MSc Human Resource Management

Program Overview

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MSc Human Resource Management

Overview

This qualification is perfect for you if you want to develop your personal effectiveness and business acumen. You’ll learn how to design and manage your own strategy, enhance people management skills, and learn how best to apply specialist evidence-based HRM knowledge in thoughtful ways with the aim of improving working lives for all.

Our Masters in Human Resource Management course builds on core human resource management theory and practice to examine the range of people management challenges which organisations face. The course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), therefore you can obtain professional membership of the CIPD.

To study with us you don't need to have previous work or study experience in the field of Human Resource Management. As part of the course we deliver teaching in the key concepts and practices of HRM, alongside developing the practical skills you need to become a successful HRM professional. In your final semester you'll also have the opportunity to do a consultancy case study, acting as a human resources (HR) consultant to fictional companies, while solving realistic HR problems and working with HR practitioners.

We teach you the need for thoughtful and ethical management practice, and this course is no exception. Ethics and considerate practice should be the focus of organisations and is the foundation for our course.

We have a number of internationally recognised academics teaching on this course and available to help you during your studies. We offer a collaborative learning process and encourage you to talk about your work experiences, about what you believe good people management to involve, and where work practices need to be legislated.

Key Facts

• Award: Masters / MSc, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma
• Start date: September 2025
• Duration: MSc full-time: 12 months; MSc part-time: 24 months
• Mode of study: full time, part time
• Delivery: on campus

Accreditations

• Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)

Course Objectives

On successful completion of this course, you should be able to:

• show an understanding of HR theory and practice at a strategic level, demonstrating complexity in your thinking regarding theories relevant to the people profession;
• be able to synthesise information from a range of sources, critically question it, evaluate it, and be able to apply it effectively to people management issues;
• select and demonstrate appropriate communication approaches and outputs using written, verbal, and digital methods;
• demonstrate integrity of approach and propose ethical solutions to people management issues;
• demonstrate initiative and capability to construct arguments designed to influence practitioners by researching and producing evidence-based solutions to people management issues.

Entry Requirements

Academic Requirements

• A minimum of a second class honours degree or equivalent. Applicants without these formal qualifications but with significant appropriate/relevant work/life experience are encouraged to apply

Other Routes of Entry

• If you don't currently meet our academic requirements, University of Stirling International Study Centre offers a variety of preparation programmes that can earn you the qualifications and skills you need to progress onto some of our courses. Explore University of Stirling International Study Centre to see the pathway and pre-masters routes available.

International Entry Requirements

• View the entry requirements for your country.

English Language Requirements

• If English is not your first language you must have one of the following qualifications as evidence of your English language skills:
  • IELTS Academic or UKVI 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each sub-skill.
  • Pearson Test of English (Academic) 62 overall with 60 in each sub-skill.
  • IBT TOEFL 80 overall with 18 in reading, 23 in writing, 19 in listening and 21 in speaking.

Course Details

In the first semester we give you a grounding in the key concepts and practices of HRM, the practical skills needed by HRM professionals, and the business context that HR contributes to. In the second semester you're given the opportunity to choose from a selection of specialist HR topics. The final semester of the course involves a consultancy case study – where you'll get an opportunity to act as a HR consultant to fictional companies, with realistic HR problems to solve.

Key Features of the Course

• Eight core modules covering the essential knowledge areas of the CIPD profession map.
• Additional professional skills built into the course, not separate to it.
• An emphasis on developing digital communication and influencing skills.
• A contemporary and forward-looking course, with an emphasis on integrity of purpose and critical thinking and societal awareness.
• A case study approach to the final project that allows you to develop your contracting and problem-solving abilities in a safe environment with HR professionals who volunteer their expertise to our students.

Modules

• The module information below provides an example of the types of course module you may study. The details listed are for the academic year that starts in September 2025. Modules and start dates are regularly reviewed and may be subject to change in future years.

Teaching

This is a one-year, full-time course of two taught semesters, followed by a further three-month independent study period, where you'll work on a consultancy case study.

You'll be taught through a mixture of lectures, seminars, workshops, presentations and practical case study exercises. Where possible, we further support your learning and development through guest presentations from HR managers and staff from local organisations.

Assessment

You’ll be assessed through a variety of methods including examinations and essays, as well as group video presentations and other electronic media to produce summaries and/or reports. Compulsory modules are usually assessed with a minimum of one open assessment (essay or report), and one closed examination at the end of the module. Professional Skills for HRM requires you to compile video and written evidence of the core HRM skills taught on the module.

Classroom Hours

Each 20-credit module includes 40 contact hours of teaching. Contact hours comprise a mixture of lectures and seminars, or workshops.

Our lectures will introduce you to the concepts and theories of HR, helping you put into context the additional reading and preparatory work needed for seminars. In addition to the 40 classroom hours, each module will involve an additional 40 hours of preparatory reading and exercises, necessary for seminar discussions. Workshops combine taught content with practical activities, and are usually taught in longer classes of about 3-4 hours.

In a typical week, you can expect to be in scheduled classes for approximately 15 hours per week and this can rise to around 20 hours per week in the October-November period. Guided reading and preparation activities are in addition to the time required to fulfil assessment requirements such as essays and reports.

Course Director

• Dr Tom Montgomery

Fees and Funding

Fees and Costs

• University of Stirling alumni will automatically be awarded a fee waiver for the first year of Masters studies through our Stirling Alumni Scholarship.
• Applicants from the UK or Republic of Ireland who hold a first-class honours degree or equivalent will automatically be awarded a £2,000 scholarship through our Postgraduate Merit Scholarship.
• If you need to extend your period of study, you may be liable for additional fees.
• If you are studying part time, the total course fee will be split over the years that you study. The total fee will remain the same and will be held at the rate set in your year of entry.

Scholarships and Funding

• Funding
• Postgraduate tuition fee loans

After You Graduate

Graduating with an MSc HRM gives you the foundations you need to progress into a career in human resource management. Equally, it offers you the skills and knowledge to pursue a career in different areas related to business practice, as well as local or international socio-economic development policymaking and implementation.

The University of Stirling Management School has a dedicated Employability Manager and from the very beginning of the course your career is our focus.

Employability Skills

As a student on the MSc Human Resource Management, you’ll learn significant transferable skills that are valued by employers.

What Our Students Said

• Dove White, China, MSc Human Resource Management
• Colette Lynne McGarry, Scotland, MSc Human Resource Management

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