The course aims to produce well-rounded human resources practitioners with exemplary knowledge and relevant hands-on experience.
Accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the course is designed to -
You have the opportunity to attend skills development workshops run by expert HR practitioners to acquire practical HR skills, to attend a live employment tribunal case, and to undertake a group project in an organisation to develop teamworking and practical HR and research skills.
CIPD Course recognition
The course is approved by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) to the new equivalent advanced level postgraduate standard.
Further information about CIPD qualifications, visit the CIPD website .
If you are particularly interested in international human resource management and /or comparative industrial relations you might like to consider our MSc International Human Resource Management and Comparative Industrial Relations .
Student Prizes
The Business School presents three prizes associated with the CIPD programme. One is for best Portfolio, one for best Management Research Report and one for overall best student. Further details of the prizes will be available during the programme.
Assessment across the course units varies, and includes a combination of examinations, essays, course work, assignment, report and group presentations. A dissertation of between 12,000 and 15,000 words is also undertaken in the final semester over the summer.
During the course you will be taking 180 credits in all. The eight taught modules during semester one and two total 120 credits and consists of both compulsory and optional taught units which can be viewed in the list below.
Over the summer period, you will carry out your Research Dissertation, worth 60 credits. Examples of recent dissertation project topics include:
Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email: [email protected]
Graduates from the programme have gone on to a wide variety of careers and further study, mostly, but not exclusively, in related fields. These include HR consultancy at PwC, HR roles at BP, Deloitte, Tesco, the NHS, Marks and Spencer, Fujitsu Services, Halliwell LLP, local government, Co-operative Insurance, employment law consultancy and lecturing/research.
More details on our Careers Service.
Latest information on visa changes and opportunities in the UK for international students.
The course is approved by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) to the new equivalent advanced level postgraduate standard.
You will join CIPD as a student member and on completion of the Masters and CIPD components you will have achieved the underpinning knowledge towards a level of professional membership. Once you have applied your knowledge in the workplace you will be in a position to apply to CIPD for a membership upgrade. Further details including costs are available from the postgraduate administration team and you can visit the CIPD website
Students wishing to gain CIPD membership attend a series of skills workshops with guests invited from a wide range of companies, to enable them to develop practical HR skills.
Learn how to manage and develop employees, ensure their well-being and understand the latest changes in employment legislation. The MSc Human Resource Management (HRM) will develop your understanding of the theory and practice of people management in work organisations, addressing the skills required for effective analysis and policy information. Our graduates go on to work at companies such as Barclays, KPMG and Tesco.
This course is suitable for graduates who have studied any subject who wish to secure their first HR job, or those taking a break and wishing to re-train or re-focus their career. Our MSc HRM is a dual award programme accredited by CIPD, giving full exemption against their Level 7 Advanced Diploma in HRM.
If you are studying a CIPD Diploma qualification, you are required to join the CIPD as a student member at the start of your programme. Upon successful completion of your studies, you will automatically become an Associate professional member which will entitle you to use Assoc CIPD after your name. This ensures that your qualification is recognised by CIPD and that you receive access to HR and development resources and student resources to support you in your study and throughout your career. It also means you’ll avoid paying a non-registration fee.
-You will receive an excellent grounding in all aspects of HR, developing your knowledge and practical skills, and focusing particularly on how a strategic approach to HR can add value to organisation
-The Business School has a long-standing reputation for excellence in teaching human resource management to the CIPD standards. Our programme has been designed to provide an ideal foundation for your career in HRM/HRD or related fields
-The Postgraduate Diploma level of this course meets the advanced professional standards set by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), it is accredited by CIPD and gives full exemption from their level 7 Advanced Diploma in HRM. Upon successful completion of your qualification and depending on your relevant HR or development experience, you can then apply to upgrade to chartered membership. You can read more about chartered membership here: http://www.cipd.co.uk/membership/professional/chartered-member.aspx
-You will be taught in the internationally recognised multi-award-winning Business School on All Saints Campus in central Manchester.
-The course provides you with an opportunity to attend the annual CIPD National Conference held in Manchester in November and this is included in the course fee
-A human resources work experience placement is part of the course which provides an opportunity to conduct a live research project leading to your dissertation. Many students choose to research their dissertations in their placement organisation. Our placement team will help and support you in finding your placement, including CV and job/placement application and interview skills preparation. These skills are an excellent foundation to enhance your employability on completion of your studies.
-A management skills/self-development residential is included in this course. This two-day event is included in the course fee and takes place early in term one.
-We also host conferences, workshops and symposiums on a variety of HRM and HRD themes.
-Manchester Met Business School hosts the Manchester Industrial Relations Society which runs frequent talks and debates by national recognised experts in the field. See http://www.mirs.org.uk/ for more information
-Our programme is closely linked to the MMU Centre for People and Performance, which conducts independent research in partnership with a wide range of organisations, to explore the challenges of managing, leading and developing people to create sustainable high-performing organisations. Our experts deliver tailor-made solutions to organisational and sector-specific challenges and issues for a range of private and public sector clients and policy-makers. Many of the Centre for People and Performance staff teach on our HRM programmes, you can read more about our Centre and the staff here: http://www.business.mmu.ac.uk/cpp/
The course includes a 10-day work placement, and an opportunity to do a HR research project leading to your dissertation. It also includes a residential event where you will have opportunities to develop professional HR skills and access to teaching and exhibitions at the CIPD's Annual national conference.
This is a dual award course, accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), leading to CIPD Advanced Level 7 Qualification.
Our postgraduate business programmes aim to equip you with the specialist skills in management, leadership and strategy and are intensively focused on developing your employability skills so that you can develop rewarding careers as HR leaders.
This course is suitable for those already working in HR who wish to become professionally qualified; professionals wishing to develop people management expertise or those seeking a career move into the HR profession.
The MSc and PG Diploma programmes are fully accredited by Chartered Institute of Personal Development (CIPD), which means that successful completion of the course meets the requirements for Level 7 Advanced Diploma in HRM and leads directly to Associate Membership of the CIPD with eligibility to upgrade to Chartered Membership for members with appropriate work experience.
If you are studying a CIPD qualification, you are required to join the CIPD as a student member at the start of your course. Upon successful completion of your course, youll automatically become an associate professional member which will entitle you to use Assoc CIPD after your name. This ensures your qualification is recognised by CIPD and that you receive access to HR and development resources to support you in your study and throughout your career. Please note that students join CIPD as individual members, so fees are payable directly to CIPD. More fee information is available here: http://www.cipd.co.uk/membership/membership-fees.aspx
You will receive an excellent grounding in all aspects of HR, developing your knowledge and practical skills, and focusing particularly on how a strategic approach to HR can add value to organisations. The option unit choices and the dissertation enable you to specialise in a particular area of HR.
The course is taught by an experienced team of lecturers, many of whom have extensive experience as HR professionals, and others who are actively researching and publishing in the field.
-Manchester Met Business School has a long-standing reputation for excellence in teaching Human Resource Management to the CIPD standards. Our programme has been designed to provide an ideal foundation for your career in HRM/HRD or related fields.
-The MSc/PGDip level of this course meets the professional standards set by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), it is accredited by CIPD, leads directly to Associate Membership.
-The course is taught by an experienced team of lecturers, many of whom have extensive experience as HR professionals, and others who are actively researching and publishing in the field.
-You will be taught in the internationally recognised multi-award-winning Business School on All Saints Campus.
-You will receive an excellent grounding in all aspects of HR, developing your knowledge and practical skills, and focusing particularly on how a strategic approach to HR can add value to organisations.
-The course includes a live research project leading to a Dissertation or Management Research Report, usually in your employing organisation.
-A management skills/self-development residential is included in this course. This two-day event is included in the course fee and takes place early in the first term.
You will receive an excellent grounding in all aspects of HR, developing your knowledge and practical skills, and focusing particularly on how a strategic approach to HR can add value to organisations. The option unit choices and the dissertation or management research report enable you to specialise in a particular area of HR.
The course is taught by an experienced team of lecturers, many of whom have extensive experience as HR professionals, and others who are actively researching and publishing in the field through the Business School's Centre for People and Performance.
Globalisation and an ever-changing economic landscape are introducing new opportunities and practices to effective Human Resource Management (HRM). Our MSc in International Human Resource Management will develop your understanding of real-world HR issues, developing your knowledge and practical skills, with a focus on how a strategic approach to HR can add value to organisations across the globe.
This course is particularly suitable if some, or all, of your career will involve working outside the UK or if you have an interest in global employment issues. Our MSc International HRM is fully accredited by the UK professional body (CIPD) and leads directly to Associate Membership.
The course is taught by an experienced team of lecturers, many of whom have extensive experience as HR professionals, and others who are actively researching and publishing in the field.
The course includes a work placement, and the opportunity of a live research project leading to your dissertation. It also includes a residential event and a visit to the CIPDs national conference.
Our postgraduate business programmes aim to equip you with the specialist skills in management, leadership and strategy and are intensively focused on developing your employability skills so that you can develop rewarding careers as HR leaders.
Effective local, national and global people management is a critical part of any organisation’s success. Designed for graduates from a range of backgrounds, our MSc provides you with access to, and an opportunity to become a member of, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD); an ever-more essential requirement for a successful and rewarding career in HRM and employment relations.
With a strong focus on HRM practice and professional managerial skills development, our programme takes you further than the standard pathway. We meet the CIPD’s Advanced level criteria, so when you successfully complete the pathway you can apply for Associate, then Chartered, level membership, depending on your role and experience.
The MSc HRM (with CIPD Pathway) has a stronger focus on HRM practice and skill development than the standard pathway. It is fully accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and provides access to membership of this professional body.
Membership of the CIPD is widely regarded as providing a distinct advantage to those who wish to pursue a career in the fields of HRM and Employment Relations and is increasingly seen as an essential requirement. The CIPD currently has 145,000 members and job advertisements for HRM posts frequently make reference to the need for CIPD membership. CIPD status is nationally recognised in the UK but is increasingly recognised on an international basis.
This pathway meets the CIPD’s Advanced level criteria enabling those that have successfully completed and passed the pathway to apply for Associate and then Chartered level membership depending on their HR role/level and experience. The CIPD charges a student membership fee (currently £132). Associate and Chartered membership levels are granted by the CIPD. The modules included in the pathway are detailed below. There are no electives, as students need to complete and pass each module.
The programme begins in September and runs for twelve months on a full-time basis. The first nine months of the programme are spent developing knowledge through taught modules.
In addition, you will receive research training. This will form the basis for your final dissertation, which will be your focus during the last three months of the programme.
The programme is led by Dr Andy Hodder and includes members of staff who are internationally recognised in their fields of expertise. These include:
Careers in Business
Careers in Business is a dedicated service for postgraduate Business School students. We’ll help you in all aspects of your career management, from planning your job-seeking strategies, applying for jobs, preparing for interviews and assessment centres and developing your essential employability skills. At the start of your programme you will receive an email from our team, giving details of how you can access Careers in Business Online. Please get in touch to find out how our Careers in Business team can support you.
The full-time MSc Human Resource Management is a dual award programme fully accredited by Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), giving full exemption against their Level 7 Advanced Diploma in HRM.
This inspiring one-year programme prepares you for a senior leadership position in HR. The programme gives you the tools you need to distinguish yourself from the competition; you'll develop the expertise needed to shape the HR agenda in any sector.
You’ll gain insights into the activities, functions and environment of an organisation, and how HR functions can make a key contribution to its success. The programme will give you a comprehensive grounding in the core disciplines of HR practice, including:
On successful completion you will automatically gain associate level of CIPD professional membership which will entitle you to use ‘Associate CIPD’ after your name. This will demonstrate your professional credibility to future employers in an increasingly competitive global graduate labour market. All students are required to join the CIPD as a student member within one month of commencing the course, and for successful graduates the CIPD joining fee and first year membership fee are paid by the University as an additional benefit for our students.
As a member of the CIPD you will have the ability to attend local events, opportunities to network with senior professionals and executives, access various training and development activities.
About our students
Find out about our MSc student cohort, broken down by nationality, age, and the level of award achieved.
We are proud to be in an elite group of business schools to hold the triple accreditations of Equis, AMBA and AACSB, often referred to as the "Triple Crown".
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the leading UK professional body for HR specialists, accredits our programme in recognition of the fact that it meets rigorous academic and professional standards.
The programme provides the underpinning knowledge required to achieve professional levels of CIPD membership. More information is available on the CIPD website.
This programme aims to prepare prospective human resource professionals to operate as effective practitioners who are able to comply with the highest professional standards and to continuously develop their professional capability.
This involves equipping students with the skills and knowledge required to work effectively in changing and challenging environments and to develop in them the competencies required to think critically and strategically within an organisational context.
Core Modules
Option Modules
You’ll apply your knowledge practically through case studies, project work and guest lectures, and debate the current challenges and dynamics affecting HR policy in an increasingly dynamic business and social environment.
There is a particular focus on ethical people management and social sustainability.
Assessment methods include exams, assessed essays, presentations, learning logs and an end of programme dissertation. The dissertation is a piece of research conducted in a business of your choice.
Our HRM graduates – aware of the complex nature of people management and regulation – will be able to demonstrate the value of being able to handle employees well in the modern working environment.
Career opportunities exist in human resources, recruitment and general management.
Among the organisations recently to have employed our graduates are Asda, Horton Housing and even the University of Bradford.
Students have an opportunity to broaden their international experience by taking part in study tours embedded alongside our programmes throughout the year. These tours are provided by the Faculty where all expenses are covered. Previous tours have included trips to Bahrain (Ahlia University) and Qatar (Qatar University).
These tours help our students to gain knowledge about international business and entrepreneurship, as well as providing opportunities to practice and develop communication and interpersonal skills. Students are given a hands-on opportunity to apply the knowledge they have gained in class, all whilst becoming more aware of diverse cultures and strengthening international relationships.
Students take part in a dynamic mix of both theory and practice-related activities including: interactive problem-solving workshops, company visits, talks by guest speakers (from the public and private sector), cultural visits, and social activities.
All module leaders have ‘open door’ sessions where they are available to students on a weekly basis. You’ll be allocated a personal tutor throughout your studies, and a supervisor to guide you through your dissertation projects and act as a research mentor.
The Effective Learning Service (ELS) is a dedicated facility within the School of Management, established to support our students to maximise their academic learning (e.g. assignments and examinations) as well as help overseas students adapt quickly to UK academic requirements.
The ELS provides a huge range of services, including various workshops run during term time, 1-1 consultations and vast printed and online resources to cater for every possible development area.
All teaching staff are highly research active, and publish widely. As much as is possible, teaching staff incorporate their own research into the teaching.
There is a dedicated HRM research methods course which teaches HRM practitioners how to conduct people management research and analyse their findings. Students complete a dissertation (practical research project) to address an actual issue in a business as their final assessment.
With more and more people working for international corporations or global international supply chains, the study of international human resources and industrial relations is becoming ever more important. The increasing globalisation of the economy and pan-national employment legislation also means the ability to compare processes and practices across continents is a sought-after skill.
CIPD Course recognition
This course is approved to the new equivalent advanced level postgraduate standard and you can enhance your studies by taking additional CIPD components that prepare you for CIPD membership. If you decide to do so, you can attend a series of skills workshops, hear from guest speakers, and complete a range of activities enabling you to develop practical HR skills.
You will join CIPD as a student member and on passing all of the modules of the Masters degree (including the dissertation) and the CIPD components, your CIPD membership will be automatically updated to Associate Member. Once you have applied your knowledge in the workplace, you can apply for Chartered membership.
Please note: There is a £450 administrative fee payable to Alliance Manchester Business School on arrival if you choose to register with the CIPD, plus you join the CIPD for two years - the year of your course, and the year of graduation. Visit the CIPD website for further information.
If you are interested in domestic human resource management you might like to consider ourMSc Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations .
Assessment across the course units varies on the modules chose. It includes a combination of examinations, individual essay, course work, assignment and group project and presentation assessment. A dissertation of between 12,000 and 15,000 words is undertaken during the final semester over the summer.
During the course you will be taking 180 credits in all. The eight taught modules during semester one and two total 120 credits and consists of both compulsory and optional taught units which can be viewed in the list below. Please note that certain modules have to be taken to achieve CIPD recognition
Over the summer period, you will carry out your Research Dissertation, worth 60 credits. Examples of recent dissertation project topics include:
Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email: [email protected]
It will be particularly helpful for those intending to pursue careers within multinational companies based in the UK or elsewhere and broaden the international understanding of HR professionals who wish to work in a global context .
More details on our Careers Service.
Latest information on visa changes and opportunities in the UK for international students.
This Masters is accredited to the new equivalent advanced level postgraduate standard. You will join CIPD as a student member and on completion of the Masters and CIPD components you will have achieved the underpinning knowledge towards a level of professional membership.
Once you have applied your knowledge in the workplace you will be in a position to apply to CIPD for a membership upgrade. Further details including costs are available from the postgraduate administration team and you can visit the CIPD website .
Students wishing to gain CIPD membership attend a series of skills workshops with guests invited from a wide range of companies, to enable them to develop practical HR skills.
The Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management and the MA in Human Resource Management will progress your career and enhance your HR professional practice. You will develop core HR skills and knowledge as well as the ability to understand and evaluate issues of strategic importance to HRM.
These part-time programmes are studied through a combination of on-campus and online learning. You will benefit from the flexibility of our virtual learning environment and also face-to-face interaction with tutors and classmates.*
The programme is fully accredited by the CIPD against the Advanced Knowledge Standards. You will gain Associate membership of the CIPD on successful completion of your course.
In Year 2, you can choose to study for the full MA in HRM or opt for the Postgraduate Diploma in HRM. Both lead to Associate membership of CIPD and there is a full briefing during Year 1 to help you make this choice.
If you already have a Postgraduate Diploma in HRM from any educational provider, you can make use of our Direct Entry MA Human Resource Management Top Up option. This involves one module and a dissertation over one academic year and results in an MA HRM award.
The MA HRM and PG Dip HRM are practice-based and academically rigorous, providing you with the knowledge, understanding and skills required for the challenging role of a human resource professional. Both programmes are fully accredited by the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) and mapped against the Advanced Diploma in HRM. Both programmes enable you to gain Associate Membership of the CIPD and as these qualifications are at Advanced Standard, this enables higher membership grades of the CIPD to be achieved with experience, rather than further study.
Please refer to the following course subject charts:
MA Human Resource Management structure chart
Postgraduate Diploma Human Resource Management structure chart
It is a requirement of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development that all students enrolling on a CIPD HR Programme are student members of the CIPD and pay membership fees to the CIPD. The cost of this is not included in your Oxford Brookes fees. If you are already a student member you are still required to register your continuing professional development with the CIPD, and we ask that you provide us with your CIPD number. You can find details of the CIPD's current student membership fees on their website.
On-campus sessions involve tutor input, analysis of case studies, problem-solving activities, virtual business simulations, presentations, analysis of data for decision making, and directed reading and research. Some skills development is best addressed in more intensive workshops and such events will focus principally on:
Both on-campus and online learning are fully supported by our library, with almost all resources (journals, reports and many books) now being available electronically 24 hours a day.
Each module is assessed individually with a range of assessment methods being used. These include individual assignments, group work, presentations, examinations, a portfolio to demonstrate continuing professional development, and individual research reports. Some assessments include an element of peer and/or self-assessment.
We have invested over £30m to create modern teaching and learning facilities and created a new home at Headington for the Business School.
Completed in 2017 it contains:
Our library provides specialist business resources (both hard copy and via online access) to UK and overseas companies' annual reports, statistics on all aspects of business and management, a wide range of constantly updated key texts, and postgraduate MA, MBA, MSc and PhD theses.
We offer an International Business in Practice Study Trip module. The purpose of this study trip is to give postgraduate students a hands-on, intensive experience with the ideas and practices of global business. The programme will include presentations from local management executives and experts. Students will have direct interaction with management executives and practices through site visits to major corporations and agencies.
This study trip is voluntary and all costs associated with the trip will need to be funded by you. It is not linked to university assessments in any way. If you successfully complete this module you will have the following non-credit bearing module recorded on your transcript: P58335 International Business in Practice: Study Trip.
The course is mainly delivered through two taught semesters per year running from September to May. Each individual module consists of up to 12 sessions offered through a blend of on-campus and online learning. For each semester the on-campus element will take place through up to five early evening sessions (5-8pm) and three full-day Saturday sessions. In year one the evening sessions are on a Tuesday; in year two evening sessions are on a Wednesday. In addition, there is one full weekend workshop in the first year. Those sessions offered online will on occasion require you to join a virtual classroom at a specific time in the early evening but will mainly be completed in your own time, using online learning materials and taking part in online discussion fora.
If you study the full MA Human Resource Management rather than the Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management you also complete your dissertation over a third semester in the summer of the second year. If you’re completing the full MA, you have the option to do your research methods and dissertation modules entirely online. Note: this revised course delivery pattern is subject to CIPD approval.
