People are at the heart of any organisation, so the ability to manage and develop employees, ensure their welfare and understand changing employment legislation is essential to business survival.

The course produces well-rounded human resources practitioners with exemplary knowledge. As well as developing a crucial appreciation of the theoretical foundations and empirical practice of human resource management and industrial relations, in the UK and international settings, you develop an understanding of strategic changes in HRM.

You gain strategic insight and boost your CV through workshops given by HR practitioners and attending a live employment tribunal case.

The course is approved by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), which gives you a competitive edge in the job market.

There is a charge for the CIPD stream: contact the Masters Admissions Office for details.

Recent recruiters include:

Recent recruiters include: Air Astana, Amazon, Balfour Beatty, Ernst & Young, Lloyds TSB, McKinsey and Company, MPA Consulting, Morrisons, Nestlé, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Sony, Tesco plc, Xerox Ltd

Course structure

(all taught course units are 15 credits)

Semester 1

Core units

• Human Resource Management:
• Strategy and Practice
• Industrial Relations
• Multinationals and Comparative
• Employment Systems
• Research Methods for Organisations

Elective unit

• Comparative Industrial Relations*

Semester 2

Core units

• Employment Law
• Employment Policy and Practice
• Human Resource Management: Context and Organisations

Optional units

• International Human Resource Management*
• International Labour Law and Regulation*

* Note:

Note: a maximum of eight units can be taken so you choose only one elective unit. There may be minor changes to the allocation of units to each semester.

To gain CIPD membership you attend a series of skills workshops with guests invited from a wide range of companies, enabling you to develop practical HR skills.

Summer research period

Research dissertation (60 credits)

You must complete a satisfactory dissertation to be awarded your MSc. This piece of work, undertaken in your third term and over the summer, gives you the opportunity to apply the techniques and theories you have learned during the taught modules.

The dissertation itself normally consists of a literature review followed by a piece of empirical work, involving either qualitative or quantitative research.

Examples of recent dissertation topics include:

• Employment security in domestic privately owned enterprises in South China
• Workers’ attitudes towards the implementation of performance-related pay in Chinese domestic enterprises
• Disability discrimination
• Organisational boundaries and temporary agency staff
• Public private partnerships in local authorities
• Career expectations of white collar managers
• Employee involvement and participation in the retail sector
• Employers’ policies and HIV positive employees

(extra fees for CIPD registration)

Home/EU £10,500
Overseas £16,500

Rolling admission - please apply as early as possible.

Entry requirements

First or upper second class honours (2:1) degree from a UK university or the overseas equivalent, in any discipline.

Application details
We’re delighted that you are considering applying for one of our postgraduate courses. Please view the most up-to-date admission information on the MBS website and follow the How to Apply guide to submit an online application. Our guide is designed to make the application process as straightforward as possible for you, and to ensure that your application is correct and submitted in plenty of time. All courses start on 21 September 2015.

English Language requirements
If English is not your first language, you are required to take an English language test to prove your level of proficiency.