Human Resource Management
MSc
Key facts
Start dates
September 2024 / September 2025
Location
Course length
Full time: 12 months
Part time: 24 months
Department
Accreditation(s)
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
Overview
With our Human Resources Management MSc you’ll be prepared for a successful international career in a range of commercial, public sector and not-for-profit organisations. Our course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) to Advanced Diploma knowledge standards.
You will build your professional HR knowledge while developing your core HR skills with:
- skills development workshops
- visits to organisations to examine their HR practice.
You will become a member of the Chartered Association of Personnel and Development, the premier HR professional body, and you will:
- attend the Oxford CIPD monthly meetings
- receive briefings on the latest HR developments, including local and global employers.
While studying you'll have opportunities to apply for internships or volunteering roles. Past students have found placements with HR teams at Blenheim Palace and Oxfam.
You may also be interested in:

How to apply
Entry requirements
Specific entry requirements
This course attracts students from a wide range of backgrounds and nationalities. A minimum of a second class honours degree (2:2) in any academic discipline, or equivalent overseas degree from a recognised institution or equivalent professional or other qualification is required.
Applications are welcome from recent graduates hoping to start a career in HRM as well as those looking to take a break from work to take up full-time study or to study the programme part-time as part of their continuing professional development.
Entry will also be subject to two satisfactory references (one of these must be an academic reference).
Please also see the University's general entry requirements.
English language requirements
If English is not your first language you will need to have the following level of English language competency:
- minimum 6.0 (with a minimum of 6.0 in reading and writing and 5.5 in listening and speaking).
- if you have completed your undergraduate degree in the UK (at least one full year of study) you will automatically meet our English language requirements.
Please also see the University's standard English language requirements.
English requirements for visas
If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Visas and Immigration minimum language requirements as well as the University's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.
Pathways courses for international and EU students
We offer a range of courses to help you meet the entry requirements for your postgraduate course and also familiarise you with university life in the UK.
Take a Pre-Master's course to develop your subject knowledge, study skills and academic language level in preparation for your master's course.
If you need to improve your English language, we offer pre-sessional English language courses to help you meet the English language requirements of your chosen master’s course.
Terms and Conditions of Enrolment
When you accept our offer, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.
Application process
Tuition fees
Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
Tuition fees
Fees quoted are for the first year only. If you are studying a course that lasts longer than one year, your fees will increase each year.
The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support.
How and when to pay
Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.
- For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
- For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page
Additional costs
Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.
Compulsory costs
Additional costs | Amount (£) |
---|---|
You will need to be a student member of the CIPD while taking the programme. Please see CIPD Student Member fees for details. |
£99 |
Optional costs
Additional costs | Amount (£) |
---|---|
International Business in Practice Study Trip module (inc. accommodation for seven nights, insurance, company visits and group transportation for all activities). This fee did not include international airfare, visa application fee (if relevant), dinners and activities during your free time. |
£350-1500 |
It’s your responsibility to cover print / binding costs where coursework submission is required. Please note that a lot of the coursework is now submitted online. |
From £30 |
You may choose to purchase books to support your studies. Many books on our reading lists are available via the Library, or can be purchased secondhand. | £20-60 per book |
Accommodation fees in Brookes Letting (most do not include bills) |
£94-265 per week |
Accommodation fees in university halls (bills included, excluding laundry costs) |
£122-180 per week |
Graduation costs include tickets, gowning and photography. Gowns are not compulsory but typically students do hire robes, starting at £41. |
Typically £0-200 |
Students are responsible for their own travel to and from university for classes. BrookesBus travel is subsidised for full-time undergraduate students that are on a course with a fee of £9,250 or more, or living in an Oxford Brookes hall of residence. There is an administration fee for the production of a BrookesKey. |
From £10 |
Funding your studies
Financial support and scholarships
Featured funding opportunities available for this course.
All financial support and scholarships
Learning and assessment
Over the duration of the course, you will take nine compulsory modules. You will also complete a research project.

Study modules
Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.
Learning and teaching
We use a range of teaching methods, including:
- lectures
- seminar discussions
- practical workshops
- online learning, through our virtual learning platform.
You'll understand the challenges of HR in practice through a stimulating mix of theoretical and practical inputs.
Our teaching staff are active researchers. Some have an industry background with practical experience of HR and wider business and management issues.
We also organise visiting speakers from:
- business
- industry
- consultancies
- research bodies.
We offer an International Business in Practice Study Trip module.
Field trips
The International Business in Practice Study Trip module allows you to experience ideas and practices of global business. During the trip you will have direct interaction with management executives and practices. You will: attend presentations from local management executives and experts go on site visits to major corporations and agencies. This study trip is voluntary and you will need to fund all costs associated with the trip. It is not linked to university assessments in any way.
We also run a study trip to Chengdu, China. If you choose the study trip (which runs in July), we will give you all the details by March so that you can make your decisions ahead of the trip in July.
If you successfully complete this non-credit bearing module, it will be recorded on your transcript as P58335 International Business in Practice: Study Trip.
Assessment
Assessment methods used on this course
Most modules are assessed through a combination of course-work (typically 80%) and a group based assessment (typically, 20%). There are no written exams.
We use a range of assessment methods, such as:
- assignments
- individual or group reports
- group presentations.
Throughout the course, you'll develop the analytical and presentation skills that employers
look for.
Research
An annual HR Research conference is jointly hosted with Oxford CIPD.
There are two research clusters in the International Centre for Coaching and Mentoring Studies and the Centre for Diversity Policy Research and Practice which relate to this subject:
- Work and Organisations
- Management and Entrepreneurship Education.

After you graduate
Career prospects
Experience shows that our MSc HRM graduates are highly employable. They can follow a number of different career routes. Many graduates (alumni) are in HR departments across a wide spectrum of organisations, including;
- small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
- governmental bodies
- large global commercial organisations
- non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Some students develop academic careers and others follow consultancy opportunities or go into general management.
Related courses
Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been
published on the website. For more information, please visit our
changes to programmes page.