MSc Human Resource Management

This module is an integrated and holistic part of the first year of the programme and seeks to facilitate personal and professional growth, acting as a catalyst for reflection on learning from other first year modules and the wider aspects of the programme.

This module aims to explore the concept of senior professional practice through a personal, professional and organisational lens. Learners will be introduced to, and draw upon, theoretical perspectives to illustrate the complexity of leadership within different sectors. As a result, learners will locate and challenge both personal and professional constructs of a senior people professional and their own identity.

Learners will critically investigate the developments in ethical leadership, management and practice in a continuously evolving business context. Learners will critique a wide range of literature which explores the future world of work which includes the advancement in technology, sociodemographic changes, political and economic impact and influences and evolving employment legislation. Learners will also explore the role of values, behaviours and organisational citizenship and how this can drive business effectiveness and performance.

This module will introduce learners to contemporary changes in the world of work by interrogating how interventions have changed the meaning of work, what new forms of work and employment relations have emerged, and the economic, social and ethical implications. In doing so, learners will also have an opportunity to consider financial aspects of the world of work from an organisational position.

The module aims to explores how people professionals create value and deliver outcomes for organisations and employees, and how contributing to the achievement of business objectives improves performance and enhances the employee experience.

This is a year long module designed to allow learners to develop learner skills to research a real-life workplace problem whilst gathering appropriate evidence. Learners will learn the research process through participating in workshops and conducting online exercises.  Learners will work on a real research problem that will develop their skills in designing and implementing quantitative and qualitative research projects. During this module, a systematic knowledge of change management will be deployed to allow learners to consider organisational change.  In addition, the module prepares learners for professional enquiry, by enabling them to independently conduct a research project utilising quantitative and/or qualitative methods. When considering future practice, learners will be encouraged to reflect on planning for sustainability. 

A specialist module on the Human Resources pathway (delivered in year 2). Learners will critically evaluate employment relation theories and conceptual frameworks and how these influence leadership approaches and relationship management within contemporary organisational settings.

The module provides a sound understanding of strategic reward and change in readiness to apply to professional practices, with particular emphasis on the role of strategic reward in attracting, motivating and retaining people at work in order to direct the actions and behaviours of individuals, teams and the organisation towards the achievement of organisational goals.

A specialist HR pathway module, that introduces current issues in health and wellbeing in the work place. It introduces learners to the influence of the work environment on health and wellbeing, guiding learners through the important topic areas underpinning the concept of the healthy organisation. Specifically, it discusses the psychological, social and organisational aspects of the dynamic relationship between work and health.

Based on the research proposal submitted for the applied business research module, the first element of this module focusses on developing ability to produce a literature review that critically analyses key publications and other evidence to underpin the research questions.  This is followed by the professional inquiry which enables a systematic approach to define, design and undertake a business approach project in people management/organisational development/learning and development practice.   This module addresses the significance of capturing robust quantitative and qualitative evidence to inform meaningful insight to influence critical thinking.  It focusses on analysing evidence through an ethical lens to improve decision-making and how measuring the impact of practice is essential in creating value.