Human Resource Management
PGDip

Course summary and entry requirements

Course duration
Part-time: 2 years

Professional accreditation
Accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), Europe's largest human resource and development professional body.

About the course

This part-time course will develop your understanding of organisations and the external context within which HR operates. Using critical analysis, self-reflection and problem-solving techniques, you will learn how to develop and implement creative and strategic HR solutions that drive organisational performance.
The course aims to:
- develop the business understanding and HR knowledge that employers look for
- demonstrate that you meet CIPD's criteria for best practice in HR
- showcase your ability to create a real impact in the workplace
- demonstrate your commitment to your continuing professional development
- enhance your CV and help you stand out from the crowd
Everything you learn can be applied in the workplace with immediate effect.
The course is taught one day per week (afternoon and evening combined) over two years. However, if your circumstances change you may exit with a postgraduate certificate after one year.
On successful completion of the diploma-level course, graduates with sufficient experience may apply to become a CIPD Chartered Member. This signals your professional credibility to employers, clients and peers. It also entitles you to use letters after your name (Chartered MCIPD).

Typical entry requirements

Individual offers may vary.
Course content

Syllabus

First year
- Developing Skills for Business Leadership
- Leading, Managing and Developing People
- HRM in Context
Second year
- Organisational Design and Development
- Employment Law
- Managing the Employment Relationship
- Investigating a Business Issue from a Human Resources Perspective
Fees and costs

The fees below are for students enrolling on the course in the academic year 2013-14.

UK/Europe students:
Year 1 - £3,060
Year 2 - £3,060*

For information about international fees please contact s.r.sutcliffe@brighton.ac.uk

*Please note that the 2nd year fee only applies to continuing students who enrolled in the previous academic year. Fees for subsequent years are subject to change.
Location

Location Moulsecoomb

Located to the north of Brighton city centre, the Moulsecoomb campus offers students an excellent learning environment and a wide range of facilities. It is the largest of our five campuses with over 8,000 students.
View campus maps and directions
Living in Brighton
Brighton’s rich mix of historic architecture, lively arts scene, varied shopping and cosmopolitan community make it a vibrant, enjoyable place to live. It is no wonder that many Brighton graduates choose to stay here.
Social scene
Alongside the traditional seaside attractions, Brighton is famed for its exciting social scene with a wide choice of pubs, clubs and restaurants.
Arts
The highlight of the city’s cultural year is the Brighton Festival. The event is held each May and is England’s biggest arts festival, which showcases arts and performance from around the world. Brighton is also home to the UK’s oldest working cinema, the Duke of York’s, which shows alternative and mainstream films. The city is also well known for its exciting music scene and hosts The Great Escape music festival.
Sports
Whether you take your sport seriously or just want to keep fit, Brighton offers all kinds of sports opportunities and facilities, on and off campus. You can also make the most of the location, and play volleyball, basketball and windsurfing down by the beach. The seafront is also the finishing point for the famous London – Brighton bicycle ride and the quirky veteran car run.
Staff profiles

Dr Penny Simpson, Course Leader

Penny teaches Human Resources, Organisational Behaviour and Research on our undergraduate, postgraduate and professional courses. She supervises theses and projects, aiming to support and inspire students engaging in research.

She is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), and has a PhD in Management Studies from King’s College, London and an MSc in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Penny has a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice and is a registered practitioner with the Higher Education Academy.

In 2009, Penny won a University of Brighton Facilitating/Empowering Learning Award (Teaching Excellence Award) for her teaching. In 2006, she gained her Postgraduate Diploma in Research Methods achieving a distinction.

Prior to joining the University of Brighton in 2003, Penny held a number of managerial roles within organisations and advised external clients on human resource and organisational issues. During her experience with commercial organisations Penny developed and delivered a broad range of learning, training development and was an accredited Management Development Trainer.

In 2001, Penny was awarded her Graduate Certificate of Change Management from the Australian Graduate School of Management. Change management is a subject that Penny is passionate about she has developed related modules to offer learners opportunities to develop their knowledge and understanding of change.

Penny's key areas of interest are People Management and Management Development, Human Resources, Organisational Behaviour, Organisational Development, Organisational and Individual Change and the Customer Oriented Behaviour of Service Employees.

She is a member of the Centre for Research on Management and Employment (CROME) research group.
Career opportunities

Many HR job advertisements state that it is highly desirable for applicants to have a CIPD-approved qualification. This course fulfills that requirement, opening up career opportunities as well as giving you greater confidence in your current role.
Successful completion of the course provides an excellent base for developing a career in people management and development. It demonstrates your professional credibility to employers, clients and peers.
The course is designed to help you succeed in both generalist and specialist HR roles. With generalist roles, such as a HR Business Partner, you are more likely to provide a comprehensive HR service covering a range of HR activities.
Specialist HR positions are typically available in larger organisations and may include the following areas:
- Recruitment and selection: planning and leading the recruitment and selection of employees for the organisation.
- Graduate recruitment: accountable for selecting graduate employees.
- Learning and development: responsible for the end-to-end learning, training and development activity for employees.
- Organisational Development: focussed upon organizational effectiveness.
- Compensation: including pay and benefits, managing and evaluating employee benefits, conforming to legislation and implementing policies.
- Equality and diversity: leading the equality agenda by promoting equality and diversity within the organisation.

Visit the careers service website.
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Accredited by the CIPD

Our Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management is accredited by the CIPD, the world’s largest Chartered HR and development professional body. The CIPD is a globally recognised organisation with over 135,000 members across 120 countries.

During your studies, you are encouraged to apply for CIPD student membership which entitles you to full access to the CIPD’s website, the monthly People Management Journal, and many other benefits.

On completion of the Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management you will have gained the knowledge required to work towards CIPD Chartered Member (MCIPD) or Chartered Fellow (FCIPD).

CIPD Chartered Membership demonstrates you have the expertise needed to plan and manage generalist or specialist projects. Gaining professional membership is an achievement that ensures you stand out in your career. It is respected by employers and industry alike, and may also increase your earning potential.

Why Brighton Business School?

The Business School at the University of Brighton has a postgraduate community of around 600 students from a diverse range of backgrounds whose learning experience is enriched by the high quality of our research.

The latest Research Assessment Exercise (2008) ranked us in the top 15 UK business schools in terms of world-leading research outputs. Our postgraduate programmes reflect the research that is being undertaken.

CROME (Centre for Research on Management and Employment) is a research group dedicated to human resource management and labour markets. The group has a particular interest in the relationship between HR practices and policies and how individuals and organisations perform.

Student support

The University of Brighton offers a network of student support services, all of which are fully available to students studying our Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management.

The University's Careers Centre provides information about careers, courses and job vacancies. Brighton Business School has a designated Careers Adviser, who is available for student consultation on a one-to-one basis.