Human Resource Management (International)

For 40 years, our courses have been recognised in independent audits as among the best taught and managed postgraduate HRM programmes in Britain. We have one of the largest, longest established, and most diverse teams of HRM subject experts of any university in Britain.

Our MSc in Human Resource Management (International) will equip you with a critical grasp of the issues, themes and challenges central to managing people, whatever the context. The course will suit you if you are seeking , or have already started, a career in managing people or as a specialist HR professional in any part of the world, including Europe and the UK. Its international focus is particularly relevant if your career plans involve working in:

• countries other than your own
• international organisations within your home country (including the UK), or
• home country organisations which emulate the highest standards of HRM practice worldwide.

Alongside up-to-the-minute, practitioner-focused teaching, we will arrange regular opportunities for you to spend time in a local organisation shadowing the work of HR professionals. We also hold regular speaker events where you can hear from inspiring and influential HR professionals discussing leading-edge practice within their organisations.

A particular feature of this course is the very personal interest we take in your development. Using psychometric assessments, skills development workshops and a range of practical activities, we will profile your unique attributes, develop your strengths and offer extensive feedback on your progress throughout. If you need help with your English, we also offer English language and study skills classes free of charge.

The MSc starts in September. It can be completed in 13 months, but additional time (up to 15 months) can be taken if you choose to extend the submission of the dissertation. Taught modules are delivered over a two semester period (between September and April), with the dissertation forming the main element in the summer term.

Our MSc in Human Resource Management (International) course will equip you with:

• a critical grasp of issues, themes and challenges central to managing people in different contexts
• expertise in designing and adapting core HR strategies, systems, processes and practices
• diagnostic models and conceptual frameworks for matching HR solutions to specific national, international and organisational requirements
• comparative knowledge of HR practice in specific leading and emerging economies, including the UK, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, China, South Africa and India
• personal and professional qualities, skills and knowledge suitable for leadership roles in HRM.

The compulsory modules

The first stage of the course consists of three compulsory modules which place international human resource management in the context of political, economic, social, legal, cultural and managerial developments across the world. They engage with ethical and professional issues in managing people, and introduce core concepts and functions of management.

• Managing People in Organisations offers a dual emphasis on the nature of differences between individuals (and how to measure them), and the management and leadership of organisational structures and change.
• The International Employment Context maps the factors which interact to create the distinctive character of different countries' labour markets and employment systems, and explores their influence on business strategy.
• International Human Resource Management introduces the set piece functions and activities of HRM in the context of international, multinational and transnational organisations.

Skill development activities are integrated with these subjects as part of the Applied Human Resource Management and Business Skills module. This incorporates a suite of general management and HRM-specific skills development workshops (such as interpersonal skills, interviewing, delivering training) in small groups with high levels of peer and tutor feedback. At the beginning of the course, there is also dedicated tuition in skills associated with postgraduate study in the UK.

This stage is followed by a series of specialist modules which explore specific aspects of international HRM in some depth. Two modules are explicitly international in their focus and are compulsory: 

• International Resourcing and Talent Management analyses key linkages between organisational strategy and HR strategy in the areas of employee selection, performance management and career development practices.
• Equality and Diversity from a Comparative Perspective charts the rise of equality and diversity concerns within organisations in a comparative international context. Considers the implications of equality and diversity for HR practice in recruitment, reward, management and work-life balance.

Optional modules

You then choose two other modules from a list of five options, some of which focus on comparative HR practice across international contexts (International Employment Relations, International Standards and Employment Law), the others on the detailed design and operation of set piece HR systems and processes delivered by the HR department (Managing Reward, Performance Management, Management and Career Development). 

• International Employment Relations takes a comparative approach to studying corporate governance systems, and economic management and labour policies in the economies of the UK, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, China, South Africa and India.
• International Standards and Employment Law describes and assesses emerging international (eg United Nations, International Labour Organisation, European Union etc) standards relevant to HR policy and practice in the light of their implications for specific labour markets and for HRM practitioners.
• Managing Reward considers the strategic role of reward processes in developing organisational change programmes, and promoting flexibility and innovation. Topics include different approaches to rewarding performance, equal pay and gender issues, the case of 'special groups', and the role of international reward.
• Performance Management develops insight into the theoretical issues and concepts surrounding performance management, and an understanding of the practices which contribute to improving the performance of individuals, teams and the organisation.
• Management and Career Development considers both employees' needs and organisational systems for management and career development. Topics include competency approaches, management development, career management and a practical exercise involving designing and running an assessment centre for developmental purposes.

Dissertation

The final stage of the course is a 13,000-word research dissertation focusing on a live business issue which suits your strengths and interests. You can choose a project arranged for you by the University in a local organisation, or arrange one yourself in Britain or elsewhere. An individual tutor offers individual support for your research, and close supervision.

You can choose between two kinds of project:

• Organisation-based projects these are projects which tackle a live HR problem or issue within a specific organisation. You will usually spend two months in the organisation, working with people and data relevant to your research. The topic is generally chosen by the organisation. Either the University will arrange this for you in a local organisation or you can arrange a project of your own, in Britain or overseas.
• Issue-based projects these projects also tackle a live HR problem or issue, but do not require a placement; instead, the project concerns an issue of interest to you. This option typically offers greater freedom of choice. You could approach a number of organisations for data, or find ways of accessing people, for example through social media or your personal network.

This is an intensive full time course. To be accepted you need:

• A good honours degree (minimum 2:2) from a recognised Higher Education institution within Britain, or equivalent from a recognised overseas institution
• A keen and informed interest in HRM and persuasive reasons for believing that a career in Human Resource Management is suited to your particular strengths, interests and abilities

We want to ensure that the course will suit your needs, so we pay especially close attention to the Personal Statement which forms part of your application to the University. Please take particular care over this statement.

You should show why you are interested in a career in managing people or in specialist Human Resource Management and, if possible, which aspects of managing people or HRM are of particular interest to you. You should also explain carefully why you believe you are suited to such a career. Wherever possible, your statement should draw on relevant personal experience. In describing the personal attributes and qualities which in your view equip you for a career in managing people/HRM, try to give brief actual examples from your experience where you displayed those attributes and qualities.

Continuing support with English proficiency is available during the course free of charge. If English is not your first language, a pre-sessional course in English can help you to get the most from this programme.