Program Overview

BA (Hons) Human Resource Management and Business

Overview

The BA (Hons) Human Resource Management and Business degree is designed to prepare students for a successful career in shaping organisations and supporting people at work. This degree prepares students for a wide range of career opportunities, whether they choose to specialise in areas like people analytics, talent management, or learning and development, or take on a broader generalist role.

Course Information

Our Human Resource Management and Business course is designed to prepare students for a successful career in shaping organisations and supporting people at work. In the first year, students will build a strong foundation in the fundamentals of organisational behaviour, employment relations, workplace psychology, and business strategy. As students progress, they will explore advanced topics such as talent management, leadership and change, cross-cultural management, and sustainable business practices.

Features and Benefits

• Future Focused Degree: This degree is built with the future of work in mind. Co-designed with People Professionals, it embraces Work-Integrated Learning and embeds digital innovation and people analytics across modules, preparing students for a dynamic HR career.
• Enhance your Employability: With our award-winning ‘Rise at Manchester Met’ programme, students can gain extra academic credits towards their degree. They will also have opportunities for additional professional qualifications, such as the Civil Mediation Council or the Global Institute of Organizational Coaching. Ensuring students graduate confident and career-ready.
• Digitally Enhanced Learning: Technology and AI are embedded throughout the learning, from AI-enhanced CV tools to VR onboarding simulations. With blended modules and real-world digital applications, students will develop the tech-savvy skills essential for modern people management.
• Taught by Industry Experts: Students will learn from internationally impactful academics and experienced professionals who bring cutting-edge research and industry insight into the classroom.

Accreditations, Awards, and Endorsements

• Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business: Our business school is accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. This means we are internationally recognised for meeting global standards of excellence in business and management education.
• Business School Impact System (BSIS): The BSIS scheme is designed to determine the extent and nature of a business school’s impact upon its local environment. BSIS has given us the tools to capture the enormous added value and impact that our business school brings to businesses and communities.
• EFMD Quality Improvement System: Our business school holds the EQUIS accreditation – a leading international system of quality assessment, improvement and accreditation of higher education institutions in management and business administration. By attending an EQUIS accredited institution, students can be confident they are part of a high-quality institution.
• The Global Institute of Organizational Coaching: The course is accredited by the Global Institute of Organizational Coaching (Global IOC), the professional body that champions coaching development programs with the intention of building and advancing coaching skills. Students have the opportunity to attain coaching skills with the Global IOC, by taking part in a five-week top-up course that will give them certified professional business coach status.
• Teaching Excellence Framework: We have received an overall gold status in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), meaning we're rated as an outstanding university for our student experience.
• Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development: This degree is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). When students successfully complete the programme, they’ll gain a CIPD membership outcome, giving them a recognised mark of their experience and expertise in the people profession, and a head start in their HR career.

Year 1

Students will study three 30-credit modules and two 15-credit modules. The modules include:

• Dynamics of Organisational Behaviour: This module provides a comprehensive understanding of different contemporary business contexts. Internally, it introduces how individuals, groups and organisational structures can impact behaviour, change and development. Externally, it explores the business environment using a variety of tools to analyse socio-economic influences on organisational and HR strategies.
• Fundamentals of Human Resource Management: This module gives students a solid introduction to their degree by helping them understand the basics of Human Resource Management. They’ll explore how the world of People Management has changed over time and the important roles it plays in today’s businesses.
• Integrative Business Functions and Operations: It is essential to know how an organisation generates revenue, and how different functions contribute to that. This module introduces students to the practice of running an organisation providing an authentic experience. In this way, students can develop an awareness of key business skills.
• Developing Academic and Professional Skills: This module introduces students to key skills designed to build their professionalism. It encourages students to develop their self-awareness and to think about how they appear to other people. It explores theories and practices of team working in order to develop skills in these areas.
• Responsible Business for People Management: This module helps students understand the big issues businesses face today, especially when it comes to acting responsibly. They’ll learn about sustainability and why it matters in the world of work. They’ll also get the chance to explore Carbon Literacy and important goals like creating fair jobs and growing the economy in a way that works for everyone.

Year 2

Students will study three 30 credit modules and two 15 credit modules this year. Four of these modules are core, and one is optional. The core modules include:

• Enhancing Academic and Professional Skills: This module is designed to support students in applying for placements and for developing their professional skills in order to enhance their employability. It will enable students to understand their own skill sets and motivations for employability and will introduce them to the structure and process of labour markets.
• The Business of Performance, Reward and Culture: In this module, students will dive into the dynamic world of employee experience and explore the key aspects of managing staff effectively. They will learn how to foster innovative and intrapreneurial cultures across a diverse workforce, examine how rewarding and recognising employee contributions can positively impact behaviour, culture, systems, and structures, and understand different ethical perspectives and how they influence their own values and decisions.
• Talent Resourcing and Analytics at Work: This module focuses on helping students understand the key stages of the talent 'pipeline' and the planning required at each stage. They will explore aspects of workforce planning, including current workforce analysis, determining future needs, identifying gaps, and creating action plans. The module also covers employer branding, providing students with the tools to make data-driven, informed decisions.
• Managing Employment Relations in a legal framework: This module focuses on the roles of different groups involved in the employment relationship and the key theories behind them. Students will also explore the important legal aspects, such as the sources and purpose of law, how legal frameworks impact HR activities, and methods for resolving disputes.

Year 3

Students will study three 30 credit modules and two 15 credit modules this year. The core modules include:

• Decent Working and Leading in a Global context: This module provides a global perspective on Decent Work in the modern workplace, helping to broaden students' future career horizons. They will explore the organisational and technological demands in the post-pandemic world, where flexible working is a key issue across multiple industries and sectors worldwide.
• Applied Professional Practice & Career Development: Building on the second year module 'Enhancing Academic and Professional Skills', students will further embed the employability skills required to ensure they are 'job ready' beyond graduation. They will engage in a variety of employability-based events, which simulate a real-life job application.
• Evidence Based Research: This module prepares students to work with evidence in a clear and professional way, essential research skills for their final year independent project and for their future career. They’ll learn how to collect, handle, and assess data, and become confident in using different types of evidence in decision-making.
• Critical Insights into Engaging and Retaining People: As a final year module, this focuses on developing a more advanced and critical understanding of People Management. Students will explore what it means to lead and manage people effectively, and why building an engaged, diverse workforce is so important for performance and staff retention.
• Independent Project: In order to consolidate their learning across the three levels of their programme, this final year independent project module will enable students to apply their conceptual knowledge and research skills.

Study and Assessment

• Year 1: 25% lectures, seminars or similar; 75% independent
• Year 2: 25% lectures, seminars or similar; 75% independent
• Year 3: 100% placement (optional)
• Year 4: 20% lectures, seminars or similar; 80% independent

Assessment

• Year 1: 100% coursework
• Year 2: 100% coursework
• Year 3: 100% coursework (optional)
• Year 4: 100% coursework

Placements

Our BA (Hons) Human Resource Management and Business degree offers the chance to spend a year getting a taste of professional life. It not only gives students the opportunity to develop their core skills and learn about how business really operates in their industry, but also shows employers that they’re ready to get to work.

Entry Requirements

• Typical offer: 104-112 UCAS tariff points
• IELTS score: 6.0 overall with no individual element below 5.5
• UK students:
  • Level 3 qualifications: 104-112 UCAS tariff points.
  • GCE A levels: grades BCC or equivalent
  • Pearson BTEC National Extended Diploma: grade DMM
  • Access to HE Diploma: Pass overall with a minimum 106 UCAS Tariff points
  • UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma: grade of Merit overall
  • OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma: grade DMM
  • T level: We welcome applications from students undertaking T level qualifications. Eligible applicants will be asked to achieve a minimum overall grade of Merit as a condition of offer
  • IB Diploma: Pass overall with a minimum overall score of 26 or minimum 104 UCAS Tariff points from three Higher Level subjects
• International students:
  • IB Diploma: IB Diploma with minimum 26 points overall or 104 UCAS Tariff points from Higher Level. If students plan to meet the Level 2 course requirements through their IB Diploma, they will need to achieve Higher Level 4 or Standard Level 5 in English and Higher Level 4 or Standard Level 4 in Mathematics
  • IELTS: 6.0 overall with no individual element below 5.5

Fees and Funding

Tuition fees for the 2026/27 academic year are still being finalised for all courses.

Careers Support and Prospects

• Employed or in further study: 88.7% of our UK-domiciled, full-time, first degree graduates are employed or in further study 15 months after graduation.
• Explore your options and build sought-after skills: Through our Careers Service, students will be supported and encouraged to get ready for further study or working life, including starting their own business.
• A career as unique as you: Students graduate with a thorough understanding of how businesses function and how to effectively manage and develop people within organisations. Previous graduates have kick-started careers in a wide range of roles in management, commerce, banking, finance, manufacturing, public sector, HR operations and planning, recruitment, training and development.