HR is changing – it is more business focused, internationally oriented and adds more value than ever.
This course provides new or unqualified practitioners and line managers with the knowledge, understanding and skills to be highly effective HR specialists.
Using critical analysis and investigation, you will develop an understanding of the business context of HR, and its role in driving performance.
Intermediate qualifications available:
In the fast moving world of HRM, professional qualifications are an important way to build your knowledge and demonstrate expertise in the workplace. This course will develop your critical thinking and understanding of organisations as well as your learning how to develop creative and strategic HR solutions for sustained organisational performance. The professional level of Associate membership of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) is achieved upon completion.
The overall strategy for this course is to achieve a balance between the assessment of academic understanding and evaluation, and the assessment of competences and skills that are valuable in organisations.
Your learning will be enabled through a variety of formative and summative assessments. For example there will be exams, assignments and presentations, with key emphases on continuous learning with each piece of work. You will also be expected to write a reflective account of what has been learned during each assignment and how this can be applied in the future. Underpinning each assessment consideration must be made to ethics, diversity and to legal issues.
You will be assessed summatively via: both short and long written reports and papers (from 1500 to 3000 words); presentations, management research report (8,000 words) and the development of a reflective skills portfolio. The coursework assignments will relate to your own workplace or to a chosen case study. Formative assessment will come through verbal feedback on: in-class presentations, coursework activities, assignments as well as through report supervision.
Applicants should have a good undergraduate degree at Honours level, or equivalent.
To apply for a place on a postgraduate course (MA/MSc/MBA) at the University of Bedfordshire you should have a good first degree and the required English language qualification
Find out more about specific entry requirements for your country
To apply for a postgraduate degree (MA/MSc/MBA/LLM) at the University of Bedfordshire you should have a good honours degree (or equivalent qualification) in an appropriate subject from a recognised university or HE institution.
We will also consider candidates with other relevant qualifications or appropriate work experience.
You also need to have the required English language qualification
Contact your country’s International Admissions Team for more information.
The course welcomes applications from potential students with no formal qualifications furthering the widening participation strategy of the University and increasing the diversity of the course in line with the University's Education Strategy. The course also welcomes applicants from all sectors and job roles ranging from HR assistants through to senior HR managers and a variety of junior, middle and senior management roles. You will be interviewed by the course co-ordinator (where applicable) to determine suitability for the course. You will be required to be working within an HR role or as a line manager or supervisor (with responsibility for managing other workers).
Additional: You will be expected to register as a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Where you are not currently in work you must have previous experience in work organisations as well as access to an organisation for research information.
The course supports the enhancement of your employability through its emphasis on the skills and knowledge related to improving HR managerial practice at work. The central principle underlying the learning and assessment of this course is reflective practice, and you will be encouraged to apply this developmental approach to the consolidation and development of your career. The course aims to make the most of a wide variety of learning opportunities, both in the workplace as well as the classroom, and seeks to develop or improve a range of transferable behavioural skills and competences necessary in business leadership and HRM, such as: curiosity, collaboration, decision-making, negotiation and having the courage to challenge.
The local CIPD Branch also offers a programme of events (www.cipd.co.uk/branches/events) aimed at promoting members' education, development and networking. These include updates on employment law, skills development in key areas, and workshops in areas such as managing diversity and coaching. You will also have an opportunity to become a committee member for the local CIPD Branch as part of your development into professionalism.
Whether you want to learn a new language, build networks, simply have the travel bug, or want to develop new skills and life experiences, our Go Global programme offers the opportunity to broaden your horizons, enhance your CV, and gain a truly international experience, all at the same time as studying towards your undergraduate degree. The Go Global programme is open to students from the UK and EU.
Travel to exciting destinations, including:
At the University of Bedfordshire we ensure that your experience here is cultural, as well as academic. That’s why a whole host of opportunities are opened up to you, providing you with that all important experience to make you stand out from the crowd when it comes to getting graduates jobs.
Our International students meanwhile, can make the most of trips to a series of exciting European destinations. From France and Belgium, to Holland and Germany, there are plenty of places to visit, network and broaden your knowledge of the global market place, by seeing and experiencing it for yourself, first-hand.
At the University of Bedfordshire we ensure that your experience here is cultural, as well as academic. That’s why a whole host of opportunities are opened up to you, providing you with that all important experience to make you stand out from the crowd when it comes to getting graduates jobs.
The University reserves the right to increase tuition fees by no more than inflation.
Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk
The University reserves the right to increase tuition fees by no more than inflation.
Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk
The sports hall is an integral space in the School of Sport Science and Physical Activity, complementing discipline leading Sport and Exercise Science and modern biological analysis laboratories, all co-located on the Bedford campus.
The sports hall is a major teaching facility for the University's Sport and Physical Education degree courses which have trained physical educators in the UK for over a century.
Together with its associated facilities it provides our trainee teachers and coaches with a superb environment in which to coach and teach pupils from local primary schools who are also benefiting from this new facility.
The sports hall is proud to host all Bedfordshire Bulls students' sports matches as well as national standard sporting events including British University College Sports championships – one of the few indoor sporting venues in the county to host prestigious tournaments all year round.
The facility also plays host to a number of University promoted Get into Sport activities which are open to all University students and staff.
Our specialist labs give students a fantastic environment to develop their research skills and expertise, where a student can explore the biology of an elite athlete who could be performing simultaneously within the sports hall.
Few Sport Science courses in the country offer students such unique discipline leading research experience and skills, alongside intimate access to world leading researchers within their field. Students are regularly offered the opportunity to be involved within discipline defining Sport, Health and Exercise Science research
Our state-of-the-art laboratories are purpose built for research and teaching in the fields of exercise and nutrition science. This includes specialised equipment and facilities for assessing human health risk and delivering exercise and diet interventions for health promotion.
This includes:
Our £8m Physical Education and Sport Science Centre was used to train athletes in the 2012 Olympics.
Opened in January 2015 the Gateway is an impressive building featuring high-quality teaching spaces, informal learning spaces, and lecture theatres (including a Harvard style lecture theatre); as well as a new student services centre.
Campus Centre featuring a 280-seat professional theatre, dance studios, a fairtrade café and social space for students.
For on-campus student accommodation choose from luxury living at Liberty Park's modern en-suite study bedrooms or the Student Village which offers standard rooms with shared bathroom facilities, and en-suite rooms with a private shower. All have fully-equipped kitchens. Our rooms are on-campus and have easy access to the town centre and train station.
The Bedford campus is a 20-minute walk from the town centre. The University offers a free bus service for staff and students that runs between Bedford town centre and the campus.
Bedford offers excellent transport links to the rest of the UK as it sits between the M1 and the A1. The town connects by train to Luton (20 minutes) and London (40 minutes).
UK students applying for most postgraduate degrees at the University of Bedfordshire should apply direct using our admissions form
EU students applying for most postgraduate degrees at the University of Bedfordshire should apply direct using our admissions form
International students applying for a full-time postgraduate degree at the University of Bedfordshire should apply direct using our admissions form or via our representatives in your home country. You can also apply online
Find out more about how to apply as an International student