MSc Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

Course description

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Human Resource Management Conference 2019

People are at the heart of workplaces. Managing and developing them is essential to help organisations achieve their goals, and support employees to thrive and lead meaningful working lives.

  • Develop knowledge of the theoretical foundations and real-world practice of human resource management and industrial relations, both in the UK and internationally
  • Build understanding of strategic changes in HRM 
  • Gain strategic insight and boost your CV by attending workshops delivered by HR practitioners 
  • Work on a live employment tribunal case 
  • Gain a competitive edge in the job market studying a course accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

CIPD Course recognition

The course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) offering the ability to fast track your career through professional membership. All students attend a series of compulsory workshops which focus on your personal skills capacity building as a future HR specialist.

The workshops are non-credit bearing. When you graduate, you can become CIPD Associate Member and use the designation Assoc CIPD. You may also be eligible to become a CIPD Chartered Member or CIPD Charted Fellow, depending on your experience. You join CIPD as a student member and once you have passed all course units (including the HR skills development workshops and the dissertation), you can update your CIPD membership to Associate Member. Please note to obtain Associate Member status you will need to have joined the CIPD as a student member and remain in membership throughout your programme. These costs are an individual responsibility.

Further information about CIPD qualifications >>

If you are particularly interested in international human resource management and /or comparative industrial relations you might like to consider our MSc International Human Resource Management and Comparative Industrial Relations  course.

Coursework and assessment

Assessment across the course units varies, and includes a combination of examinations, essays, course work, assignment, report and group presentations. A dissertation is also undertaken in the final semester over the summer.

Course unit details

During the course you will be taking 180 credits in all. The eight taught modules during semester one and two total 120 credits and consists of both compulsory and optional taught units which can be viewed in the list below.  

Over the summer period, you will carry out your Research Dissertation, worth 60 credits.  Examples of recent dissertation project topics include:

  • Employment security in domestic privately owned enterprises in South China
  • The role of unions in gender equality
  • The fairness of reward management and implications for staff retention
  • Disability discrimination
  • Organisational boundaries and temporary agency staff
  • Work-life balance in China

Course unit list

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Workplace Research and Analysis Skills BMAN60261 15 Mandatory
Multinationals and Comparative Employment Systems BMAN70051 15 Mandatory
Employment Law BMAN70222 15 Mandatory
HRM: Strategy and Practice BMAN70231 15 Mandatory
HRM: Context and Organisation BMAN71242 15 Mandatory
HR Skills BMAN72180 0 Mandatory
Employment Practice and Equality BMAN72382 15 Mandatory
Industrial Relations BMAN72391 15 Mandatory
International Human Resource Management BMAN60992 15 Optional
Comparative Industrial Relations BMAN71911 15 Optional
International Labour Law and Regulation BMAN71922 15 Optional
Human Resource Management in Asia BMAN73302 15 Optional
Displaying 10 of 12 course units

Disability support

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email: dass@manchester.ac.uk