Programme summary for MA International Human Resource Management

This programme is designed to enhance your skills and career opportunities in the field of managing people in an international context. It is designed to meet the advanced educational and personal development needs of HR specialists.

The focus is on expanding knowledge and competencies, enabling you to develop practical and transferable skills for operating in a multinational and multicultural environment.

In particular you will develop a set of theoretical and practical foundations for the management of international employees and dealing successfully with critical events such as cross-border mergers and acquisitions.

About the programme

Why International Human Resources Management?

The growing internationalism of economic activity means there is an increasing need for specialists to manage people across borders and continents. Global business poses a specific set of challenges not only for large firms, but also smaller enterprises that adopt international strategy at an early phase of development. This wide-ranging programme offers strategic, analytical and evaluative skills and competencies including decision making about international staffing, management of foreign nationals in their home countries and practical problems occasioned by cross-border and cross-cultural operations and management.

Programme structure

This is offered as full-time or part-time programme and consists of four taught modules focusing on international business strategy, managing people and transformation, management and research in an international context and international HRM. On successful completion of these modules you use knowledge gained to write a 14,000-word dissertation. This can either address a specific management problem or have an academic and research-based approach.

Added Value

The programme offers both the opportunity to engage in rigorous academic research and acquire practical and transferable skills in information handling and analysis.
You evaluate a range of approaches to people management and organisational strategy in the context of changing global and national contexts for business activities.
This programme builds on UEL’s long experience of offering successful postgraduate programmes in the UK, Europe and Asia.
You have the opportunity to share ideas and experiences with participants from a wide range of organisational backgrounds.

Career opportunities

The value of HRM to contemporary business is reflected in the senior and board-level roles available to professionals within this field. Graduates from this programme can expect to further their careers in multinational organisations. This is also a valuable programme to develop the specialist knowledge required to respond to organisational development or change – such as a move to international operations.

For more information see International Human Resources Management MA Programme Specification.

Support

The programme aims to provide consistent and continuing support for students through staff involved in teaching, administration and programme management. A key contact point is the Business School Helpdesk, which can help with a range of student enquiries in conjunction with academic staff.

There is also support to cover particular linguistic and academic needs through UEL’s Academic English Study Support service (AESS), delivered by the English Language Centre.

In general support is provided through,

accessible and supportive module tutors,
student support centre with dedicated staff,
induction process that aims to develop key skills for UK study,
an ongoing parallel support programme of English language and study skills,
an on-line facility for learning skills.
large learning resource facility with on-line databases,
self-study areas.

Admission

For admission to postgraduate business and management programmes, applicants normally need to have either:

An undergraduate honours degree from a recognised/accredited university with a minimum 2.2 classification or equivalent.
Pass in a recognised Premaster’s or Master’s Qualifying Programme.

Applicants for entry to the MA International Human Resource Management programme will normally be expected to have a first degree or equivalent with a minimum 2.2 award in a related or relevant subject area: this could include a first degree in business or management studies, commerce, economics, a social science, or a combination of these.

Applicants who do not meet this requirement will be considered on a case-by-case basis in the light of their professional and academic experience.

In the case of applicants whose first language is not English, an IELTS 6.0 (or equivalent qualification) is required. As a rule, no individual IELTS band should be below 6.0.

Candidates will be interviewed where appropriate. Candidates who do not fully meet the English-language requirement stated above may be offered the opportunity to perform a language test.

International qualifications will be checked for appropriate matriculation to UK Higher Education postgraduate programmes.

There will be a reasonable expectation that the applicant will be able to fulfil the objectives of the programmes and to achieve the standard required for the award.

The University will apply the principle of equality of opportunity to its admission activities and encourages the recruitment of local and regional students and those with special needs.