Course Level:Postgraduate
Next Start Date: October 2023
Duration: 2 Years
Campus Location: Bedford Campus
Attendance: Part-time day

About the course

HR is evolving - it is more business focused and internationally orientated, with a focus on adding value in an increasingly diverse world. On this course, you develop your critical thinking, management expertise and organisational understanding to become a highly effective HR specialist.

CIPD Approved centre

This flexible two-year, part-time course provides new or unqualified HRM practitioners and line managers with the knowledge, understanding and practical skills to devise and implement creative and strategic HR solutions. Applying critical analysis and investigation, you develop an understanding of the business context of HR and its role in driving sustained performance while widening your understanding of the HR issues that affect a range of local and national, public, private and not-for-profit organisations.

On completion of the course, you gain Associate membership of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), with eligibility to upgrade to a Chartered Member.

Intermediate qualifications available:

  • Postgraduate certificate – 60 credits at Master's level

Why choose this course?

  • Study employee resourcing, learning, development, reward and relations
  • Build your strategic specialist HR and generic management skills so you can make a creative and motivating contribution to organisational effectiveness
  • Learn from a teaching team who are CIPD regional branch committee members as well as past and present membership-upgrade panel members
The campus where this course is taught

Units

  • Business Research In People Practice (PRO015-6) Compulsory
  • Learning And Talent Development (PRO013-6) Compulsory
  • Managing Employment Relations (PRO012-6) Compulsory
  • People Management And Development Strategies For Performance (PRO010-6) Compulsory
  • Performance And Reward Management (PRO014-6) Compulsory
  • Personal Effectiveness, Ethics And Business Acumen (PRO016-6) Compulsory
  • Resourcing And Talent Management (PRO011-6) Compulsory
  • Work And Working Lives In A Changing Business Environment (PRO009-6) Compulsory

therefore written with this in mind. The overall assessment strategy for this course is therefore to achieve a balance between the assessment of academic understanding and evaluation and the assessment of competences and skills that are valuable in organisations and to your development as a HR practitioner and member of the CIPD. Your learning will be gauged through a variety of summative and formative assessments. For example, summatively there will be: exams; short and long written business reports and papers; case study analysis; individual and group presentations; a management research report and the development of a reflective skills portfolio, all written with an emphasis on scaffolded learning as your study progresses. All assessments explore topical HR issues to enable the integration of theory and practice into authentic `real world' contexts. There will be key emphasis on continuous learning with every piece of work, questioning: what have you learned from this activity? This approach then becomes part of your pedagogic practice allowing you to become better autonomous reflectors. Underpinning each assessment, consideration must be made to ethics, diversity and legal issues impacting the business. Formative assessment will be provided through verbal feedback on: in-class presentations, coursework activities, mock exams and through the management research report supervision. The creation of your reflective portfolio in the second year will also assist in your CIPD membership upgrade.

Entry Requirements

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.

 

Clicking this card will take you to /international/countries/

Entry Requirements


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.

How will this course improve my career prospects?

This course is designed for you to pursue a professional career in the field of human resource management. You can use the portfolio you will create for the Reflective Practice in Business Leadership unit as partial evidence towards your upgrade from Associate Member to Chartered Member of the CIPD. You will have an opportunity to meet with the teaching team to discuss the CIPD’s expectations for upgrading and how you can best fulfil the criteria.

Career-wise, you are likely to progress into one or more of the following areas:

  • A professional HR role with responsibility for HR decision-making within an organisation at operational, tactical or more strategic level
  • Specialist HRM roles in the field of resourcing and talent management; employee reward; employment relations; learning and talent development
  • Independent or employed consultants who support organisations in meeting their goals and are specifically concerned with the management and development of employees
  • A professional HR role within organisations concerned with public policy matters relating to employment affairs and communication

If you wish to continue with your studies, you can transfer your PgDip credits to complete the MSc in Human Resource Management at the University (60 further credits).

Fees and Funding

The standard fee for a Postgraduate Diploma for the Academic Year 2022/23 is £5,650.

Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk

Scholarship Available

The University of Bedfordshire is proud of its alumni and is delighted to offer a tuition fee discount for those who choose to continue or return to the University for on campus Postgraduate level studies.

We offer a 20% discount on full and part-time Masters courses to those who were successful in completing an Honours Degree with the University of Bedfordshire, DMU’s Bedford campus or the University of Luton.

The standard fee for a Postgraduate Diploma for the Academic Year 2022/23 is £9,167.

Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk

The standard fee for a Postgraduate Diploma for the Academic Year 2023/24 is £6,250.

Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk

Scholarship Available

The University of Bedfordshire is proud of its alumni and is delighted to offer a tuition fee discount for those who choose to continue or return to the University for on campus Postgraduate level studies.

We offer a 20% discount on full and part-time Masters courses to those who were successful in completing an Honours Degree with the University of Bedfordshire, DMU’s Bedford campus or the University of Luton.

The standard fee for a Postgraduate Diploma for the Academic Year 2023/24 is £9,750.

Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk

Fees and Funding


The standard fee for a Postgraduate Diploma for the Academic Year 2022/23 is £5,650.

Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk

Scholarship Available

The University of Bedfordshire is proud of its alumni and is delighted to offer a tuition fee discount for those who choose to continue or return to the University for on campus Postgraduate level studies.

We offer a 20% discount on full and part-time Masters courses to those who were successful in completing an Honours Degree with the University of Bedfordshire, DMU’s Bedford campus or the University of Luton.


The standard fee for a Postgraduate Diploma for the Academic Year 2022/23 is £9,167.

Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk


The standard fee for a Postgraduate Diploma for the Academic Year 2023/24 is £6,250.

Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk

Scholarship Available

The University of Bedfordshire is proud of its alumni and is delighted to offer a tuition fee discount for those who choose to continue or return to the University for on campus Postgraduate level studies.

We offer a 20% discount on full and part-time Masters courses to those who were successful in completing an Honours Degree with the University of Bedfordshire, DMU’s Bedford campus or the University of Luton.


The standard fee for a Postgraduate Diploma for the Academic Year 2023/24 is £9,750.

Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk

Extra costs for this course

Management Practice – simulation

You will take part in a week-long management practice simulation as part of one of the course units. The simulation is supplied by an external company who charge a fee of around £32 for registration and participation.

CIPD membership

You will also need to budget for the membership fee of the CIPD. Currently membership for the first 12 months is £130. After that the fee is scaled depending on membership grade.

*The information above is for guidance only. Exact costs may vary.

Extra Costs

Find out more about additional costs while studying at Bedfordshire. Click here.

How to Apply

UK 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

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

How to Apply


UK 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


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