Human Resource Management (with placement) (Accredited)

This course - which is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) - offers a guaranteed 12-week placement, a dedicated work-placement coordinator and on-going support.

On the course, you explore key areas of human resource management (HRM) - such as talent management, leadership and motivation, data management and interpretation, and employee relations - while engaging with real-life HRM situations and problems. You are also able to undertake a fully supported, 12-week placement within a real business where you can immerse yourself in the world of HR, building your knowledge and practical experience. Many of our placement students have gone on to work in the same company upon graduation.

Course accreditation

We are an accredited Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) centre. This means all of our HRM courses are professional body accredited, giving you access to Level 5 accreditation and increasing your employability in the HRM profession, on successful graduation.

Career-powered links

Our placement students work with established companies to support their HR function; they are all local to the University and have experience of working with our students. Companies include Enterprise, Raja Packaging and Luton Borough Council, among many others.

Your student experience

Gain the knowledge, skills, behaviours and graduate competencies employers value and need in the HRM field, in line with the CIPD professional accreditation.

Learn from expert tutors active within the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), and in both consultancy and research.

Develop your understanding of how HRM works with other business disciplines, enabling you to fit into numerous organisation roles.

Apply what you have learnt to real-life situations experienced by companies and organisations globally.

Benefit from HRM-focused employability events throughout the academic year, including careers fairs and immersive CV events.

Learn from employer site visits and employer visits to the University to share their HRM stories - a great way to network and ask questions relating to HRM career development.

Gain from having regular engagement and support from CIPD members and branch officials, helping you make a smooth transition into the world of HRM employment.

Course modules

Year 1
Applied numeracy for business – Develop key numeracy skills vital for your future employability. Beginning your professional business journey – Take on business challenges and collaborate with peers in a professional environment. Human resource management foundations – Understand the organisational issues relating to staff, the role of HRM and the key HR professional standards. The role of HR in the digital age – How the digital economy and future of work is changing the landscape of people management. HR and work in organisations – Identify, understand and evaluate people’s behaviour in organisations and the relationships between the organisation, individuals and groups.

Year 2
Data and research methods for business – Investigate research and data-analysis methods to support you in applying research findings to business issues. The strategic context of HRM - Build a sound understanding of the business and external factors affecting organisations and the impact of these factors on the HR role. Employment relations – Develop the skills to make informed decisions about current and emerging employment relations and employee reward practices. Work placement – Undertake 144 hours of placement in a business setting gaining practical experience of the world of work.

Year 3
Developing professional human resource management practice – Build your personal and professional effectiveness alongside your understanding the practicalities of the people profession. Management and leadership - Using real-life examples of current organisational issues, learn to solve problems by applying management and leadership principles. Contemporary issues in the workplace – The importance of people professionals in understanding and anticipating workforce needs. HR analytics and data – Understand how data is analysed and utilised in HR, and the ethical issues and limitations attached to using HR/people information. Business project – Independently design, plan, manage and execute a research project.

Every effort is made to ensure this information is accurate at the point of publication on the UCAS website. For the most up-to-date information, please refer to our website.

In line with the Business School's commitment to practice-based education and to a learning experience which is active, reflective, collaborative and creative, a large part of the assessment will relate to the demonstration of your ability to do HRM in practice. We will want to see that you understand the theory and have developed critical thinking skills which help you evaluate the relevance of what you have learned.

All of this comes together in being able to demonstrate rigorous Human Resource practice for an organisation. Methods of assessment vary according to the learning outcomes of a particular unit and the stage of the study. You will be assessed using a range of assessments during your studies. This will include a mixture of closed book examinations, coursework, reports, tests, posters, group work and presentations.

To assess this range of integration of theory and skills into sound practice, we use a range of methods encompassing summative and formative assessments. You will encounter many different kinds, including the ones listed below, some of which are used in combination, and for example, a report might be required as an outcome of a time-limited assessment task.

• Reports: you analyse a business problem and propose solutions.
• Presentations: present proposals as if to your manager, to the board of a company or to a client.
• Time-limited tasks: on a set day, you will be given a task which you will need to complete in a set time, such as 48 hours or five days.
• Academic writing: used to demonstrate clear, critical thinking, you might be asked to write an essay or a short summary of a theoretical debate.
• Appraisals: just as in business, you use appraisals to assess your own learning and to set your personal and academic development objectives.
• Projects: these are assessed in a number of ways depending on the task defined by our business partner. Typically, you will need to prepare an analysis, report or presentation which is suitable for the business partner and a longer piece of work which sets out the behind the scenes' work which underpinned the output for business.

It is in the longer work that we expect to see explicitly your application of theory and critical thinking which underpin good HRM practice. You will usually also prepare a project review.

• Project reviews: you analyse and evaluate the way you worked on a project and set out how you would work more effectively on a similar task in future.
• Exams: as well as conventional exams using set questions and case studies, exams can be the outcome of a group task. You might work on a large task together and then sit an exam to show your individual learning from the task.
• Portfolio: you will plan and record your CPD activities using the CIPDs HR Profession Map as a guide to the knowledge, skills and behaviours you need to develop to be ready to work in HR.

For all assignments, you will have an assignment brief which clearly sets out what is required and you will be given the criteria which your tutors will use to mark your work. Throughout the course, your learning will be supported using various methods of formative assessment and feedback which will take place both in-class and off-class activities. Informal formative feedback will be an ongoing feature of the unit and will be provided through class discussion, presentations, etc. You are encouraged to seek feedback and use it effectively.

On-line activities such as discussion boards, videos, podcasts, etc. will also provide opportunities to obtain feedback and enhance your learning experience. This is to help students progress their studies and support their continuing development. You will receive feedback on all your assessments. Using this feedback is essential to improving your learning process and your grades on future assignments.