Programme content
The modules on the MA in HR and Consulting are taught over three terms, with a break at Christmas and Easter.
The related coursework assessment is not necessarily connected to one individual module but gives you scope to explore themes and issues arising from more than one area of study.
Term 1: October to December
The programme begins with an Induction Week, setting the scene for the MA as a whole. Groupwork activities are used to help students get to know one another and to reflect on styles of individual and team learning.
In Term 1 you study four modules:
Introduction to Human Resources and Consulting
Providing the essential building blocks for the programme and links to subsequent areas of study, this module covers the nature and purpose of HR and reviews management and organisational learning as a field of enquiry. During this module you will explore the HR-talent distinction; that talent drives value, whilst HR provides the structures and practices to develop it, and you will focus on the financial indicators that HR professionals can use to develop talent-led and consulting interventions. The module also develops interpersonal and collaborative learning skills and links these to associated theories.
Organisational Learning and Knowledge Management
Despite the growing importance of knowledge management for organisations large and small, the systems introduced have often not lived up to expectations, largely because they fail to take account of the learning processes within organisations. This module reviews the development of ideas about organisational learning and knowledge before considering how these ideas apply to real-life organisations – including those in which programme participants have working experience.
Research Methods I
This first research module introduces you to key principles and approaches in developing research. The module focuses on supporting the assessment process with knowledge and practical skills, including various research methods (e.g. interviews, participant observation, focus groups). It looks at the ethical and technical aspects of research methods and provides background on theoretical perspectives which are drawn upon in HR and consulting as well as more widely in management studies.
Design and Dynamics of Learning
The focus of this module is on the design of education, development and training events and on the processes that create the best environments and conditions for learning. These topics are explored in the context of both face-to-face delivery and virtual learning environments. The module has a significant practical element as you are invited to carry out your own learning designs, using the ideas and theories you have been introduced to, and you also participate in a networked or virtual learning experience.
Term 2: January to March
In Term 2, you study three further modules:
“I really like the freedom the MA gives you to choose your own topics to study and research.”
Paulius Fainas
MA HR & Consulting
Taking an advanced view into contemporary HR, the world of leadership and its development, on this module you will explore the idea of talent through the eyes of the HR director, the chief executive, the finance and strategy directors and many others. During the module you will examine what global service delivery looks like and the role played in shaping contemporary HR and talent practices by leading edge consulting. The module includes external speakers; in past years these have included speakers from Accenture, Deloitte, IBM, PA Consulting and the National Health Service. The module also explores fundamental approaches to management that are important to HR including the human relations approach and the open systems approach and their relevance for management practices. The module also examines key elements of management that are core to the development of leaders, namely employee motivation, diversity and teams.
Organisational Diagnosis and Consulting
This module gives you practical experience of working as a consultant and is highly relevant both to subsequent dissertations and to future employment in HR or organisational development. It looks at the nature of consulting and the role of internal and external consultants – both from a theoretical and a practical standpoint. It considers the research skills required for consultancy work and examines various ways of managing projects and organisational interventions. Working in small teams you then undertake a live consultancy for a client organisation, analysing the issues in the client’s brief and advising them on an appropriate course of action.
Research Methods 2
The second research module goes into more depth on different research methods (e.g. interviews, participant observation, focus groups) with further practical sessions to help you develop your research skills. The module also explores the various issues involved in compiling a literature review and reading around a topic or subject. It provides particular theoretical perspectives in relation to data analysis and helps you with techniques for analysing your own data.
Term 3: April to September
In the final stage of the programme you complete three further modules:
International HR and Leadership Development
This module provides a foundation for understanding the different cultural and institutional factors that affect the major economies of the world. It then considers the dilemmas currently faced by multinationals, and the solutions that they have developed in order to provide robust human resource development for their people.
Quantitative and Survey Research Methods
This module provides detailed guidance on undertaking large-scale research, using a range of quantitative research methods. The main methods covered are descriptive data analysis, statistical relationships (correlation and regression analysis), hypothesis testing, data reduction analysis (factor analysis) and data classification analysis (discriminant analysis).
Dissertation
Occupying the final three months of the programme, the dissertation allows you to undertake an extended piece of research in an area of particular personal interest, and to study that topic in depth. The research for the dissertation is frequently carried out in a company or across a series of companies/organisations.
