2020-21 MSc Human Resource Management Programme Design Document

	A	C	F	I	J	N	R	T	AB	AH	AI	AK	AR	AT	AX
1	1. Admissions/ Management Information
2	Title of the programme – including any lower awards Please provide the titles used for all awards relating to this programme. Note: all programmes are required to have at least a Postgraduate Certificate exit award. See guidance on programme titles in:
3	https://www.york.ac.uk/media/staffhome/learningandteaching/documents/programmedevelopment/Framework%20for%20Programme%20Design%20-%20PG.pdf
4	Masters			MSc Human Resources Management
5	Postgraduate Diploma			Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management						Please indicate if the Postgraduate Diploma is available as an entry point, ie. is a programme on which a student can register, is an exit award, ie. is only available to students exiting the masters programme early, or both.					Exit
6	Postgraduate Certificate			Postgradaute Certificate in Human Resource Management						Please indicate if the Postgraduate Certificate is available as an entry points, ie. is a programme on which a student can register, is an exit award, ie. is only available to students exiting the masters programme early, or both.					Exit
7	Level of qualification			Level 7
8	This document applies to students who commenced the programme(s) in:							2020
9	Awarding institution								Teaching institution
10	Unviersity of York								University of York
11	Department(s): Where more than one department is involved, indicate the lead department								Board of Studies
12	Lead Department		The York Management School
13	Other contributing Departments:
14	Route code (existing programmes only)							PMHUMSRMT1
15	Admissions criteria
16	Students require a 2:1. Students with a 2ii degree can compensate for their degree classification if they have had 12 -24 months or more years work experience in a relevant role. Students whose first degree was not taught in English should also have an appropriate English language qualification. Minimum acceptable qualifications are IELTS: with overall score of 6.5, with a writing score of no less than 6.5 and a minimum of 6.0 in all other components.
17	Length and status of the programme(s) and mode(s) of study
18	Programme				Length (years/ months)	Status (full-time/ part-time) Please select	Start dates/months (if applicable – for programmes that have multiple intakes or start dates that differ from the usual academic year)		Mode
19
20									Face-to-face, campus-based			Distance learning		Other
21	MSc Human Resource Management				1 year	Full-time			Please select Y/N		Yes	Please select Y/N	No
22	Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management				2 terms (approx 6 months	Full-time			Please select Y/N		Yes	Please select Y/N	No
23	Postgraduate Certificate in Human Resource Management				1 term (approx 3 months)	Full-time			Please select Y/N		Yes	Please select Y/N	No
24	Language(s) of study
25	English
26	Language(s) of assessment
27	English
28	2. Programme accreditation by Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Bodies (PSRB)
29	2.a. Is the programme recognised or accredited by a PSRB
30	Please Select Y/N:		Yes	if No move to section 3 if Yes complete the following questions
31	2.b. Name of PSRB
32	Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)
33	2.c. Please provide details of any approval/ accrediation event needed, including: timecales, the nature of the event, central support / information required:
34	We are currently awaiting feedback from the CIPD regarding the desk review documentation we submitted in April in relation to the re-formatted MSc HRM Programme. They had initially said there would be a 4 week turnaround period, which means feedback should have been received mid May.
35	2.d. Are there any conditions on the approval/ accreditation of the programme(s)/ graduates (for example accreditation only for the full award and not any interim award)
36
37	3. Additional Professional or Vocational Standards
38	Are there any additional requirements of accrediting bodies or PSRB or pre-requisite professional experience needed to study this programme?
39	Please Select Y/N:		Yes	if Yes, provide details
40	The additional standards required from the professional body is that all modules must be passed at 50 to achieve the Masters. Also, it is a requirement that a personal reflective statement (500 words approx) and a recommendation and implementation plan (750 words approx) is included in the Dissertation.
41	4. Programme leadership and programme team
42	4.a. Please name the programme leader for the year to which the programme design applies and any key members of staff responsible for designing, maintaining and overseeing the programme.
43	Frank Worthington
44	4.b. Who has been involved in producing the PLOs, programme map and enhancement plan? (please include confirmation of the extent to which colleagues from the programme team /BoS have been involved; whether student views have been incorporated, and also any external input such as external examiners, employer liaison board)
45	Sinead McCotter began the Pedagogy process for the HRM group during her time as MA HRM Programme Leader. At that time, HRM group members contributed to the development of the PLO first draft. In January, 2017, Tina Kowalski took over as Programme Leader. The pedagogy process has been led by Tina but with ongoing contributions from HRM group members both in terms of feedback on further development of the PLOs, but also with the module mapping process, whereby group members have indicated which PLO/s their module maps to and have completed the 'Progress towards PLO' and the 'By working on' sections in the spreadsheet. Once the group are satisfied with this content, it is intended that current MA HRM students will be invited to participate in focus groups to explore the appropriateness of the PLOs. It is also the intention of the group to ask the external examiner for the Programme (Dr Brigid Milner) to look over the draft documentation and also an external stakeholder (Sue Porter, Chair of the North Yorkshire branch of CIPD) to invite their feedback too.
46	5. Purpose and learning outcomes of the programme
47	5.a. Statement of purpose for applicants to the Masters programme Please express succinctly the overall aims of the programme as an applicant facing statement for a prospectus or website. This should clarify to a prospective masters student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
48	Understanding how to recruit, select, retain and develop employees effectively is increasingly important if organisations are to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage, particularly in a global business environment which is becoming ever more turbulent. As a graduate of the MSc in HRM, you will be equipped with the skills and the knowledge to prepare you for entering roles in employment relations and within the contemporary HRM function, in the UK and in international settings. You will be able to use these skills in your role as an HR professional through developing and shaping HR strategy and integrating it with broader business strategies. You will develop a strong understanding of how the contemporary HRM function contributes to sustainable performance within and across a range of organisational contexts, whilst being aware of how to respond appropriately to the interests and needs of both internal and external stakeholders. You will gain an appreciation for the pertinence of undertaking the HR role in a manner that respects employment relationships and which nurtures a supportive work environment for a diverse workforce. The MSc HRM will enhance your ability and confidence to respond decisively to business demands with relevant and evidence based HR solutions. Completion of the MSc in HRM can facilitate progression into a broad spectrum of both general and specialist management and HR roles such as; HR consultancy, employment relations, talent management, recruitment and selection specialisms, or management consultancy roles.
49	5.a.i Statement of purpose for applicants registering for the Postgraduate Diploma programme Please express succinctly the overall aims of the programme as an applicant facing statement for a prospectus or website. This should clarify to a prospective diploma student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
50	(max 500 words)
51	5.a.ii Statement of purpose for applicants registering for the Postgraduate Certificate programme Please express succinctly the overall aims of the programme as an applicant facing statement for a prospectus or website. This should clarify to a prospective certificate student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
52	(max 500 words)
53	5.b.i. Programme Learning Outcomes - Masters Please provide six to eight statements of what a graduate of the Masters programme will be able to do. If the document only covers a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma please specify four to six PLO statements in the sections 5.b.ii and 5.b.iii as appropriate. Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme. They should also be outcomes for which progressive achievement through the course of the programme can be articulated, and which will therefore be reflected in the design of the whole programme.
54	PLO	On successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to:
55	1	To analyse and evaluate the full spectrum of contemporary HR functions, using knowledge of cutting-edge HRM theories, approaches and methods (and by critically considering historical, social and ethical factors at play in contemporary organisations) in order to support the workforce to facilitate improved organisational performance.
56	2	To demonstrate an advanced understanding of skills and knowledge relevant to international HR contexts in order to uphold the professional principles of HR in diverse contexts, both within and across organisations and cultures.
57	3	To provide clear and accurate information on contemporary HR issues to a range of stakeholders by defining, managing, synthesising and interpreting complex organisational data from multiple sources.
58	4	To appropriately identify and apply problem-solving processes and a range of HR metrics to tailor HR solutions to address complex business problems.
59	5	To assess and manage multi-faceted individual and organisational HR challenges so as to nurture a supportive work environment by respecting the employment relationship, and balance the demands of complex HR operations.
60	6	To identify, evaluate and actively promote the role of HRM in developing and shaping strategies to encourage sustainable and ethical practices within organisations.
61	7	To critically reflect on the learning process in order to identify areas to be targeted in order to achieve continuing personal and professional development goals
62	8	To identify and independently investigate a significant problem in the domain of HRM, deploying appropriate research methods to present a substantial, in-depth critical analysis of the problem in written form.
63	5.b.ii. Programme Learning Outcomes - Postgraduate Diploma Please provide four to six statements outlining what a graduate of the Postgraduate Diploma programme will be able to do. Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme. They should also be outcomes for which progressive achievement through the course of the programme can be articulated, and which will therefore be reflected in the design of the whole programme.
64	PLO	On successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to:
65	1
66	2
67	3
68	4
69	5
70	6
71	5.b.iii. Programme Learning Outcomes - Postgraduate Certificate Please provide four to six statements outlining what a graduate of the Postgraduate Certificate programme will be able to do. Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme. They should also be outcomes for which progressive achievement through the course of the programme can be articulated, and which will therefore be reflected in the design of the whole programme.
72	PLO	On successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to:
73	1
74	2
75	3
76	4
77	5
78	6
79	5.c. Explanation of the choice of Programme Learning Outcomes Please explain your rationale for choosing these PLOs in a statement that can be used for students (such as in a student handbook). Please include brief reference to:
80	i) ... in what way will these PLOs result in an ambitious, challenging programme which stretches the students?
81	The HR profession is experiencing a time of great change as the business environment becomes increasingly globalised, and ever more turbulent. It is an exciting and challenging time to enter into the profession and the eight PLOs formulated by the HRM group for the MSc HRM programme reflect this Although the HR department provide a core function by being responsible for the recruitment and retention of employees, historically, HR has not held a strategic position in an organisation. As times change, and employees are now seen as one of the key ways in which organisations can develop and retain competitive advantage, HR is finding a more strategic foothold and entering into this profession in current times requires an understanding of how HR can shape organisational strategy. The PLOs highlight the importance of cutting edge theory, approaches and methods, ensuring that students have a contemporary awareness and understanding of HR in practice. The programme stretches and challenges the students by requiring them to develop a strong understanding not just of the theory behind the HR function, but also how it operates in practice, for example by using real life case studies as learning resources. There is also an expectation that students will adopt a critical awareness of key topics to propel them towards a deeper more nuanced understanding of the field, but also that they develop the skill to critically reflect on their own learning and practice in order for them to work more effectively towards their own personal and professional development goals.
82	ii) ... in what way will these PLOs produce a programme which is distinctive and advantageous to the student?
83	The PLOs generated for the MSc HRM produce a distinctive and advantageous programme for students in part due to its specialised nature and alignment with a particular profession, that of HRM. A more generic business and management programme will introduce students to a broad range of management topics. The content of the HRM programme is tailored specifically to developing core knowledge and a deep understanding of theories, approaches and methods affiliated with the HRM profession and will be directly valuable to students due to the range of roles that this will enable them to apply for within the domain of people management. furthermore, the continuing CIPD accreditation of this programme gives the seal of approval from the professional body for HR practitioners in the UK to indicate to future employers that the programme students have graduated from meets their criteria and high levels of standards.
84	iii) ... how the design of the programme enables students from diverse entry routes to transition successfully into the programme? For example, how does the organisation of the programme ensure solid foundations in disciplinary knowledge and understanding of conventions, language skills, mathematics and statistics skills, writing skills, lab skills, academic integrity
85	The Management School more broadly, and this programme specifically, have a commitment to providing a supportive learning environment for all students. It is well established in the Programme that we have high numbers of international students applying to participate in our HRM programme and that, if this will be the first time these students have studied in the UK, that they may require support with their language skills prior to commencing the course. For the students who this is relevant for, the CELTS department within the university provide 'pre-sessional classes' over the summer vacation to students accepted on to the programme who meet the criteria to attend language support classes. This experience prior to starting the course helps to develop students spoken and written language skills, helps to improve their confidence of speaking in English and also gives them an indication of the teaching and learning style adopted in the Management School which can help prepare them in advance of commencing the course. In addition to this, all students receive an induction both to the Unviersity of York and to the Management School/HRM programme specifically. This period of induction is crucial to acclimatise students to their new learning environment and to give students the opportunity to meet fellow students and staff members. Currently on the programme, CELTS run an academic writing skills course that runs throughout Autumn term. This is open to all students and can provide useful knowledge to students and again give them an opportunity to dewvelop their confidence in academic writing. These are the most central forms of support to our HRM students, which also tend to be time specific. In addition though, students have access at any time during their study period to a number of other support options and resources. For example, they have acces sto online resources and opportunities for face to face contact with support services such as the Open Door team and also to training opportunities for example from the Maths Centre or from the Writing Centre. The postgraduate office staff in the Management School are a core form of support to all students on the programme and are often a first port of call for students who have queries regarding any number of issues ranging from fee payments to visa compliance to updating personal details on the University system. If there are questions that the PG office can't answer, they invariably know where to signpost a student to. Each student is also assigned a personal supervisor from day one of the programme and this provides students with a named point of contact if they have any pastoral or academic issues that they wish to discuss. For many of our HRM students, this is their first time in the UK so to have a named person to go to if they have any questions can be extremely valuable.
86	iv) ... how the programme is designed to enable students to progress successfully - in a limited time frame - through to the end of the award? For example, the development of higher level research skills; enabling students to complete an independent study module; developing competence and confidence in practical skills/ professional skills. See QAA masters characteristics doument http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/Masters-Degree-Characteristics-15.pdf
87	Given that the Masters programme is only one year, it is important that students are aware of and understand the level at which they need to perform in order to complete the Masters successfully in the limited time frame. The modules in the first term introduce students to some of the core skills required at Masters level that they will require throughout the year of study which students can then begin to develop from the outset, if they are not already at that level. The ordering of the modules has been well thought through in this respect, for example, that HRM in Context is in the first term as this introduces students to the range of functions that HR perform but also puts this into context in terms of how the profession has developed and how other change, for example, societal and political have shaped the field of HR too. This provides firm foundations for students to then buil on in later modules. The Employment Relations and Changing Nature of Work looks more specifically at the characteristics of employment relationships and how the nature of work itself has been changing too. The third module in the first term gives students that first insight into HR in practice as it serves to make them aware of, and develop their skills for Business Leadership. For the programme to be distinctive and ambitious the inclusion of a practical module is imperative. This module is also co-facilitated by a highly experienced HR practitioner, introducing students early on to HR in practice in conjunction with the theory being learnt in the other two modules. This is also one of the reasons why the re-formatted programme has all core modules, to ensure that students graduate from the programme with a well rounded knowledge of contemporary theory and practice in this fast changing field. Formative assessments, and ongoing informal feedback in the Skills module allow students (and staff) to gauge their progress and to ascertain whether they are performing at Masters level prior to being formally assessed in these modules. This opportunity for formative feedback will enable students to use and learn from this in their summative assessments, not only for those modules but in forthcoming modules too. The modules in the second term build on these firm foundations and are more specialised (Organisation Capacity Building; Global Perspectives in HRM and Employment Relations) and continue to focus on the cutting edge and contemporary in the HRM and Sustainability module which covers an array of different topics pertinent to HR at the current time, so for example, corporate social responsibility, or the role of technological advances. In the second term then students knowledge and understanding becomes more nuanced. It makes pedagogical sense for the independent research project to come at the end of programme by which time students will have two full terms of developing those higher level research skills of independent, self directed study, critical analysis and reflection which will equip them with the confidence and the skills to design and carry out their own project on an HR related topic of their choice. The Research SKills module and DIssertation module which run across the Spring and Summer term are specifically tailored to prepare students for this final and substantial piece of assessment.
88	v) ... how this programme (as outlined in these PLOs) will develop students’ digital literacy skills and how technology-enhanced learning will be used to support active student learning through peer/tutor interaction, collaboration and formative (self) assessment opportunities (reference could be made to such as blogging, flipped classroooms, response 'clickers' in lectures, simulations, etc).
89	All module resources are available to students in an online format (via the VLE pages). Thus, digital literacy is encouraged from the outset so that students familiarise themselves with how to access lecture slides, reading lists and other online support materials. Reading lists for each module are solely online and encourage students to engage with the well developed library pages in order to identify appropriate electronic resources to inform their understanding of the module and to prepare for their formative and summative assessments. Students also need to submit their assessments through an online portal so in these respects, digital literacy is intrinsic to the programme. At present, there is little in the Programme that requires students to use or develop their digital literacy skills within the classroom (please see Enhancement Plan for more details on how this could be addressed)
90	vi) ... how this programme (as outlined in these PLOs) will support and enhance the students’ employability (for example, opportunities for students to apply their learning in a real world setting)? The programme's employablity objectives should be informed by the University's Employability Strategy:
91	http://www.york.ac.uk/about/departments/support-and-admin/careers/staff/
92	Currently, there is no formal provision in the programme for all students to apply their learning in a real world setting (see Enhancement Plan in relation to this), in terms of actually going out into a workplace. However, the Skills for Business Leadership course does give students that crucial insight into the 'real world' of HRM as it introduces them each week to various skills used by HR professionals in their day to day roles. The module being co-taught by a practitioner helps in giving students exposure to a real world practical perspective too. Across other modules, use of real life case study examples are a conscious inclusion into the modules to again increase student awareness of real workplace issues and potential challenges and solutions for HR professionals in these cases. Finally, depending on what students choose to do for their research dissertation, it is possible that students link up with an organisation to conduct their fieldwork which, although from an observer perspective can provide insight into real world work settings and the issues that can arise.
93	vii) Consultation with Careers The progamme proposal should be discussed with Careers (tom.banham@york.ac.uk, ext. 2686) Please provide details of Careers' comments and your response.
94	Due to the specialised nature of the course, where successful completion of the course and the CIPD accreditation already focuses students towards a particular career path, and signposts potential employers to students aptitude for a role in HR, the central Careers department have not yet been consulted with. However, in order to ensure that studnets have as much support and guidance regarding careers and opportunities through connections between the University and employing organisations, this is something that will be addressed as the new programme rolls out. Although central Careers have not been consulted with, the Careers team within the Management School have had input into the Masters programme in previous years (offering advice sessions, one to one consultations, CV writing clinics, arranging guest speakers with an HR background/experitise) which has been well received by students and which is a relationship we are keen to nurture, again to give students the best possible advice for their future careers. One specific example being that as many of our students are international, they are often keen to seek advice on visa requirements/constraints to working in the UK which the Careers advisors have been able to assist with.
95	viii) ... how learning and teaching on the programme are informed and led by research in the department/ Centre/ University?
96	Research led teaching is encouraged within the School, and across the University more broadly. Careful thought has been given to the development of the revised MSc HRM, to be rolled out for the first time this year, and has been infuenced considerably by the research interests and expertise of the HRM group members. SImon de Turbeville's longstanding academic and research interest is employment relations, for example, was the driver for the design of first term module 'Employment Relations and the Changing Nature of Work', that Simon is leading. Interdisciplinarity is a key research theme across the School and this is reflected in our collaboration with an external Employment Law tutor who will contribute to two of the modules within the programme to share their specialised expertise and introduce students to the benefits of adopting a more holistic approach to HRM, incorporating content from across disciplines.
97	5.d. Progression For masters programmes where students do not incrementally 'progress' on the completion of a discrete Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma, please summarise students’ progressive development towards the achievement of the PLOs, in terms of the characteristics that you expect students to demonstrate at the end of the set of modules or part thereof. This summary may be particularly helpful to students and the programme team where there is a high proportion of option modules and in circumstances where students registered on a higher award will exit early with a lower one. Note: it is not expected that a position statement is written for each masters PLO, but this can be done if preferred.
98	On completion of modules sufficient to obtain a Postgraduate Certificate students will be able to: If the PG Cert is an exit award only please provide information about how students will have progressed towards the diploma/masters PLOs. Please include detail of the module diet that students will have to have completed to gain this qualification as an exit award.
99	To achieve the Diploma in HRM, students will have successfully passed 60 credits from modules in the programme. They will not have completed a research dissertation and therefore will not have progressed towards PLO 8. They will have progresed towards achiveing other PLOs, either in part or in full.
100	On completion of modules sufficient to obtain a Postgraduate Diploma students will be able to: If the PG Diploma is an exit award only please provide information about how students will have progressed towards the masters PLOs. Please include detail of the module diet that students will have to have completed to gain this qualification as an exit award.