MA in HRM and Development at University of Northumbria at Newcastle UK
n today’s increasingly international and competitive business world, successful organisations are turning to the effective management of their human resources as the key to sustaining their competitive advantage.
This programme provides you with a critical appreciation of how to build up human capability so that both you as an individual, and the human resources you manage, add value to the organisation.
The programme has been developed for those of you who are eager to broaden your knowledge and challenge your practice of Human Resource Management and Development.
You will normally have a first degree combined with a minimum of two to three years supervisory or management experience in a relevant context and be ready to progress to middle and senior management level having already proved yourself as a self-motivated team player capable of handling responsibility and communicating effectively with people at all levels.
Programme content and delivery
This demanding, fast-paced and highly relevant programme focuses on developing the solid, practical, professional and interpersonal skills fundamental to the management of people. It also equips you with the ability to understand and critically evaluate current, individual and organisational practices within different contexts so that you can provide solutions that add value to your organisation.
The part-time Masters/Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management and Development is designed to fit in with existing commitments. Attendance is flexible - either one afternoon and one evening or two evenings per week (preference must be registered in advance). Either Monday and Wednesday 5-9pm or Wednesday 1-9pm.
A considerable amount of pre-reading is expected for the taught sessions, as directed by the programme tutors. Students are also expected to work within learning sets and are expected to prepare drafts of written work to circulate and discuss with student colleagues. Overall, students can expect to spend approximately 8-15 hours of independent study per week outside the classroom.
Within the programme, you will study a range of human resource topics, develop your skills as an HR practitioner, as well as studying some general business and management subjects designed to develop your strategic business awareness and leadership potential and provide you with a greater understanding of the theory and practice of international business. Through a choice of options you will be given the opportunity to specialise in specific areas of HRM, such as Development, Reward and Diversity.
Although you can leave with a Postgraduate Diploma, if you progress to the Masters stage of the programme you will engage in some ‘real-life’ work-based problem-solving as you research and complete a Management Report Masters Dissertation. If you do choose to finish your studies at the Postgraduate Diploma stage, there will be future opportunities to progress to Masters through the completion of a dissertation. In both cases you will be appointed a personal research supervisor and will be required to submit an assessed research proposal prior to embarking on the dissertation itself.
Distinctive characteristics
The postgraduate diploma in Human Resource Management and Development is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). Successful completion of all elements of the programme makes you eligible for Graduate Membership of the CIPD.
This qualification will put you well ahead of other graduates in the job market as across the globe employers increasingly regard a CIPD qualification as a measure of capability and added value. Newcastle Business School will pay for participants enrolling on this programme to become student members of the CIPD (student membership is a pre-requisite to gaining graduate membership). Depending on your management experience there is the opportunity to gain full Chartered Membership of the CIPD on completion of the programme.