MSc Human Resource Management
This programme aims to develop knowledge and skills of evaluation, discussion and analysis on issues surrounding how managers are able to utilise human resources (HR) to create added value for customers and to secure a competitive advantage for their organisation.
A strong emphasis is placed on an international perspective to ensure relevance in today’s global economy. In this context, non-UK students are particularly important for enriching the overall international learning experience.
The Human Resource Management (HRM) programme aims to develop a range of business knowledge and skills, together with the self-awareness and personal development appropriate to careers in this area. This includes the development of positive and critical attitudes towards leadership, change and enterprise, so as to reflect the dynamism and vibrancy of the business and management environment.
The programme is designed around a central core of modules to give you a thorough grounding in the basic management disciplines, followed by specialist modules in particular aspects of human resource management. Thus, the programme is primarily differentiated through the academic content rather than through the skills acquisition.
Entry standards
Applicants should normally hold a Bachelors degree (UK Lower Second/2.2 or above) or equivalent qualification from a recognised British or overseas university in a subject related to this MSc (psychology, economics, law, business studies with HR). If an applicant’s degree is not in a subject related to this MSc they should have at least one year of relevant work experience to be considered for entry to this programme.
As a result of their high popularity, we have successfully secured further places for our postgraduate programmes in this area. We are therefore extending our deadline for submission of applications to 31 May 2012. Applications received after this date will only be considered subject to availability of places.
English language requirements
Non-native speakers of English will normally be required to have IELTS 6.5 or above, with a minimum of 6.0 in each component (or equivalent).Please note that the University of Surrey offers English language programmes and is also an IELTS Test Centre.
MSc Human Resource Management - structure and modules
Module Titles
Compulsory Modules
- Management of Human Resources
- Financial Management
- Employment Law
- Industrial Relations
- Human Resource Development
- Research Methods
- Dissertation
Optional Modules
- Advanced Organisational Theory
- International Human Resource Management
- Organisational Theory
- Strategy
Module Overview
This programme consists of eight compulsory modules and a dissertation.
Compulsory Modules
Management of Human Resources
This module provides a general perspective on human resource management and organisational behaviour. The topics covered include: organisational structure and culture; motivation and performance management; labour markets; recruitment and selection; organisational learning; and managing change.
Financial Management
The finance module introduces you to a range of finance systems and processes. The topics covered include profit and loss account, balance sheet, cash flow statement, financial analysis, and trend and ratio analysis.
Employment Law
This module exposes you to the legal framework which underpins and governs the employment relationship. The topics covered include common and statute law, contract formation, contract maintenance and termination, discrimination in employment, and health and safety in the workplace.
Industrial Relations
This module looks in depth at the employment relationship; the way in which it is formed and maintained. The individual and collective environments are scrutinised in detail. The topics covered include frames of reference and industrial relations theories, collective bargaining and incomes determination, employee participation, industrial action and comparative industrial relations.
Human Resource Development
This module looks at the way that individuals and organisations learn. The topics covered include individual learning processes and learning styles, organisational learning through mental models, and the concept of a ‘learning organisation’.
Research Methods
The aim module is primarily to prepare you for the dissertation stage, but it also enables you to become competent in manipulating HR-related data for organisational decision making. The module provides tuition in both qualitative and quantitative approaches.
Dissertation
The dissertation is a 20,000-word piece of independent research into an aspect of human resource management or organisational behaviour.
Programme Structure and Modules
| Semester 1 | Credits |
| Human Resource Development | 15 |
| Research Methods | 15 |
| Employment Law | 15 |
| Management of Human Resources | 15 |
| Semester 2 | Credits |
| Financial Management | 15 |
| Industrial Relations | 15 |
| International Human Resource Management | 15 |
| Advanced Organisation Theory | 15 |
| Strategy | 15 |
| Organisational Theory | 15 |
| Dissertation | 60 |
MSc Human Resource Management - entry standards
Entry standards
Applicants should normally hold a Bachelors degree (UK Lower Second/2.2 or above) or equivalent qualification from a recognised British or overseas university in a subject related to this MSc (psychology, economics, law, business studies with HR). If an applicant’s degree is not in a subject related to this MSc they should have at least one year of relevant work experience to be considered for entry to this programme.
As a result of their high popularity, we have successfully secured further places for our postgraduate programmes in this area. We are therefore extending our deadline for submission of applications to 31 May 2012. Applications received after this date will only be considered subject to availability of places.
English language requirements
Non-native speakers of English will normally be required to have IELTS 6.5 or above, with a minimum of 6.0 in each component (or equivalent).Please note that the University of Surrey offers English language programmes and is also an IELTS Test Centre.
Start date
Full-time: September
Part-time Guildford-based: September
Programme Leader
MSc Human Resource Management - fees and funding
Fees
Human Resource Management (full time):
UK/EU - £9,190
Overseas - £14,830
MSc Human Resource Management - professional context
Industry Links
The Surrey Business and its academic staff have a number of strong industry links. From time to time we invite managers from industry to come to talk to you about their experiences of human resource management.
They come from a variety of organisations and industrial sectors. Previous speakers have come from commercial organisations such as KPMG and The Good Corporation, from the political arena (Chris Huhne MP and Tom Spencer of the European Centre for Public Administration), from voluntary sector organisations such as the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, and Surrey Police.
Visiting speakers allow us to enhance our academic programme by raising and discussing contemporary organisational and HR issues and exposing you to the real world of the human resource practitioner.
International Relevance
With the importance of globalisation, it is highly likely that, after graduation, you will spend at least part of your career in a multinational organisation. You will encounter management problems which are largely created by the cross–cultural nature of the modern organisation. To prepare you for this environment we have purposefully designed a programme which is international in terms of its content and focus. Our academics have considerable international experience.
MSc Human Resource Management - teaching
Teaching
The teaching strategy provides a combination of lectures, seminars, discussion groups, video and case study analysis. We believe that a variety of teaching methods allows us to satisfy most individual learning styles and preferences at some point in the programme. The programme is specifically designed to provide a balanced assessment strategy.
We aim to expose you and your fellow students to a range of assessment techniques, so you are not penalised if one approach does not suit your particular style.
Assessments will include:
- Written assignments in the essay style testing your ability to synthesise information and to compare and contrast theory with practical examples
- Traditional examinations, providing an opportunity for you to demonstrate how well you can take information and solve problems under time-constrained conditions, just as you might be asked to do in the workplace
We also recognise that, in modern organisations, HR professionals rarely work independently. Some of the written and oral assessments will involve pairs or groups. This allows you to develop the ‘soft’ skills of communication, coordination, teamworking, time management and project management, all of which are increasingly important in the HR departments of high-performance organisations.
Academic Support
Programme Support
The Surrey Business School is proud of its high standards in teaching and research, the international reputation of the programme, and the success of its graduates in securing employment after completing the programme.
The programme is delivered by a team of highly committed academics who are specialists in their field. Modules are delivered using many educational techniques which are utilised to ensure that, wherever possible, your individual learning style preferences are accommodated.
The School of Management building, like the majority on campus, is WiFi enabled. In addition we have our own dedicated computer labs which are open during normal office hours; across the piazza from the School the Austin Pearce labs are open 24/7. Each MSc HRM module is supported by the University’s ULearn web-based learning support system; learning materials are delivered via this platform and the majority of assignments are submitted through this system. So you do not need to be in the School to collect materials or to submit work for grading; you can literally study on the move.
Staff perspective
This programme is designed to provide a firm foundation on which to build your career in people management. It has been deliberately set out to go beyond the exclusive HR focus found in similar courses; in addition to specific HR modules, you will also study areas such as strategy and finance.
I believe it is important that you understand these subjects in order to recognise how the HR function fits into the broader corporate landscape. The combination of academic content and the practical skills element will enable you to make a positive contribution to the organisation in which you eventually find yourself.
What I particularly like about this programme is the international student base, with students from countries such as Barbados, Brunei, Cyprus, China, France, Greece, India, Pakistan, the UK and the USA. There is a wealth of knowledge in the classroom from which you can benefit and contribute to others' understanding of HR problems and solutions.
I am delighted that our graduates have been able to take their knowledge home and forge a career in HR which benefits themselves, their organisations and the employees for whom they are responsible. Our graduates have found senior positions in organisations such as Rogers, a Mauritian conglomerate in which at one time the head of HR and the three divisional HR managers were all Surrey graduates. Recent graduates hold positions as principal personnel officers in government ministries in Barbados. My colleagues and I are immensely proud of the success of our graduates and we hope you will find the programme equally rewarding.
MSc Human Resource Management - learning
MSc Human Resource Management - graduate profile
Student Profile: Nicolas Autrey
MSc Human Resource Management
When I left school, I chose to start working straightaway and became personnel officer at one of the biggest garment manufacturing companies in Mauritius.
In September 1998 I started a part-time Advanced Certificate in HRM and went on to achieve the Diploma. I took this route with the constant aim of being sufficiently qualified to be eligible to enrol for the MSc in HRM at the University of Surrey. It was always my dream to be able to come to the UK to study in a highly recognised institution.
The MSc qualification gave a real boost to my career. When I returned to Mauritius I went back to the garment company where I was working but three months later I was offered a job as HR Manager in a five-star luxury resort. Two years later I was recruited at corporate level to a high-profile group of companies in Mauritius.
When I was interviewed for the MSc HRM, the programme leader, Dr Alf Crossman, told me it would be an intense and very tough course, but after graduation, “there would be nothing that I wouldn’t be capable of doing”. I remember this very clearly and it turned out to be true.
Student Profile: Diana Oni
MSc Human Resource Management
My journey as an HR professional began as a trainee advisor with Cadbury Schweppes Nigeria, which opened my eyes to the strategic value that the effective management of an organisation’s human capital can add to a business. In an effort to develop my skills and acquire more in-depth knowledge, I opted to take a Masters degree in HRM.
For me, the perfect university had to have a renowned reputation, beautiful scenery, a good track record and offer a CIPD-accredited degree. The University of Surrey ticked all the boxes.
The toughest part of my study was disciplining myself to work hard at understanding and critically evaluating my new knowledge. But that’s also one of the most rewarding aspects.
The people, place and tutors were all enjoyable. My class was very cosmopolitan, having students from India, Greece, China, Hong Kong, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Cyprus and Trinidad, as well as locals. I believe I have built a strong network both professionally and socially that could last a lifetime.
I now work in HR for a financial service information provider in London. I can say with conviction that my experience at the University of Surrey more than gave me the leverage to succeed.
MSc Human Resource Management - more
A Challenging and Professional Programme
Whilst much of the programme is focused on HR-related topics, there are also modules of a broader business nature, such as Strategy and Financial Management. We believe that today’s managers need to acquire an understanding and appreciation of the broader business strategy, in order to create an internal alignment between the strategy pursued by the HR function and that of the organisation. HR professionals also need to understand finance. In most organisations the greatest single cost is labour therefore an understanding of profit and loss accounts and balance sheets is essential.
Our specialist HR modules cover Industrial Relations, Human Resource Development, International Human Resource Management and Employment Law. These provide the opportunity for you to study in depth a number of HR issues. These include the nature of the employment relationship; the way in which organisations create added value by developing their employees to enhance their ‘asset’ status; the complexity of managing people in an international or multinational setting; and the way in which employers and employees are protected and constrained by the ever-changing legal framework.
MSc Human Resource Management - apply
You can apply for this programme online using the link(s) below. We recommend making an application as soon as you can, even if you do not have all the necessary supporting information ready at that time.
As part of the application process, you will be asked to enter a username and password. If you've used our application system before, please enter your details or click the forgotten password link.
If you are a new user, you will need to create a username and password by clicking the New User button.
Start date
Full-time: September
Part-time Guildford-based: September
Programme length
12 months full-time, up to 24 months part-time
Programme Leader
For general enquiries
T: 0800 980 3200 or
+44 (0)1483 681681
E: pg-enquiries@surrey.ac.uk
For admissions enquiries
T: +44 (0) 1483 686300
E: somadmissions@surrey.ac.uk