Accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) – the only professional body in the world that can award Chartered status to HR or learning and development professionals – this specialist course focuses on international human resource management (HRM), 

As globalisation encourages companies to operate and trade in multiple locations, and provides more opportunities for staff to work abroad, managing and developing people has never been more critical – or complex. On our MA, you’ll learn to appreciate the unique challenges of international HRM – from the cultural, legal and economic differences to remote relationship building.

Our problem-based approach to teaching means you’ll get to apply what you learn to management problems through assignments and projects based on actual situations. We’ll draw on everyday HR issues in the news, case studies and current examples, at times addressing some of our own students’ workplace experiences. Demonstrating evidence-based HRM, you’ll learn to collect and analyse relevant data and information, developing your ability to identify, evaluate and propose the most appropriate solutions, looking at issues ranging from expatriate employment, employee engagement, managing change and reward management.

Each year, our annual HRM conference offers you the chance to hear direct from a range of guest speakers, who have previously covered issues such as immigration and labour supply, and the impact of EU legislation on employee relations post-Brexit. You’ll also have the opportunity to develop essential HR practitioner skills through a series of practical workshops in areas such as finance, employment law, interviewing, disciplinary and grievance handling, counselling and negotiating. Working in teams, you might simulate dealing with a disciplinary hearing, for example, or conducting a job evaluation exercise. When studying people resourcing, you may participate in an assessment centre or practise your interviewing skills.

Fully accredited by the CIPD, this course is ideal if you’re coming to study from outside the UK or if you're looking to pursue or advance your HRM career with organisations operating at an international level. Successfully completing it will set you on the path to Chartered Membership and Fellowship, alongside the relevant professional practice. Past graduates have secured jobs as consultants (internal and external), HR managers, compensation and benefits managers, change management specialists, HR business partners/operations managers, civil servants and mediators.

Graduates will be able to develop an international management career within a wide range of business management opportunities, potentially working locally, nationally and trans-nationally for global corporations, trans-European, trans-Asian, African or Australasian companies. You could pursue management consultancy, general HRM, become an expatriate HRM specialist or facilitate organisational development, such as a move from national to international operations.

Past students have gone on to become consultants (internal and external), HR managers, compensation and benefits managers, change management specialists, HR business partners/operations managers, civil servants, and mediators. Companies that have employed our students include PricewaterhouseCoopers, Capgemini, BBC, and Visa. 

With a growing global network of 3,000 employers, our Careers and Employability Service is here to support you to achieve your full potential.