These include:

• Silviahemmet (Sweden)
• IKEA (Sweden)
• Forbo Flooring (UK)
• Mediva Inc. (Japan)
• JCCPA (Hong Kong)
• HR Care (Italy).