Personnel and Development

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This course is designed as a 'top up' Master's level to complement the Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma in Personnel and Development (or equivalent). The course lasts one academic year and aims to develop students as effective managers of people in changing employment conditions. Conveniently structured, it will give you a great chance to develop your career and broaden your knowledge with high quality supervisory support.

This Master's course is intended for those who have studied to Postgraduate Diploma level in the field of personnel/HR and who are interested in an opportunity to engage with a specific personnel issue at a more academically rigorous level of enquiry. The course might therefore appeal to anyone involved in the management of people at a senior/strategic level. Those who are likely to benefit from the course include HR professionals, middle and senior managers, Trade Union officials and members of other professions.

Course ContentResearch Methods and Dissertation

* 25% Research Proposal (3,500 plus talk)
* 75% Dissertation (20,000 words)

The Master's course will begin in early October with a (non-residential) Research Methods weekend. All of the students will already be familiar with alternative research methodologies from their work on the Postgraduate Diploma and this weekend will be used to consolidate prior knowledge and to explore how it might be used for dissertation work. Students will be encouraged to begin thinking about a suitable dissertation topic during this weekend and will be asked to agree this with the Course Leader before the end of October. Students will then be matched with appropriate supervisors and will begin work on their Dissertation Proposal. A Saturday session in mid-November will be held to address issues of concern to students and provide further guidance on the completion of the Dissertation Proposal. Students will be required to submit their Dissertation Proposal in mid-December and a further Saturday session before the Christmas break will be used for students to deliver a presentation of their research topic to their tutors and peers.

Following this session students will continue to work closely with their supervisor. It is envisaged that most will gather their primary research data early in the New Year. Another Saturday session will be held shortly before the Easter break to address issues associated with the writing up of the dissertation. Students will be required to submit the dissertation in late May.

Entry LevelEntrants to this course will normally hold a Postgraduate Diploma in Personnel and Development (or equivalent) and will have attained a good over-all level of performance in all Diploma level units. In addition, an appropriate range and level of organisational experience is desirable. English Language RequirementApplicants whose first language is not English, or who have not received their higher education in English, will be required to produce evidence of their English language proficiency. As a general guide you should have achieved a minimum IELTS score of 6.50, a TOEFL score of 600, or suitable equivalent. However, you should be aware that this is a minimum requirement. Some courses require a higher level of proficiency.