Human Resource Management (HRM)
Entry requirements
A minimum of honours degree at 2:2 or non-UK equivalent in a related subject. Suitable degrees often include Business, Economics, Psychology, Sociology or other Social Sciences degree. Non-relevant degrees with evidence of essay writing or critical thinking will also be considered, in conjunction with 2+ years of work experience in HRM.
If your first language is not English, we'll need to see evidence of your English language ability.
The minimum English language requirement for entry to this programme is IELTS 6.0 (or equivalent) with no component lower than 5.5 except for writing which must be at 6.0 minimum.
If you do not have IELTS 6.0, we offer a range of English language courses to help you meet the English language requirement for this programme prior to commencing your studies.
Please see our detailed English language requirements.
Months of entry
January, September
Course content
Overview
Human resource management benefits employers, employees, and creates wider social benefits including lower unemployment, inclusion for marginalised people, reduced demand for out-of-work and in-work benefits while reducing healthcare burdens due to work-related illness and disability.
Our MSc Human Resource Management provides you with the crucial insights, skills, and knowledge to develop sustainable and socially responsible HR practices for managing people. You’ll gain a critical understanding of the core theories, principles and concepts that underpin contemporary organisation practice and explore socially responsible and sustainable models of human resource management (HRM). You’ll gain a critical awareness of the current and emerging issues in research and knowledge creation and gain the skills to develop original, creative solutions in response to these problems. The MSc will provide you with the skills to apply your knowledge and understanding to professional practice and solve contemporary organisational problems.
Beyond subject knowledge and skills, you’ll gain key transferrable skills which will aid you throughout your professional career. You’ll be able to make formal presentations about specialised topics to audiences with a variety of levels of expertise, effectively communicate using both written and verbal means to a range of audiences and undertake critical evaluations of a wide range of written, numerical and graphical data. This invaluable skillset will make you highly sought after upon graduation.
You’ll have the opportunity to specialise and choose an optional course – from team craft, managing diversity in business, and psychology of leadership – to customise your learning and develop your specific interest. Your human resource management dissertation will allow you to further build on these subject interests, by presenting you the opportunity to carry out an original research project at the forefront of knowledge. The knowledge base, subject and transferable skills you will gain will prepare you for lifelong learning and personal development.
You’ll focus on real-world problems and explore ways human resource management can help us address them. The career-focused master’s degree provides you with the practical knowledge and skills necessary for the workplace. You’ll explore a range of organisational contexts and practices which will set you up for a professional HR career.
The programme is accredited and approved by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, which enhances career opportunities, networking, and events. Reflecting HRM's strategic role, the programme focuses on how HRM professionals can create a positive work environment, make informed decisions, and learn skills to be influential in an HR role at both strategic and operational levels.
The programme is accredited and approved by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, which enhances career opportunities, networking, and events. Reflecting HRM's strategic role, the programme focuses on how HRM professionals can create a positive work environment, make informed decisions, and learn skills to be influential in an HR role at both strategic and operational levels.
Our Expertise
Your learning will be informed by the expertise of our research-active academics whose work covers four key areas:
- Employment, Work and the Professions
- Logistics and Sustainability
- Networks and Enterprise Excellence
- Social and Economic Data Analysis
Your learning environment
The MSc Human Resource Management programme is taught through a combination of lectures and tutorials, allowing you to get to know and build relationships with the teaching staff, academics and your peers. You will be assessed by coursework, exams, and your dissertation, and will receive support and feedback throughout the programme.
Outside of the classroom, you can join Heriot-Watt’s Business Society which holds regular social events and provides networking opportunities and insights into relevant career prospects.
Customise your learning
You’ll have the opportunity to focus on the areas of HRM that interest you the most. You can customise your degree to match your specific interests or career pathway by selecting a specialist course.
In semester three, you’ll ‘deep dive’ into your chosen area of HRM in your dissertation. You will demonstrate your mastery of the subject area by developing new insight from the analysis of valuable primary research.
You can choose whether to study the programme full-time, part-time, or by course. This flexibility allows you to fit your postgraduate studies around your lifestyle. If you decide to study part-time, you register for two courses per semester and progress to the dissertation at the end of your second year.
You may have the opportunity to Go Global on our Inter-Campus Transfer. Opportunities for postgraduate study abroad are assessed on a case-by-case basis and if you are interested in studying at our Dubai campus or Malaysia campus for a semester or longer, you should contact the Go Global Team.
Accreditation
TheMSc in Human Resource Management is aligned to the CIPD Profession Map and to the core knowledge and behaviour standards for a level of CIPD membership. By studying this degree, you are aligning yourself to the international standard for the people profession.
This accreditation provides a strong foundation by giving you the confidence and capabilities to guide your decision making, actions and behaviours, it sets the international standard for people professionals to make their greatest impact and thrive in a changing world of work.
Upon successfully completing this programme, you will achieve a CIPD membership outcome, a visible demonstration of your experience and expertise in the people profession.
Fees and funding
Qualification, course duration and attendance options
- MSc
- part time24 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
- full time12 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
Course contact details
- Name
- Admissions Office
- studywithus@hw.ac.uk