MSc Human Resource Management
- MSc
Overview
What is the Human Resource Management MSc?
Accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the Human Resource Management MSc is a one-year master's for graduates interested in people management, organisational change, workplace sustainability and leadership in a fast-changing economy.
Explore key challenges facing organisations today, like technological change, AI, sustainability, equality, diversity and inclusion, and the changing nature of work in the digital economy. Develop the knowledge and practical skills to tackle these issues through ethical, evidence-based and people-focused decision-making.
Who is the Human Resource Management MSc designed for?
This programme is for graduates from any discipline who want to understand and shape the future of work.
What skills will you gain from this programme?
- Critical thinking and problem solving
- Data analysis and interpretation
- Leadership and communication
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Research design and project management
- Reflexive and ethical decision making.
By the end of the programme, you will be prepared to become a responsible and reflective HR professional who can lead organisational change, manage ethically and confidently respond to the complex challenges facing modern workplaces.
Why study the Human Resource Management MSc at the University of Bristol Business School?
- It’s accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), giving you the option to become a member of the recognised professional body alongside your studies. This course will allow you to satisfy the entry requirements for associate CIPD membership upon graduation and payment of the membership fee.
- A future-focused curriculum that examines contemporary HR challenges in global and digital workplaces.
- A strong focus on sustainability, ethics, inclusion and responsible leadership.
- Exposure to diverse global perspectives, case studies and organisational contexts beyond traditional Western business models.
Discover the new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus
The new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus is a £500 million investment in your future. Learn in collaborative teaching spaces and access specialist facilities, including the Bloomberg Room, where you can develop practical skills using industry-standard financial and market data tools.
You can also bring ideas to life in the Design Factory, with access to a Hackspace, project labs and support from design experts and industry partners.
Through Bristol's innovation ecosystem, you will connect with businesses and organisations, while dedicated careers support will help you develop the skills, networks and experience to succeed after graduation.
Programme structure
Core and specialist options
You will start by building a strong foundation in key areas of contemporary human resource management, exploring topics such as:
- contemporary issues in HRM
- HR analytics and evidence-based decision-making
- human resource management in the global economy.
You will then progress into more applied and specialist areas, that may include:
- alternative forms of work and organisation
- sustainable work and the future digital economy
- diversity, inclusion and leadership.
Final project
Your studies in teaching blocks 1 and 2 build the foundations for your a 60-credit independent research project, completed over the summer. In this Master's Impact Project, you will plan and execute an academic, practice-based or reflective-practice project at an appropriate professional standard.
Options include:
- Independent research project
- Business-based research project
- Business practice project
- Thematic research portfolio.
Visit our programme catalogue for full details of the structure and unit content for our MSc in Human Resource Management.
Entry requirements
You will typically need an upper second-class honours degree or an international equivalent in any discipline.
If you are currently completing a degree, we understand that your final grade may be higher than the interim grades or module/unit grades you have achieved during your studies to date.
We will consider your application if your interim grades are currently slightly lower than the programme's entry requirements and may make you an aspirational offer. This offer would be at the standard level, so you would need to achieve the standard entry requirements by the end of your degree.
We will also consider your application if your final overall achieved grade is slightly lower than the programme's entry requirements.
If your achieved grade is lower than our entry requirements, your application may be more likely to receive an offer if you have additional relevant work experience or qualifications. If you have at least one of the following, please include your CV (curriculum vitae / résumé) when you apply, showing:
- evidence of five years' relevant work experience in human resource management-related work, or human resource management-relevant areas such as trade union work, advocacy, charity or research
- a relevant postgraduate qualification.
See international equivalent qualifications on the International Office website.
Read the programme admissions statement for important information on entry requirements, the application process and supporting documents required.
If English is not your first language, you will need to reach the requirements outlined in our profile level B.
Further information about English language requirements and profile levels.
Fees and funding
- Home: full-time
- £19,200 per year
- Overseas: full-time
- £34,500 per year
Fees are subject to an annual review. For programmes that last longer than one year, please budget for up to an 8% increase in fees each year.
More about tuition fees, living costs and financial support.
Alumni discount
University of Bristol students and graduates can benefit from a 25% reduction in tuition fees for postgraduate study. Check your eligibility for an alumni discount.
Funding and scholarships
Scholarships for Home (UK) Students include the Business School Advance Scholarship.
Further information on funding for prospective UK and international postgraduate students.
Career prospects
Address complex people challenges arising from technological change, sustainability and evolving workplaces. Graduate ready to meet the needs of people and organisations, now and in the future.
In HR Analytics, you'll take part in an industry hackathon and site visit, learning from guest speakers and academic experts while developing the analytical, technological and strategic capabilities employers increasingly seek.
Use data and evidence to inform practical decision-making while exploring key issues including diversity and inclusion, sustainability, digital transformation and responsible leadership through units such as Contemporary Issues in Human Resource Management, HR Analytics, Human Resource Management in the Global Economy and Sustainable Work Futures in the Digital Economy.
Develop critical skills in problem solving, communication, teamwork and organisational change.
Complete a flexible Master's Impact Project (MiP) in your final term, offering a choice of applied and research-based alternatives to the traditional dissertation. Choose from four pathways, with options for individual and team-based projects focused on research or real-world business challenges:
- Business-Based Research Project with an external organisation
- Thematic Research Portfolio
- Independent Research Project (dissertation or policy paper)
- Business Practice Project focused on consultancy, planning or simulation.
Benefit from networking opportunities, industry engagement and a full range of careers support.
What career opportunities can this programme lead to?
- Human Resources Manager
- HR Business Partner
- Talent Acquisition Specialist
- Learning and Development Consultant
- Employee Relations Advisor
- Organisational Development Consultant
- People Analytics Specialist
- Diversity and Inclusion Advisor
- Recruitment Consultant.
Where do University of Bristol Business School graduates work now?
- Accenture
- Deloitte
- EY
- KPMG
- PwC.
Contact us
- Contact
- Enquiries Team
- Phone
- +44 (0) 117 394 1649
- choosebristol-pg@bristol.ac.uk