MSc Human Resource Management (part-time)

This programme is interactive and draws on the knowledge, skills and experience of the group. As such, we welcome participants from a wide range of backgrounds, including HR generalists, managers and training and development specialists.

This is a programme with three stages, each of one year’s duration and it awards a qualification at each of the three stages. The University of Lincoln and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) jointly validate the programme. Successful completion leads to the award of MSc in Human Resource Management as well as fulfilling the ‘knowledge elements’ necessary to achieve full membership of the CIPD.

The programme is flexible and allows students who successfully complete a stage to exit at the end of the year with the appropriate recognised qualification. The Business School enjoys a close relationship with the CIPD and this programme is fully accredited.

The MSc HRM and MSc HRD are made up of common core modules that reflect the HR profession.These are HRM in Context; Leading, Managing and Developing People; Professional Practice; and Data Analysis,/Financial Communications in year one. In year two both Resourcing and Talent Management and Learning and Talent Management are seen as essential to understanding HR practice. The choice of the ‘Business Issue’ will be negotiated with tutors to determine the final named award be it either - a Postgraduate Diploma in HRM or a Postgraduate Diploma in HRD. Those students who wish to gain the HRD award also need to have studied Leadership and Management Development at the Diploma stage of the programme. This unit is core to the HRD route.

In addition those students continuing to the masters stage will have their award determined by the topic selected in the Applied Research Module.

Certificate Level

The overall objective of the first year is to introduce participants to explore HRM in conjunction with general management disciplines. The central theme is to broaden the HR specialist’s appreciation of a wider range of organisational issues. A residential block of two days duration forms an integral part of this stage.

The module covered in this stage are:

Leading, Managing and Developing People

The main themes of this module cover: 

• The nature of HR and HRD in a range of organisational contexts
• Contemporary developments in HR and HRD
• HR/D practice and ethics, equity and professionalism
• HR & HRD supporting organisational performance and success
• Evaluating HR/D interventions
• Motivation and engagement
• Leadership
• Reward
• Managing performance
• Approaches to career development
• Flexibility in organisations and employment
• Approaches to managing change.

Professional Practice

The main themes of this module cover: 

• The nature of skills required by HR Professionals
• Self awareness and reflective practice
• Approaches to decision making
• Team Working
• Group Dynamics
• Group Decision making and related issues
• Perception and behaviour
• Facilitation skills
• Dealing with difficult issues
• Managing personal change
• Stress Management
• Communication Skills
• Presentation Skills
• Study Skills.

HRM in Context

The main themes of this module cover:

• Contemporary organisations and their principal environments and the tools for analysis
• The managerial and business environment and its impact on HR professionals
• The differing perspectives of and approaches to HR Strategy
• The changing global economy and the organisational responses
• The globalisation process and the impact of international regulation
• The changing nature of work and employment with particular reference to the diversity in the labour market
• Government policy and legal regulations and their impact on human resources.

Data Analysis and Financial Communications

The main themes of this module cover:

• Structure, content and interpretation of simple balance sheets, profit and loss accounts and trading statements
• Ratio analysis
• Basic costing concepts and techniques
• Cash flow and cash budgets
• Budgetary planning and control
• The fundamentals of sampling, questionnaire design and analysis
• Tabular and graphical methods for data representation
• Descriptive statistics for central location and dispersion
• Application of computer packages for data acquisition, representation and analysis
• Construction and applications of the General Index of Retail Prices and Quantity indices.

Diploma Level

This stage covers the specialist areas within the Human Resource Manager’s role. A two day residential stay is an integral part of this stage. The modules covered in this stage are:

Resourcing and Talent Management

Main themes of this module include:

• National and international employment markets
• Resourcing and Talent Management Strategies
• Recruitment, selection and socialisation of staff
• Talent planning and Succession planning
• Staff retention strategies
• Exiting the organisation.

Learning and Talent Management

Main themes of this module include:

• The national and international Training and Development scene
• International perspectives, concerns and considerations
• The link between Business Strategy and International Human Resource Development strategy
• Relationship of Learning and development with other HR functions and roles
• Learning and CPD, and the management of international careers
• The ‘Learning Organisation’ and international organisational development
• The management of knowledge and change: global and local implications
• The role of the training and development function within the organisation,
• The ‘competence’ movement
• Identification of training and development needs
• Programme design and delivery, including cross cultural awareness
• Assessment and evaluation of training and development initiatives.

Plus one of the following options (dependent upon availability):

Employee Relations

Main themes of this module include:

• Perspectives on the Employment Relationship
• Participants in employee relations
• Power and conflict in employee relations
• The Historical, National, Global and organisational contexts
• Trade Unions & Collective Bargaining
• Communication, Participation & Involvement
• Employee Relations Strategy & contribution
• The roles of Culture and Leadership in shaping Employee Relations
• Downsizing and Redundancy
• Employee Relations Skills -Grievance and Discipline
• Contemporary developments in Employee Relations.

Performance Management 

Main themes of this module include:

• Organizational strategy and performance management
• Performance management participants
• Links between corporate performance and employee performance
• High performance working practices and systems
• Approaches to performance management
• Performance planning,
• Performance monitoring and review
• Performance appraisal
• Ethical issues in performance management
• Promoting capability
• Performance management and rewards
• Managing poor performance
• Evaluating performance management systems
• Performance management and work-life balance and diversity
• Other factors shaping performance; job design, organisational design and organisational culture.

Leadership and Management Development

• Concepts of leadership and management and their application in context
• Leadership and management development needs in differing organisational contexts
• Approaches to the formulation and implementation of leadership and management development strategies to meet current and future organisational needs
• Work collaboratively, ethically and effectively to support a partnership approach to leadership and management development
• The role of leadership and management development in enhancing and developing
• Approaches to the development of leadership and management in international and global contexts.

Employment Law

• Origins of law
• Individual employment law and how this best fits personnel practices
• Collective employment law
• The influence of the EU employment law
• Employment tribunals
• Health and safety.

Strategies for Responsible Business

Main themes of this unit include: 

• Strategy as concept and behaviour
• Strategic analysis
• Strategic options and choices
• Strategy implementation.

Investigating an Business Issue from an HR Perspective

At the final stage, providing that the certificate and diploma stages have already been completed, it is possible for participants to take the option of completing a management report instead of a dissertation and the HR Strategy and Research Methods units. The Management Report is a substantial piece of work (7000 words) and it has a strong practical managerial focus. This will be completed during the third year. This route leads to Graduate membership of the CIPD and the award of Postgraduate Diploma in HRM .

• Identification of business issues of strategic relevance to the organisation
• The organisation and management of research
• Methods and techniques in developing a literature review looking in particular at the contemporary Human Resources field
• The use and interpretation of quantitative and qualitative data in research
• Preparation of a business report with an awareness of costings.

MSc Masters Stage

The following two modules are taken in the third year:

Applied Research

Main themes of this module include:

This module will operate via the establishment of self- facilitated action learning sets. Students will be provided with a workshop on action learning which will assist in the development of the necessary skills. Each group will use the A/L technique to help support the action learning they are carrying out.

Strategic Interventions

Main themes of this module include: 

• Strategy and practice
• Strategy development processes; theory and practice
• Strategic diagnostic and problem solving tools
• Organisational development; perspectives and tools
• Consultancy skills
• Organisational change and culture
• Learning Organisation
• Interpersonal skills development appropriate to supporting strategic interventions.

Masters "Top Up"

This route is for people, who have already achieved Graduate Membership of the CIPD and wish to gain the Masters degree qualification. This route is the same as the final year of the programme.

Formal attendance is currently one day per week, either from lunchtime to late evening, or from morning to early evening, depending on the day of attendance. You will also be expected to commit to a certain amount of time outside formal attendance in order to undertake reading and preparing appropriately for assignments.

A variety of assessment methods are used on the programme including written assignments, group projects, presentations and, in some subjects, written examinations. The teaching and learning methods are designed to support your progress towards completing the assessment requirements of the programme.

The Business School enjoys a close relationship with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and this programme is fully accredited by the CIPD. On successful completion students will achieve the knowledge element of the CIPD qualification.

The MSc Human Resource Management programme is also available as a full-time option. For more information about this course please use the contact details below.

Normal entry requirements to the certificate stage are:

• A mature individual with appropriate work or other relevant experience; or
• A Certificate in Personnel Practice (CPP) or a Certificate in Training Practice (CTP); or
• An honours degree from a UK university or its equivalent; or
• A professional qualification or combination of qualifications recognised as being of honours equivalence.

Please note all candidates will be interviewed prior to admission.

MSc HRM Programme Leader (Hull)
Jill Collinson
jcollinson@lincoln.ac.uk  
Telephone: +44 (0)1482 311275

MSc HRM Programme Leader (Lincoln)
Kate Plumb
kplumb@lincoln.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)1522 835625