Course Overview
HR professionals are in demand as the people who mobilise an organisation's greatest asset: its people. This master's will allow you to gain the necessary knowledge and skills to lead and manage people in the competitive business environment.
This course is designed for professionals who have an organisational responsibility for human resources at an operational, tactical or strategic level and are looking for professional and career development.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) have accredited our course, adding value to you when you graduate.
Build the skills you need to give businesses an edge
Our course balances academic theory and practical knowledge and skills. You'll learn advanced theories and strategic insights alongside developing your organisational, leadership and management skills.
Our range of contemporary, optional modules give you the opportunity to specialise. Whether you're interested in organisational development, learning and development, occupational psychology or employment law, we give you the chance to further your knowledge in those areas.
Start your journey as a professional HR practitioner
Employers will value your master's. It is accredited by the CIPD, the largest body for HR professionals in Europe.
We also understand that many students on this course will already be working in the industry. This course is flexible and can be taken full-time or part-time.
Course Leader, Pia Carnegie, has written an article on how to adopt a more proactive approach to recruitment.
Course Details
Bucks Business School runs a wide range of courses designed to make students 'business ready'. We have an excellent teaching team that blend practical experience with leading research into business theory.
Thanks to our proximity to London, we've been able to build great industry links over the years that benefit our students. We have relationships with many local businesses and global organisations.
Share insights with industry professionals
We give you the opportunity to discuss and debate the latest concepts and developments in HR. Our guest lecturers will keep you updated on the industry with their own experiences.
Flexible teaching methods
We recognise that you may be taking this course while you're already working. To help fit with your working life, we offer a flexible approach to education, delivering a mixture of lectures, tutorials and group learning. While you'll have a set amount of contact hours, we make sure that every hour is packed with informative and beneficial knowledge.
At Bucks, we believe that one-to-one teaching makes a huge difference. Our tutors each have a wealth of HR experience and are experienced academics. You'll always have the full support of our staff. Their guidance will help you unlock your potential
What are the course entry requirements?
To apply, you'll need either an honours degree (or equivalent) or a CIPD level 5 qualification. As we accept applications on an individual basis, we also look at your experience in HR as this can be just as valuable as a degree.
We also interview applicants as part of our admissions. Interviews help us gauge who you are as a person as well as a prospective student. If your first language is not English or your language of instruction at undergraduate level was not English you be required to demonstrate English proficiency at a score of IELTS level 6.5 or its equivalent.
For further details of our international English entry requirements, please visit our international pages.
Course Modules
Modules
- Leading, Managing and Developing People
- Essential Human Resource Management
- Performance Management
- HRM in Context
- Developing Skills for Effective Use of Information
- Dissertation
- Investigating a business issue from an HR perspective (optional)
- Profiting from Diversity (optional)
- Organisational Psychology (optional)
- Organisational Design and Development (optional)
- Employment Law (optional)
- Learning and Talent Development (optional)
Fees
How much does it cost
Full Time Home and EU, Academic Year 2021-2022: £9,800
Full Time International, Academic Year 2021-2022: £14,300
Most courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees.
You could benefit from financial support through a bursary or scholarship during your time as a student. For more details visit our financial support, bursaries and scholarships section.
Questions about fees?
Contact our Enquiries Team:
0330 123 2023
advice@bucks.ac.uk
How do I apply?
For application details please visit bucks.ac.uk/applying-to-bucks
Teaching team
Student Testimonials
Our students are our best ambassadors and their voices here will provide you with a clear sense of their Bucks experience.

David O'Reilly
After completing an MA in Human Resource Management, I am now heading up a small HR team for a company and love my job. A lot of that is to do with my ability and personality but having an MA from Bucks New University behind me gives me the confidence to make decisions that I know have a sound basis in HR best practices. I also was invited to apply for a Chartered Membership of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development as a direct result of my studies, which was a real help to my career aspirations. I appreciated the opportunity to learn about HR from not only the theoretic position but also how that actually worked in different industries and can attest to the quality and support of the whole course team.

Jane Whiley
Having worked in recruitment consultancy for 14 years I chose to study MA Human Resource Management in order to gain a broader understanding of talent acquisition whilst capitalising on my external recruitment experience. I chose to study on a part-time basis, as I needed this course to dovetail with both my work and home commitments.
Assignments have been challenging, but my tutors Pia Carnegie and John Hathaway, have consistently made themselves available to support me and help me achieve my goals. I can honestly say I have taken something invaluable away from every module and tutor feedback on assignments has been a great help. I have learned how to research, how to think critically, how to write academically and apply theory to my own workplace situation.
The MA HRM at Bucks has far exceeded my initial 'logistical' requirements and has given me so much more confidence, not just academically, but to be able to apply critical thinking in my workplace too.