PgDip Human Resource Management

Why choose Herts?

Industry Accreditation: Accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) enabling graduates to become a Chartered Member once they gain relevant experience.
Employment Prospects: Graduates have secured promotions with their current employers and work as HR Professionals for a variety of organisations, including KPMG, Tesco, and Ocado, as well as becoming independent HR consultants.
Industry Connections: You will have the opportunity to attend school networking events to interact with our business partners.

An honours degree with classification 2.2 or better in any subject from a UK university or the equivalent from a recognised university overseas.

A level 5 qualification and evidence of two or more years relevant work experience in human resource management, industrial relations, managing people, equal opportunities work, or as a trade union official or representative

N.B. There is no guarantee that any or all applicants who meet the criteria will be accepted. In addition all students must produce evidence of their English Language proficiency.

N.B. Prospective students must be aware that this is not an entry level programme. It is designed for practitioners who are preparing themselves to move up to middle and senior management positions in their chosen careers and who concurrently want to achieve Chartered professional status through the CIPD. People wanting to make a career move to HRM from another area of professional work should ideally have experience of managing staff. If you have any concerns about the suitability of this programme for you please don't hesitate to contact Gary Pheiffer on g.pheiffer@herts.ac.uk to discuss your options.

All students from non-majority English speaking countries require proof of English language proficiency. The following qualifications and grades will be considered:
- GCSE English language grade A-C
- IELTS 6.5 (with no less than 5.5 in any band)
Other English language tests are accepted. Please contact the International Office for details.

If you do not have the required level of English for entry, our academic English courses can help you to achieve this level.


Institution code	H36
Course length	Part Time, 2 Years
Location	University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield

Employability

Careers

The programme will appeal particularly to those interested in a career in human resource management, industrial/employment relations and to those responsible more generally for managing people in organisations.

Professional Accreditations

Similar Courses

We offer a MA in HRM which also leads to CIPD accreditation. The main difference between the MA and the PgDip is that the MA has 9 modules with PgDip only having 7 modules. The dissertation project for the MA is 15,000 words and the project for the PgDip is 7,500 words.

About the course

If you want to develop a career in the broad field of HRM (human resource management, employment relations, training & development, performance management, reward management, recruitment, selection, and consultancy, then this course is for you. As well as receiving an academic qualification you can also gain associate membership of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and with the required experience, upgrade to chartered membership.

Focusing on contemporary, critical and applied themes in the subject area, the course gives you the opportunity to develop the knowledge and understanding necessary for the appropriate analytical, technical and behavioural responses to these issues

The programme

This well regarded and established programme provides a deep and critical insight into leading, managing and developing people. You will achieve an advanced evidence-based understanding of human behaviour in organisations and HRM roles, perspectives and skills.

The course will develop your practitioner skills and you will learn how research and practice work together. This is an advanced HRM course and the modules look at strategic as well as operational issues

Part-time study

This course is only available to part-time students. As a part-time student, your classes will be held either on campus one evening a week or through a more flexible online delivery option.

Part-time students – this study route is not available to students requiring a visa to study

A course designed to fit around work and family.

Classes are one evening a week for two academic years from a September start date, and two and a half academic years from a January start date.

You can also select a flexible mode option with online delivery. This is a combination of live online sessions once a week with supporting online material.

Why choose this course?

The Hertfordshire Business School is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). This enables students who successfully complete the programme to meet the equivalent requirements of the CIPD Advanced Diploma in Human Resource Management, and so be eligible to apply for Chartered Membership of the CIPD with the required work experience.

Business and Management Studies ranked in the top 25% of UK universities for research impact (Research Excellence Framework, 2021).

What will I study?

Analyse the building blocks of human resource management at an individual, organisational, national and international level. Explore complex issues arising from research, practices and current debates.

Learn to recognise ethical dilemmas and corporate responsibility issues to ensure that the organisations you work with are sustainable.

Develop an inquiry practice-orientated mindset, expert problem-solving, evidence based decision making and evaluation skills.

Hone your practical skills with experiential real-life learning, where you’ll be immersed in activities that bridge the gap between theory and practice. For example, our tutors will facilitate and role model human resource management practice.

Experience a blended learning approach, including individual and group work, one-to-one sessions, workshops, guest speakers and live projects/case studies.

Assessments will provide you with academic and real-life practical skills to enhance your career. For example, you could carry out small consultancy work, deliver a presentation or write a brief to the board of directors to evidence your knowledge. This means you'll be able to immediately apply your learning to the workplace.

What will I study?

We offer a varied programme of teaching that includes facilitated seminars, practical workshops, web-based learning, case study analysis and traditional lectures. In the classroom we blend theory and practice, with a focus on problem diagnosis and the selection of relevant HRM tools to provide the best results in the workplace situation.

The teaching staff are active researchers in their chosen specialisms. This means you'll benefit from their expert academic input on key issues for HR professionals. We also provide sessions by visiting staff, practitioners and consultants to give a varied perspective of the topics covered. Guest speakers from private industry, not-for-profit, the public sector, consultancy and published authors will add to your learning.

Level 7

Module	Credits	Compulsory/optional
PG HRM Management Project (CIPD)	15 Credits	Compulsory
The report provides the opportunity for students to develop and apply postgraduate level skills of independent research, analysis, evaluation, writing and presentation; and to deepen students' knowledge and understanding of a specific subject and its location within the HRM discipline as a whole. Further, it is to provide the student with the opportunity to prepare a management research report containing costed recommendations based on their research and an appropriate action plan for a specific organisation(s). The report is supported by an online research methods training module, individual supervision and student-led support group meetings.
Employment Law	15 Credits	Optional
This module examines a range of aspects of employment law. It analyses the rights and duties of employers and employees, and examines the role of law in regulating the employment relationship. The module considers sources from which employment law is derived and the institutions, in which it is administered, and the significance and content of the contract of employment. The module then progresses to consider individual employment law topics: equal pay, legislation regulating discrimination on the grounds of sex and race, wrongful dismissal, unfair dismissal, and redundancy. The collective employment issues of trade union membership, activities and industrial action are also dealt with.
Working Lives in a Changing Environment	15 Credits	Compulsory
To address the module aims, indicative content includes an analysis of labour market trends, changing demographics regarding diversity and ageing population and skills gaps; the impact of digital working and flexible working on working lives; the ways that flexible employment, the gig economy and non-standard, atypical contracts affect working lives; how developments in public policy and societal pressures affect people practice; the impact of technology and new organisational forms and ways of working on the way people experience their work; and equity and distributive justice in organisations.
Strategic People Management and Development	15 Credits	Compulsory
The module examines the development of contemporary people management with reference to relevant theory of HRM and strategy models. It considers the benefits and challenges of aligning people management with organisational strategy, culture and values, the integration of different components of HRM practice and application of systemic thinking. The module also looks at the impact of people management practices on organisational performance and employee experience, whilst considering the key issues and debates concerning the contribution of people management to organisational success.
Business Research in People Practice	15 Credits	Compulsory
In this module students will discover how to answer important people related questions using business research. The module content will reflect contemporary practices and lay the foundation for exploration of future developments in people-related business research. Students will learn about the importance of context, data quality, ethical considerations, data analysis, developing insights and communication with data. The course will cover quantitative approaches, including descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics and qualitative research techniques to gather and analyse people practice data.
Personal Effectiveness and Leadership	15 Credits	Compulsory
The module provides an overview of the main principles and behaviours that support personal effectiveness and leadership key skills such as valuing people, ethical practice, professional courage, critical thinking, team-working and evidence based decision making. Through an exploration of the CIPD profession map students develop their reflective practitioner skills to become more insightful of their own influence and effectiveness in areas such as influence, decision-making and leadership.
Contemporary Employment relations	15 Credits	Optional
This module aims to develop an understanding of Employment Relations by looking at the different approaches of key actors including government and the state, employers and trade unions. It provides an understanding of the historical, political and institutional context to the employment relationship, and addresses the key changes in work and employment which have characterised globalisation and particularly in the 21st century, such as flexibility and precarity. It also looks at equality at work and assesses the role of legislation in achieving this.
Sustainable Organisational Change and Development	15 Credits	Optional
The module seeks to explore experientially how change and organisational development theories can be applied in work settings and to develop diagnostic, facilitation, intervention strategies and associated skills. Key theories may include OD approaches, Lewin, processual views, Psychodynamic views, post-modern critic and client centred theories. Diagnostic, design/interventions and evaluation models will be explored. Situational decision making, ethical practice, insights focused, valuing people will be emphasised.
Strategic Reward	15 Credits	Optional
The module is designed to provide an in-depth understanding of perspectives and approaches to reward. Key topics include principles of strategic reward, return on reward investment and the impact on attraction, motivation and retention; the centrality of conceptual and theoretical frameworks in informing reward design and efficacy; grading and base pay structures; pay setting, composition and progression; performance and reward; variable/contingent pay; employee benefits; non-financial reward; and international reward.
People Resourcing	15 Credits	Optional
The module aims to develop a critical knowledge and understanding of key talent resourcing strategies within the wider national and international employment market. It covers current resourcing issues and contemporary HR developments in the field of resourcing in a global context. The module enables students to develop a range of skills to perform effectively in a professional resourcing or line managerial role and to provide opportunities for related continuous personal and professional development.
Strategic Learning and Development	15 Credits	Optional
The module explores how learning and development theories can be applied in the workplace. The module will consider how to develop a culture and environment for individuals and organisations to learn and grow, and to understand the current and future capability needs of an organisation, as well as how to develop a learning culture that drives engagement and embraces continuous development. Module content will include research around learning, training design and delivery and include a blend of learning approaches.
Ethics In Business: A Global Perspective	15 Credits	Optional
The module will cover issues related to ethics in business, sustainable organisational development and behaviour, and corporate social responsibility in a global context. Content includes: ethical theory, sustainability (economic, social and environmental), global and national inequalities. These issues will be examined in the context of globalisation and across the supply chains of multinational companies and the historical perspective of colonisation.
Global HRM	15 Credits	Optional
This module is designed to provide an in-depth and theoretically informed exposition of the human resource complexities in managing across borders as a primary strategic concern of multinational corporations (MNCs). It is organised around international and comparative themes on an integrated basis. In exploring international HRM themes, students examine the challenges of managing staff in home and host localities, including the selection, training and rewarding of expatriates. Cultural awareness is explored through the examination of diverse institutional and cultural environments in host destinations for MNCs.
People Management Across Cultures	15 Credits	Optional
This module is designed to provide an in-depth and theoretically informed consideration of the complexities of managing across cultures within the context of people management practices. It draws upon cultural theorists in order to explore cultural dimensions related to time, space and change; cross-cultural communication; co-operation in multicultural teams; ethics; and research on cultural differences on constructs such as motivation and leadership. It allows for an exploration and understanding of how cultural differences are, and can be, addressed by individuals involved in managing across cultures.
Effective Work Psychology	15 Credits	Optional
The module provides an overview of the application of psychological theory and research to understanding, predicting and influencing behaviour at work. A broad overview of key theories and concepts are investigated and evaluated. The module covers research perspectives and methods for analysis and investigation in understanding behaviour in a variety of work contexts and situations. Topics will include: motivation, attitudes at work, change & culture, individual differences, stress, and training & development.
Contemporary Issues in Work Psychology	15 Credits	Optional
The module will apply relevant work psychology literature to both current and future organisational themes with a view to inform and develop contemporary human resource management practices. Contemporary business issues will be identified and explored, and work psychology theories which could potentially aid understanding of the resulting human behaviour in the workplace will be evaluated. Content includes: technology in the workplace, virtual and dispersed working, wellbeing and work-life balance in the workplace, employee engagement and burnout, motivation and job crafting.

Key staff

Adrian Thornley
Programme Leader
Find out more about Adrian Thornley

Further course information

Course fact sheets
PgDip Human Resource Management	Download
PgDip Human Resource Management	Download

Programme specifications
PgDip Human Resource Management	Download
PgDip Human Resource Management	Download

Additional information
Sandwich placement or study abroad year	n/a
Applications open to international and EU students	Yes

Student experience

At the University of Hertfordshire, we want to make sure your time studying with us is as stress-free and rewarding as possible. We offer a range of support services including; student wellbeing, academic support, accommodation and childcare to ensure that you make the most of your time at Herts and can focus on studying and having fun.

Find out about how we support our students

You can also read our student blogs to find out about life at Herts.

Funding and fees
Other financial support

Find out more about other financial support available to UK and EU students

Fees 2024
UK Students
Part time
- £1130 per 15 credits for the 2024/2025 academic year
EU Students
Part time
- £1370 per 15 credits for the 2024/2025 academic year
International Students
Part time
- £1370 per 15 credits for the 2024/2025 academic year
*Tuition fees are charged annually. The fees quoted above are for the specified year(s) only. Fees may be higher in future years, for both new and continuing students. Please see the University's Fees and Finance Policy (and in particular the section headed "When tuition fees change"), for further information about when and by how much the University may increase its fees for future years.

View detailed information about tuition fees

Living costs / accommodation

The University of Hertfordshire offers a great choice of student accommodation, on campus or nearby in the local area, to suit every student budget.

View detailed information about our accommodation

Read more about additional fees in the course fact sheet

2024

Start Date	End Date	Link
27/09/2024	30/09/2025	Apply online (Part Time)
19/01/2025	15/01/2026	Apply online (Part Time)

2025

Start Date	End Date	Link
27/09/2025	30/09/2026	Apply online (Part Time)
19/01/2026	15/01/2027	Apply online (Part Time)

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PgDip Human Resource Management

Why choose Herts?

Careers

Professional Accreditations

Similar Courses

About the course

The programme

Part-time students – this study route is not available to students requiring a visa to study

Why choose this course?

What will I study?

Key staff

Further course information

Student experience

Other financial support

Fees 2024

UK Students

Part time

EU Students

Part time

International Students

Part time

Living costs / accommodation

2024

2025