MSc Human Resources Management Curriculum
The programme consists of 12 core taught modules, assessed through a blend of continuous assessment, in-class assessment (examination) and assignments. Taught modules run across two terms: Michaelmas Term (September–December) and Hilary Term (January–April). The final Trinity Term (April–August) is dedicated to your dissertation. Please note that this programme includes a significant amount of group work assessment in multicultural and diverse teams. Given the collaborative nature of Human Resource Management, we believe this approach best prepares students for their future roles in the field.
| Module | ECTS |
|---|---|
| HR Digitalisation & AI in Practice | 5 |
| Human Resource Management | 5 |
| International Human Resource Management | 5 |
| Learning and Organisation Development | 5 |
| Evidence-Based Research | 5 |
| Advanced People Management Skills | 5 |
| Developing Skills for Leadership and Coaching | 5 |
| Performance and Rewards Management | 5 |
| Employment Law & Business Ethics | 5 |
| Managing Employee Relations | 5 |
| Resourcing and Talent Management | 5 |
| Work Design and Health | 5 |
| Dissertation | 30 |
Taught modules normally take place across Michaelmas and Hilary terms, with the final Trinity term dedicated to the dissertation.
Michaelmas Term |
Hilary Term |
Trinity Term |
|---|---|---|
|
September-December Michaelmas Term |
January-April Hilary Term |
May-August Trinity Term |
Note: Modules offered each academic year are subject to change. The modules listed above and below are the modules for 2026/27.
Module Descriptions
HR Digitalisation & AI Practice (5 ECTS)
Discover how artificial intelligence is reshaping talent acquisition, workforce planning, learning, employee experience and strategic decision-making. Through applied workshops, company engagement and organisational cases, you will experiment with AI tools while examining automation, people analytics, human-AI collaboration and digital transformation.
How this fits your MSc journey:
This practice-oriented module prepares you to become an AI-enabled HR professional who can evaluate technology critically and lead responsible adoption. It combines HR theory with hands-on experience and gives close attention to the ethical, legal and governance challenges surrounding AI at work.
Learning outcomes:
- Explain key technologies and emerging trends in HR digitalisation and human-AI collaboration.
- Analyse how organisations use AI to transform HR practice, work and decision-making.
- Critically evaluate the opportunities, risks and ethical implications of workplace AI.
- Develop evidence-based recommendations for responsible AI adoption and governance.
- Reflect on the capabilities required to lead AI-enabled change as an HR professional.
- Assess how sustainability in HRM affects employees, organisations and wider society.
- Evaluate the influence of HR practices on organisational strategy and performance.
- Identify and assess reliable research for use in real-world HR practice and cases.
Human Resource Management (5 ECTS)
Build a foundation in the theories, policies and practices through which organisations manage and develop people. You will examine the role of the HR function, the relationship between HR practices and organisational strategy, and the implications of HR decisions for employees, sustainability and performance.
How this fits your MSc journey:
This module sets the scene for the MSc by connecting core HR concepts with contemporary organisational practice. It develops the ability to use theory and high-quality evidence to evaluate HR choices and understand how people management contributes to organisational success.
Learning outcomes:
- Explain and apply key concepts and theories of human resource management.
- Critically evaluate the role and responsibilities of the HR function.
- Assess how sustainability in HRM affects employees, organisations and wider society.
- Evaluate the influence of HR practices on organisational strategy and performance.
- Identify and assess reliable research for use in real-world HR practice and cases.
International Human Resource Management (5 ECTS)
Explore what changes when organisations manage people across countries, cultures and regulatory systems. The module examines cross-cultural management, cultural intelligence, global talent, international performance standards, virtual and hybrid teams, and the ethical dilemmas that arise in geographically dispersed workforces.
How this fits your MSc journey:
Grounded in theory but focused on application, this module prepares you to translate global HR frameworks into workable local policies. You will learn to diagnose cross-border challenges, negotiate competing expectations and design approaches that avoid one-size-fits-all solutions.
Learning outcomes:
- Critically evaluate the institutional, cultural and regulatory factors shaping HRM in multinational organisations.
- Apply IHRM and cultural intelligence frameworks to cross-cultural and global-team challenges.
- Evaluate ethical and social dilemmas in managing a diverse, dispersed workforce.
- Design and justify approaches to global talent management and virtual or hybrid team coordination.
- Conduct and present research on an international HRM issue individually or collaboratively.
Learning and Organisation Development (5 ECTS)
Develop a critical understanding of how organisational context shapes learning and development. You will examine learning needs analysis, instructional design, facilitation and evaluation, together with organisation development, culture and change, and apply these ideas to the design and delivery of effective interventions.
How this fits your MSc journey:
This module builds specialist capability in learning and organisation development while showing how these activities connect with business strategy and wider HR practice. It combines professional, ethical and evidence-based perspectives to prepare you to support employee development and organisational change.
Learning outcomes:
- Analyse the contextual factors affecting organisational learning plans and interventions.
- Assess learning needs at organisational, team, occupational and individual levels.
- Apply learning and instructional design theory to select appropriate development methods.
- Facilitate learning for employees across different roles and organisational levels.
- Design evaluation methods and assess organisation development and change approaches.
Evidence-Based Research (5 ECTS)
Learn how to move beyond plausible explanations and make better-informed organisational decisions. Using the Evidence-Based Management framework, you will turn business problems into research questions, identify and evaluate different sources of evidence, examine causal explanations and select methods for collecting relevant new data.
How this fits your MSc journey:
HR professionals regularly influence high-impact decisions in areas such as recruitment, performance, reward and inclusion. This module develops the judgement needed to distinguish established practice from reliable evidence, diagnose HR problems rigorously and design credible research. It also provides a direct foundation for the dissertation.
Learning outcomes:
- Transform a decision problem into a research question that guides evidence collection.
- Identify and critically evaluate the evidence needed to inform a decision.
- Extract relevant evidence through a structured review of academic literature.
- Assess the strengths and limitations of methods for collecting empirical evidence.
- Select an appropriate research method for a defined question and organisational context.
Advanced People Management Skills (5 ECTS)
Develop and apply the practical skills needed for effective HR and people management. Through workplace scenarios, simulations, case studies and hands-on exercises, you will practice communication, influencing, interviewing, performance conversations, conflict resolution, and career development.
How this fits your MSc journey:
This applied module translates HR theory into professional practice. It builds confidence, judgement and workplace readiness, helping you demonstrate the interpersonal and reflective capabilities expected of an early-career HR professional across a range of organisational settings.
Learning outcomes:
- Apply practical HR and people management skills to workplace situations.
- Demonstrate effective interpersonal communication and influencing professional HR contexts.
- Plan and conduct interviews, performance discussions, conflict resolution, and career conversations.
- Critically reflect on professional practice and identify strategies for continued development.
Developing Skills for Leadership and Coaching (5 ECTS)
Lead with purpose by mastering the behaviours and ethics that define responsible leadership. Develop the practical coaching skills needed to inspire teams, adapt to challenges and create lasting impact in any organisational setting.
How this fits your MSc journey: Sharpens your leadership mindset and prepares you to guide others through effective, ethical and situationally aware decision-making.
Learning outcomes:
- Understand leadership approaches: Explore key models including servant and ethical leadership.
- Adapt your style: Apply leadership behaviours that suit different team needs and contexts.
- Practise core skills: Build confidence through hands-on exercises and real-world simulations.
- Coach for impact: Use coaching techniques to support individual and team development.
- Lead ethically: Promote sustainable, human-centred leadership practices.
Performance and Rewards Management (5 ECTS)
Explore how performance and reward systems can align employee contribution with organisational priorities. The module moves beyond pay benchmarking to examine performance management, total reward, fairness, motivation, job evaluation and the design of reward structures within labour market and equity constraints.
How this fits your MSc journey:
This module develops the analytical judgement and practical capability needed to design, communicate and evaluate performance and reward policies. It connects strategic HRM with employment relations, leadership and organisational behaviour, preparing you to advise leaders on complex people, performance and reward decisions.
Learning outcomes:
- Plan performance management policies and practices that support employee and organisational performance.
- Justify appropriate performance techniques, rewards and sanctions in different organisational contexts.
- Critically evaluate contemporary issues and evidence in performance and reward management.
- Compare transactional and relational approaches to reward using relevant theory.
- Design internally consistent reward structures that reflect labour market, fairness and equity considerations.
Researching HRM (5 ECTS)
Master the tools to ask sharper questions and design stronger studies. Learn how to plan and pitch empirical HRM research that stands up to academic and professional scrutiny. Build confidence in your ability to collect and analyse data, while developing a practical proposal to guide your dissertation.
How this fits your MSc journey: Equips you with the research mindset and methods needed to excel in your dissertation and any HRM research-led role.
Learning outcomes:
- Build research confidence: Gain practical skills to design and deliver HRM research projects.
- Understand research foundations: Explore key philosophies, methodologies and the role of theory in social science.
- Justify your approach: Learn to define research questions and select methods that fit your aims.
- Engage with literature: Review and apply existing research effectively to support your study.
- Practice responsible research: Understand ethical standards and best practices in academic research.
Employment Law & Business Ethics (5 ECTS)
Safeguard your organisation and people by mastering the legal and ethical foundations of the workplace. Learn how to navigate complex employment rights, resolve disputes and make sound decisions that balance business goals with fairness and compliance.
How this fits your MSc journey: Builds your capability to lead responsibly by aligning HR practices with legal standards and your own ethical values.
Learning outcomes:
- Understand key legal principles: Evaluate the foundations of Irish employment law and its practical impact.
- Advise with confidence: Identify legal risks and guide teams through employment law challenges.
- Respond to legal action: Lead strategic responses when disputes or legal proceedings arise.
- Stay legally informed: Keep pace with legal developments and assess their organisational implications.
- Balance ethics and law: Critically assess how ethical decision-making supports a fair and compliant workplace.
Managing Employment Relations (5 ECTS)
Examine how employment is shaped by legal, political, economic, social and psychological forces. The module traces the evolution of employment relations and considers the roles of the state, employers, employees and trade unions, alongside contemporary challenges such as globalisation, labour precarity and technology-enabled work.
How this fits your MSc journey:
This interdisciplinary module helps you understand employment relationships within their wider institutional context. Drawing on employment relations, HRM and work psychology, it develops the critical judgement needed to assess policy, regulation and workplace practice across different societies and organisational settings.
Learning outcomes:
- Explain the major theoretical perspectives in employment relations.
- Analyse how the state, trade unions, employers and employees shape the employment relationship.
- Critically evaluate the effects of public policy and legal regulation on HR strategy and practice.
- Appraise the psychological processes that influence employees' experiences of work.
- Evaluate how employment relations processes affect organisational policy, performance and employee engagement.
Resourcing and Talent Management (5 ECTS)
Explore how organisations attract, select, develop and retain the talent they need. The module follows the employee journey from workforce planning and job analysis through recruitment, selection, performance, learning and retention, while considering inclusion, changing labour markets, artificial intelligence and the future of work.
How this fits your MSc journey:
This module connects core HR practices with strategic workforce needs. Through cases and the design of a talent management system, you will learn to evaluate current approaches, apply evidence to real organisational challenges and develop inclusive, responsible solutions for acquiring and retaining talent.
Learning outcomes:
- Analyse how contemporary labour market trends influence talent management.
- Explain the principal activities within an integrated talent management system.
- Apply workforce planning and job analysis to organisational talent needs.
- Critically evaluate recruitment, selection and performance management methods.
- Recommend inclusive approaches that strengthen employee development and retention.
Work Design and Health (5 ECTS)
Investigate how the design of work influences employee motivation, effort, health and wellbeing, as well as organisational performance. The module examines work demands and resources, ergonomics, work psychology and the changing nature of work, including the effects of work design across careers and beyond the workplace.
How this fits your MSc journey:
This module equips you to recognise and address the links between job design, mental and physical health, and sustainable performance. You will integrate HRM and work psychology to diagnose risks, strengthen workplace resources and develop healthier work environments.
Learning outcomes:
- Explain the connections between work design, ergonomics and employee health and wellbeing.
- Evaluate work demands and resources within different organisational settings.
- Design work environments that mitigate demands and strengthen supportive resources.
- Apply work psychology to reduce distress and improve wellbeing and performance.
- Recommend strategies that help employees cope sustainably with changing work demands.
Dissertation (30 ECTS)
Undertake an in-depth individual investigation of an important issue in human resource management. You will define and justify a research problem, engage critically with relevant academic literature, select an appropriate methodology, analyse evidence and communicate conclusions and recommendations in a substantial written dissertation.
How this fits your MSc journey:
The dissertation is the capstone of the MSc and gives you the freedom to explore an HR topic, organisation or industry relevant to your interests and career plans. Building on Evidence-Based Research, it integrates HR theory, independent inquiry, data analysis, project management and professional communication.
Learning outcomes:
- Identify and justify an HR issue of strategic relevance to theory and practice.
- Critically analyse academic literature and contemporary HR policy and practice.
- Compare research methods and select an approach suited to the research question.
- Analyse quantitative and/or qualitative evidence systematically and present findings clearly.
- Develop coherent conclusions, viable recommendations and a reflective account of learning.