• Develop valuable research and communication skills building on the knowledge gained during your postgraduate diploma studies and your career to date.
• Study relevant research philosophies and methodologies in semester 1 in order to investigate a HR issue in semester two, that has relevance to your organisation and demonstrates that your methodologies are valid and robust, and will add value to your organisation.
• Learn from tutors who have close relationships with the CIPD, expertise gained from industry experience, together with strong research in key areas of HRM including diversity management, international HRM and talent and reward management.
• Collaborate with other HR practitioners from a wide range of local, national and international organisations and attend networking events provided by the local CIPD branch.
• Explore and exploit HR metrics and analytics for competitive advantage, allowing you to demonstrate strategic expertise and critical awareness of HRM issues and solutions from a collaborative and business perspective.
• Benefit from a part-time course that fits around your work and home commitments and prepares you for a range of senior strategic and expert HR roles, such as director and consultant.

Units

• Dissertation (SHR035-6) Compulsory
• Research Methods (SHR020-6) Compulsory

The overall strategy for this course is to achieve a balance between the assessment of academic understanding and evaluation, and the assessment of research competences and skills that are valuable in undertaking research in organisations.

Your learning will be enabled through a variety of formative and summative assessments. For example there will be an early presentation of your project plan to ensure you are on the right track as well as a written submission of a considered research proposal; a presentation mid-way through the dissertation as well as the final submission of the dissertation, with key emphases on continuous learning with each piece of work. You will also be expected to write a reflective and critical account of what has been learned during the project. Underpinning each assessment, consideration must be made to ethics, diversity and to legal issues. Formative assessment will come through verbal feedback on: in-class presentations, coursework activities, assignments as well as through dissertation supervision.

The course supports the enhancement of your employability through its emphasis on the skills and knowledge related to improving HR managerial practice at work through relevant research. The central principle underlying this course is evidence-based research and 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 for research in HRM.

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 where the opportunity to share research findings may be presented.

Physical Education and Sports Science Centre

Sports Hall

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.

Specialist labs

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:

• Dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) for assessing bone density and body fat content
• BodPod and underwater weighing tank for body composition assessment
• Environmental chamber that controls temperature, humidity, and oxygen levels in the air
• Wet lab for assessing metabolic and hormone markers in blood

Our £8m Physical Education and Sport Science Centre was used to train athletes in the 2012 Olympics.

Theatre and dance studio facilities

• 280 seat theatre
• 80 studio theatre
• Four fully-sprung dance studios
• Dance studios equipped with ballet bars, mirrors, audio playback, internet and projection
• Large dressing rooms with en suite showers
• A scenery workshop reserved solely for student productions
• Large 6m by 12m white Cyclorama screen for projection and lighting
• State of the art HD projectors
• Full backstage comms system with audio and video relay
• Extensive lantern stock including Led fixtures, strobes and moving lights
• State-of-the-art, industry-standard lighting and sound consoles
• Built in media desk and roll-down screen

Gateway Building

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

Campus Centre featuring a 280-seat professional theatre, dance studios, a fairtrade café and social space for students.

Accommodation at Bedford

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.

Subjects studied at Bedford campus

• Primary Education
• Secondary and Post-Compulsory Education
• Education Studies
• Physical Education and Sport Studies
• Sport and Exercise Sciences
• Tourism and Leisure
• Accounting and Business Management
• Performing Arts and Dance
• Social Work

Bedford town location

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.

Directions to Bedford 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).