With more and more people working for multinational corporations or in global supply chains, the study of international human resources and comparative industrial relations is becoming ever more important.

The increasing globalisation of the economy and pan-national employment legislation means that the ability to compare processes and practices across continents is a highly sought-after skill.

This CIPD-approved course is extremely advantageous in securing a career in HRM. It gives you an understanding of the differences between the employment practices and industrial relations systems of varying countries and multinationals, and how they are influenced by social and economic factors. You also look at the influence of economic integration on changing systems of employment and industrial relations. There is a charge for the CIPD stream: contact the Masters Admissions Office for details.

CIPD Course recognition

This Masters is approved to the new equivalent advanced level post graduate 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 toward 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.

On passing all the modules of the Masters degree (including the dissertation) and the CIPD-recognised stream and activities of the course you will automatically achieve Associate Membership. Once you have work experience you can apply for Chartered membership.

Recent recruiters include:

Recent recruiters include: Accenture, AstraZeneca, BDL Engineering, Bentley, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Hewlett-Packard, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, RBS Insurance, Shell International, Telenor Group

Course structure

(All taught course units are 15 credits)

Semester 1

Core units

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

Optional unit

——

• Industrial Relations
• Organisation Development

Semester 2

Core units

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

Optional units

• Employment Policy and Practice
• Human Resource Management: Context and Organisation*
• Management of International Organisational Change*

*These units are compulsory in order to achieve CIPD recognition. 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.

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

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:

• Work-life balance: perspectives of female teachers from UK and India
• The development of employee loyalty in a US subsidiary in China
• The impact of support practices on expatriate adjustment in a Russian multinational corporation
• Coping mechanisms of Nigerian women balancing motherhood and managerial roles
• Handling redundancies in economic crises: a comparison between Germany and the UK
• A critical review of change agents and the HR function in cross-border mergers

(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.