Human Resource Management MSc/Postgraduate Diploma

Human Resource Management Masters

www.hrm.stir.ac.uk

The University has developed an enviable reputation for delivering world-class business programmes and undertaking internationally recognised research. Students are supported by expert staff who seek to maintain Stirling's position as a leader in producing excellent Business graduates.

Programme Objectives

This programme provides a critical and academic assessment of the Human Resource Management (HRM) approach and its application by employers in the context of significant structural and contextual change in the world of work and employment. The programme draws upon the current research activities and output of the HR teaching group and provides students and practitioners with a thorough grounding in the academic debates about organisations and careers and the methods required for effective applied research and policy making.

It seeks to provide recent graduates with a conceptual foundation for a career in the field of human resource management or for further academic study in the subject, or to update the knowledge and qualifications of Personnel/HR practitioners, trade unionists and those teaching in the area. It will also provide you with a wider perspective on the principal issues and concerns affecting work and provide the basis for more effective decisions.

Entrance Requirements

An Honours degree or an equivalent professional qualification in a relevant subject from a university recognised by the University of Stirling.

English Language Requirements

If English is not your first language, you must provide evidence of your proficiency such as a minimum IELTS score of 6 (minimum 5 in each skill) or TOEFL 550/213/79 (Paper/Computer/Internet).

Funding

For information on possible sources of funding, visit: www.stir.ac.uk/postgrad/finance

Modes of Study

Full-time:

MSc: 1 year; Diploma: 9 months

Programme Start Date

September

Programme Director

Dr Juliette Summers

Stirling Institute for Socio-Management

The Stirling Institute for Socio-Management is part of Stirling Management School.

Structure and Content

The full-time programme consists of two 15-week semesters of taught modules and a three-month dissertation period.

In the Autumn semester you take the following modules:

• Work, Employment and Society: You will be provided with a strong foundation for the Master‘s programme and be introduced to the key structural features of, and contextual influences on, the world of work and employment.
• Personnel Management: This module explores the policies and procedures used in organisations to manage staff. It will deal with human resource planning, recruitment and selection, managing performance, rewards, grievance and discipline, managing relationships, learning and development, health, safety and welfare and diversity.
• Organisational Behaviour and Analysis: A social science perspective on the key concepts and theoretical approaches used in understanding social behaviour in organisations and to models of organisational analysis.
• Industrial Democracy: An introduction to the theoretical debates surrounding the concepts of industrial democracy and employee participation in a range of practical settings. It will focus particularly on how the trade union-led demands for industrial democracy of the 1970s gave way to management-initiated employee involvement (EI) strategies in the 1980/1990s and their continued evolution in the 2000s.
• Research Methods and Dissertation Planning (Part 1): This is a two-semester module in which you will be introduced to research methods in the field of business and management and be shown how these methods can be used in practice in preparing for your dissertation. The module covers the basics of both qualitative and quantitative research, as well as practical issues of topic selection, data collection and analysis and writing up a dissertation. It includes extensive workshop-based sessions.

In the Spring semester you will take the following modules:

• Human Resource Management: This module analyses the concepts, practices and outcomes of human resource management (HRM) as distinct from personnel management. It assesses the background, assumptions and aims of several HRM models and evaluates them against traditional notions and practices of personnel management in the UK.
• Management Development: This module provides an introduction to the field of management development/human resource development, with a particular focus upon the role of managers at a time when competitive pressure on organisations has encouraged a greater emphasis on performance.
• International Human Resource Management: This module examines the theoretical underpinnings and the practical implications of international approaches to human resource management. It will enable you to analyse the different models of international HRM and the major employment policies of multinational companies, to assess the implications of cross-cultural differences for managing employees and explain the differences and similarities in HRM practices in different countries.
• Research Methods and Dissertation Planning (Part 2): The second half of the module continues and develops the work of the first semester and includes the preparation and submission of an individual research proposal that may form the basis of your dissertation topic.

Delivery and Assessment

Delivery includes lectures, seminars, case studies and presentations, followed by a three-month dissertation period. Assessment is by a mixture of examination and coursework, including written assignments and presentations.

Successful completion of the taught element of the programme leads to the award of the Diploma or allows you to continue for the award of the MSc in HRM by completing a 15,000-word dissertation on a topic agreed with the Programme Director.

Timetable

Contact the Institute for information on your timetable and reading lists.

Career Opportunities

Successful graduates can expect many career opportunities in human resource management, employee relations and personnel management. Graduates develop careers in a wide variety of roles in: consultancy, private, commercial and public sectors, service and manufacturing organisations, as well as in research and further academic study. The programme has an excellent reputation in the business community, leading to a very high employment rate for our graduates.

Research Opportunities

Staff conduct and publish original, rigorous and significant research work with a direct impact on, and benefit for, society and the economy. A multitude of user communities are served: managers, practitioners and policy-makers, private and public organisations, academics and students. Research output and achievements are disseminated to this wide audience through research articles, applied output, practitioner and academic conference presentations, policy advice and guidance, research monographs, books and media coverage.

An important indicator of the quality of the support environment is the fact that the Management subject area has been awarded 1+3 and +3 recognition by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

For additional information on the Division’s research activity and achievements, visit: www.management.stir.ac.uk/business/

Research Proposal

Research proposals, focusing on topics which fall into the areas of research expertise of current staff in the School, should include the following: executive summary, importance of the proposed research, prior relevant research and literature review, research questions and methodology, any limitations or particular requirements for the research.

There is no specified word limit for Business & Organisation or Stirling Institute for Socio-Management research proposals.

RAE Rating

The UK-wide Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) confirmed the quality of the work being done by our researchers. 85% of the University of Stirling’s research has been judged to be internationally excellent and internationally recognised, with the top 10% of that judged to be world class.

View the full outcomes of Stirling’s RAE performance

Use the online enquiry service to find out more or to request a prospectus.

If you are ready to apply you can fill out an online application form now.