MSc Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations: The University of Manchester

Course description

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 aims to produce well-rounded human resources practitioners with exemplary knowledge and relevant hands-on experience.

Accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the course is designed to:

• Develop a critical appreciation of the theoretical foundations and empirical practice of HRM and IR
• Expose you to a wide variety of organisational practices by use of teaching materials based on high quality contemporary research conducted by lecturers and their own research for an independent individual dissertation
• Enable you to develop practical skills in the subject area to equip you for a career in or further study of the HR/IR field and gives you a grounding in research methods which you can apply appropriately either in the business world or in academic research
• Provide you with the opportunity to gain graduate membership of the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) which is extremely advantageous in securing a career in HRM.

You have the opportunity to attend skills development workshops run by expert HR practitioners to acquire practical HR skills, to attend a live employment tribunal case, and to undertake a group project in an organisation to develop teamworking and practical HR and research skills.

Career opportunities

Graduates from the programme have gone on to a wide variety of careers and further study, mostly, but not exclusively, in related fields. These include HR consultancy at PwC, HR roles at BP, Deloitte, Tesco, the NHS, Marks and Spencer, Fujitsu Services, Halliwell LLP, local government, Co-operative Insurance, employment law consultancy and lecturing/research.

Entry requirements

Academic entry qualification overview: They normally look for a UK bachelor degree with upper second class honours, or the overseas equivalent, in any discipline.

When assessing your academic record, they take into account your grade average, position in class, references and the standing of the institution where you studied your qualification.They particularly welcome applications from institutions of high ranking and repute.

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

They accept the following tests and minimum scores.

• IELTS: 7.0 with no individual element below 6.0
• TOEFL Paper-based: 623
• TOEFL Internet-based: 100 with no individual element below 20
• Cambridge Proficiency Examination (CPE): Minimum grade C. Please note Cambridge First Certificate is not accepted.
• Cambridge Advanced Examination (CAE): Minimum grade B. Please note Cambridge First Certificate is not accepted.
• English for Academic Purposes (EAP): Minimum grade A with no element below C