Human Resource Management - MSc/Postgraduate Diploma/Postgraduate Certificate

The flexible structure of our human resource management postgraduate curriculum means that you can choose to study with us full or part time and complete the course to either a Postgraduate Diploma or Masters level.

• The full-time course is for new and recent graduates in any discipline. It is also ideal if you are looking to change career or want a professional qualification that will help you resume working after a break. Contact programme leader Dr Sue Durbin for more details.
• The part-time course is intended primarily for employees who have already begun a career in HR, who are looking for a professional qualification to enhance their professional standing and career prospects. It is also ideal if you are employed outside HR and wish to join the profession. Contact programme leader Dr Paul Bennett for more details.

Option to study for a Postgraduate Diploma instead

Whether you study full or part time, you also have the option of working towards a Postgraduate (PG) Diploma if you are not concerned about achieving a full Masters. You will complete the same taught programme as Masters students. The only difference is that you write a shorter management research report in place of the dissertation.

Compulsory modules

The first stage of the course provides an introduction to the theory, practice and context for human resource management and consists of the following compulsory modules:

• Managing People in Organisations explores the contribution of people to organisational success in a range of contexts. Topics include high performance work practices, motivation, leadership, understanding individual differences, organisational change and culture.
• Human Resource Management in a Strategic Context considers three areas of influence on the practice of HRM: the external context, including legal, social and labour market issues; the internal context, including roles and organisation of the HR function and its contribution; and the strategic context.
• Human Resource Management develops knowledge of the main theories underpinning HRM and its links to organisational strategy. It introduces the core disciplines of development, resourcing, employee relations and reward, and considers how they are integrated.
• Applied Human Resource Management and Business Skills develops professional competency in a range of general management and HRM-specific skills underpinning successful management practice and effective leadership. Thees include interpersonal skills, interviewing, delivering training and understanding finance.

Elective modules

We offer an unusually wide choice of elective modules. These allow you the opportunity to focus in on more specialist interests. You will select four electives from the following range:

• Resourcing and Talent Management explores the contribution that resourcing and talent management activities can make to organisational success, with topics such as identifying and developing talent, managing turnover and retention, downsizing and rebuilding human capital, and wellness at work.
• Performance Management develops insight into the theoretical issues and concepts surrounding performance management. It also fosters an understanding of the practices that contribute to improving the performance of individuals, teams and organisations.
• Managing Reward considers the strategic role of reward processes in developing organisational change programmes and promoting flexibility and innovation. Topics include different approaches to rewarding performance, equal pay and gender issues, the case of 'special groups' and the role of international reward.
• Employment Law enhances your knowledge of employment law in the UK and enables you to make constructive contributions to achieving compliance with relevant legislation in the workplace. The module includes a mock employment tribunal.
• Employee Relations develops the knowledge and understanding of employee relations required by HR practitioners. You will learn about the implications of the internationalisation of employee relations policies and EU membership on employee relations policies, issues and practices.
• Management and Career Development considers both employees' needs and organisational systems for management and career development. Topics include competency approaches, management development, career management and a practical exercise involving the design and running of a development centre.
• International Standards and Employment Law (full-time version only) describes and assesses emerging international standards (eg United Nations, International Labour Organisation and European Union) relevant to HR policy and practice in the light of their implications for specific labour markets and for HRM practitioners.

The management research report or dissertation

For the final phase of the course, you have the choice of writing either a management research report (which leads to a Postgraduate Diploma) or a dissertation (which leads to a Masters). This part of the course is designed to develop your applied understanding and research skills. The project you work on should be of real value to your host organisation.

For full-time students, this stage is based on a ten-week placement with a local organisation, arranged by the University (or a six-week placement for the Postgraduate Diploma). The placement opportunity is subject to satisfactory academic progress.

Part-time students typically base their research project on their own organisation.

Please also note this structure is for the full-time course delivery only. For part-time delivery, the same modules will be studied. However, the structure will differ.

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved we will inform you.

We use a range of teaching methods on this course, with the aim of making the content as interactive, theoretically accessible, and practically focused as possible. You will learn through a combination of tutor-led and student-led activities, including small group work, group presentations and discussion, student-led seminars, case studies and role plays. Practical skills development is integral to the course and a number of skills workshops are included in the curriculum. The tutors come from a mix of academic and practitioner backgrounds.

For more details, see our glossary of teaching and learning terms.

The full and part-time routes both start in September.

The full time MSc can be completed in 13 months, but additional time (up to 15 months) can be taken if you choose to extend the submission of the dissertation. Students studying with a Tier 4 visa will be issued with a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) statement based on the first available dissertation submission date. The full time Postgraduate Diploma can be completed within 11 months.

Attendance typically involves four days per week, so you can seek part time employment on a regular week day, if you wish to do so.

The part time MSc takes 30 months. During the 18-month taught phase, you will attend classes one afternoon and evening a week, with occasional all-day training events. Although it is possible to finish the course in 30 months, you can tailor your rate of study to suit your circumstances, or spread the commitment and cost by studying on a module-by-module basis. The part-time Postgraduate Diploma can be completed within 2 years.

Study support

As some students join the course without an undergraduate degree, or after a long break from education, there is plenty of tutorial support while you adjust to Masters level study. This includes a study skills programme in the early weeks and assessment activities, with ready access to tutors' advice and feedback on your progress.

A range of different forms of assessment are used throughout the course, including written assignments, tests, exams, reflective log, presentations and group exercises. Assessment of skills and competence also forms part of the overall assessment strategy.

For more detail see our full glossary of assessment terms.