Overview

Organisations thrive on the strength of their people. This course will equip you with an understanding of responsible leadership to facilitate effective human resource management and development in UK and global organisations.

By studying this course, you’ll explore the cultural, legal, and operational aspects of human resource management (HRM) and development (HRD), guided by GCU’s values and attributes, which underpin the mission for the Common Good. Aligned to this, you’ll develop the insight, confidence, and professional expertise to lead ethically.

We will prepare you to champion inclusion and be ready to create lasting, positive change in workplaces and communities worldwide. You'll be challenged and inspired by our specialist staff with extensive experience in national and international organisations, including leading blue-chip companies.

You’ll develop practical skills that will be valuable in modern HR and people leadership roles, such as:

effectively managing and leading people in diverse national and global environments
developing your professional identity as a manager, leader, or HR specialist
expanding your expertise in HRD, resourcing and talent management, change management and people/data analytics
understanding specialist areas of UK employment relations and legislation, and learning how to apply this knowledge through ethical and legally compliant HR policies and practices.
applying theory to practice through case studies and investigative projects
building your confidence in navigating the challenges of modern HRM, including the use of AI within the profession.

This course is accredited by a number of globally recognised professional bodies, including the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

You can choose to study this course:

full time, which includes the opportunity to undertake an optional research placement
part time, which offers greater flexibility if you want to continue working while progressing your current career or preparing for a new one.

For further details about these options, please see the additional information section below.

Why study Human Resource Management at GCU?

Gain Associate Membership of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD). This gives you professionally recognised status that strengthens your credibility and employability in the HR profession.
You’ll have the opportunity to undertake a research-based project investigating a real workplace issue within your organisation or another organisation.
Be taught by industry and people leader experts across a range of sectors, with input from inspiring guest lecturers.
Benefit from regular engagement with our departmental Industry Advisory Group, which gives you real-world contemporary insights from HR, people leaders and professionals.
Develop key employability skills such as HR data analytics, interviewing, coaching and cross-cultural awareness, which will also improve your confidence to ensure you are workplace-ready and highly employable.

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

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Society for Human Resource Management

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What you will study

Modules

Human Resource Development

Postgraduate Research Methods

Developing Leadership for the Common Good

Developing Professional Identity for the People Profession

Managing Employment Relations and the Employee Experience

Resourcing and Talent Management

Leading Responsible Change

Strategic Organisational Performance Analytics

Applied Employment Law

Masters Research Project

We aim to display the most up-to-date information possible.

The modules listed on this page and the Programme Specification are intended to give you an idea of what you may be able to study on this course. Please note that course content, modules, teaching and assessment may change each year and after you have accepted your offer to study at GCU. This might be because we are required to do so by law, by a governmental authority, regulator or accrediting body. We may also make changes for quality assurance reasons, or to enhance the course.

Careers

Our graduates are leaders and change-makers: ambitious, socially responsible, and committed to making a positive impact. You’ll be a highly competitive candidate for HR and people leadership roles across the UK and internationally.

Recent graduates have achieved success across a wide range of industries with leading organisations and major global employers.

These include:

Morgan Stanley
Marks & Spencer
NHS Scotland
Scottish Power
Sky.

If you are already working in an HR role, you can complete this course to gain a fast-track route to Chartered Membership of the CIPD after graduation. This professional recognition often opens leadership and promotion opportunities for your career.

Professional engagement opportunities include industry and programme-led events on campus, attendance at the CIPD Scotland Student Conference, and an annual careers and employability event.

Our dedicated Careers Service will support you throughout your degree and for two years after graduating.

Course information

Award	Mode of study	Duration	Start date	Location
MSc	Part time	2-3 years	Jan 28	Glasgow	Enquire
Award	Mode of study	Duration	Start date	Location
MSc	Full time	16 months	Jan 28	Glasgow	Enquire
Award	Mode of study	Duration	Start date	Location
MSc	Part time	2-3 years	Sep 27	Glasgow	Enquire
Award	Mode of study	Duration	Start date	Location
MSc	Full time	1 year	Sep 27	Glasgow	Enquire
Award	Mode of study	Duration	Start date	Location
MSc	Part time	2-3 years	Jan 27	Glasgow	Enquire Apply
Award	Mode of study	Duration	Start date	Location
MSc	Full time	16 months	Jan 27	Glasgow	Enquire Apply
Award	Mode of study	Duration	Start date	Location
MSc	Part time	2-3 years	Sep 26	Glasgow	Enquire Apply
Award	Mode of study	Duration	Start date	Location
MSc	Full time	1 year	Sep 26	Glasgow	Enquire Apply

Please note that admission to GCU is considered on a competitive basis, and the academic entry requirements stated here may be the minimum required to be eligible for an offer.

International students can get information on entry requirements specific to their country in our International Study section.

Minimum academic requirement

UK honours degree 2:2 (or equivalent) in any subject area.

Non-standard entry is considered for applicants with CIPD-certification and/or relevant experience.

English language requirement

Academic IELTS score of 6.0 (or equivalent) with no element below 5.5.

Additional information for international applicants

Entry requirements by country
Application deadlines
English language tests
Knowledge of English - Applicants from a majority English speaking country may not be required to provide further proof of your English language proficiency. Information about this requirement is available on the Student Visa section of the gov.uk website.

Additional information for all applicants

Relevant experience (Recognition of Prior Learning)

GCU's flexible entry policies exist to allow relevant work experience and prior learning to be considered towards standard entry or advanced entry into a course.

If you do not have the typical academic entry qualifications, but can demonstrate relevant work experience and/or credits from recognised professional bodies, you may be eligible to enter this course via the University's Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) scheme.

Full-time study and optional placement

If you are a full-time student on this course, you can apply for an optional research placement. This allows you to develop your career management skills with formal support, working in a private, public or third-sector organisation to identify, diagnose and gain a deep understanding of an active HRM issue in that organisation.

You’ll develop consultancy skills for strategy, policy, and practice improvement as part of your project. This real-world experience is especially valuable to future employers.

The research placement lasts for one trimester, with exact dates depending on your course start date. This option is fully integrated with the Master's Research Project, allowing you to use your host organisation as a live case study. During the placement, you’ll collect data from employees and/or managers to support their research and apply HRM theory in a real organisational context.

Your Programme Leader will support you by sourcing suitable research placement opportunities; however, you are expected to apply competitively, just as you would for a real job vacancy. This includes submitting applications, attending interviews, and demonstrating commitment to the process. You can also complete your Master's Project by finding your own context or case study organisation to gather your primary data.

The placement option provides valuable experience, strengthens employability, and offers you the chance to contribute to real HR challenges within an organisation.

Part-time study

Whether you’re already working in HR and looking to progress into a specialist or senior role, or planning to move into HR as a career, this course can fit around your work commitments.

You can study through our part-time option, taking two modules per trimester and attending campus one to two days a week. You’ll be able to focus your coursework on issues in your own workplace, adding value to your role while you study.

Teaching and learning

We use a range of teaching approaches that balance practical skills with academic understanding. You will experience case-based learning and will have the opportunity for hosted project work. We aim to make your learning meaningful, contemporary and relevant to the world of work.

Through workshops, you’ll explore current and emerging issues such as:

the employee experience and engagement at work
employee wellbeing in the workplace
employment relations in the UK, including employee voice and trade unions
implications for policy and practice from recent UK case law and changes to UK employment legislation.

Assessment methods

Assessment methods vary between modules. Many are context-specific and may include:

essays
reports
class tests
written exams
presentations
skills-based assessments.

Skills-based assessments ensure that you’ll gain valuable practical experience in a safe learning environment.

Industry relevance

At Glasgow Caledonian University, you’ll be challenged and inspired by teaching staff with extensive HR and people leadership and development experience in national and international organisations, including leading blue-chip companies.

We work in close collaboration with industry leaders and human resources professionals. This ensures the course content reflects real-world practice, emerging workplace trends, and the evolving demands of the profession.

Guest lectures and networking events

You’ll have the opportunity to learn directly from inspiring guest lecturers. This includes experienced human resouces practitioners, industry leaders, and organisational experts from across sectors.

Academic support

You’ll be allocated a personal tutor/course leader as a key contact throughout the course.

You’ll be supported in developing your academic writing by our Learning and Development Centre. This course also provides integrated pastoral and academic support system classes to embed you into the GCU learning culture and provide support with academic writing practices.

Accreditation

This qualification provides you with the core knowledge criteria required by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) for a Level 7 Chartered Membership, giving you professionally recognised status which strengthens your credibility and employability in the HR and people management profession.

Visit the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) website.

This course has mutual recognition by the Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI). It’s also aligned with the US-based Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), so your learning is globally relevant and recognised.

Visit the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) website.

Find out more on the Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI) website.

Download the programme specification

In addition to the core modules that all students must undertake, some courses offer students a choice from a selection of optional modules to shape the focus their degree. Optional modules where available, form part of the overall credit structure of the course.

Download the programme specification for a detailed breakdown of the course structure, including modules, what you'll learn and other useful information.

Terms and Conditions

Details of the University’s terms and conditions are available here.

Overview

Why study Human Resource Management at GCU?

Accreditations

What you will study

Careers

Course information