Course specification and structure
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PDGLHURM - Postgraduate Diploma Global Human Resource Management

Course Specification


Validation status Validated
Highest award Postgraduate Diploma Level Masters
Possible interim awards Postgraduate Certificate, Advanced Diploma in Professional Development
Total credits for course 120
Awarding institution London Metropolitan University
Teaching institutions London Metropolitan University
School Guildhall School of Business and Law
Subject Area Strategic Management
Attendance options
Option Minimum duration Maximum duration
Full-time 1 YEARS 2 YEARS
Part-time 2 YEARS 6 YEARS
Course leader  

About the course and its strategy towards teaching and learning and towards blended learning/e-learning

This course focuses on the issues and challenges facing practitioners in the Human Resource Management field.

The course material and orientation also reflect the most recent and emerging issues and challenges in the field of HRM. This makes it especially relevant to active HR practitioners.

Each module consists of a mixture of scheduled classes, guided learning, and self-directed learning. Teaching and learning is undertaken through lectures, seminars, discussions, group activities, workshops, projects and self-managed study. A wide range of delivery and assessment is incorporated to encourage this and particularly within a framework of digital literacy. The University’s online learning platform is used for all modules to give full access to the range of teaching materials, including class-based materials, links to academic and professional sources of knowledge and skills development, additional and supplementary reading and viewing, as well as online blogs, forums and collaborative learning and exchange arenas. Additional online access to materials, including journals, industry materials and governmental reports is available through the University’s library and online access. This is reflected in the classroom and online experiences encouraged and required and in the range of assessment detailed below in section two of the specification.

Course aims

This course aims to:

1) Provide the opportunity for postgraduate education which benefits individuals across a wide range of occupations concerned with human resource management, by enabling them to relate their practical experience to relevant theoretical and empirical research-based ideas and concepts.

2) Enhance students’ critical awareness of current issues and strategic developments in human resource management taking account of the nature and significance of national and international contexts e.g. employment systems, public policy, labour markets and organisational practice.

3) Offer a broad education whilst also allowing students to specialise in areas of occupational and academic interest (through both choice of designates and the dissertation).

4) Stimulate conceptual understanding that enables students to critically evaluate current research, scholarship and practitioner debates in the field of human resource and employment management and development, and to evaluate methodologies, developing critiques of them and, where appropriate proposing new developments in knowledge and understanding.

5) Develop students’ skills in interpersonal relationships in the work context and facilitate critical self-reflection and ongoing appraisal on the knowledge and skills gained and the implications for career development and progression.

6) Provide an opportunity for students to gain appropriate professional qualifications within the field of human resource management.

7) Enabling students to draw upon relevant, internationally valid theoretical and empirical research-based ideas and concepts, taking into consideration empirical examples of practice in the international context of Global HRM.

Course learning outcomes

On completion of the course, students will be able to:
LO1. Demonstrate an understanding of the historical, cultural, economic, legal, social and political factors which affect stakeholders’ attitudes, expectations, behaviour and strategies within a range of human resource and employment contexts;

LO2. Utilise an appropriate range of theoretical and analytical perspectives and techniques in the investigation and analysis of employment and human resource issues and problems;

LO3. Recognise and explain the environment and context in which human resource and employment management decisions are made and identify the practical implications of implementing policies and strategies in the human resource and employment management areas taking account of key actors, environment and context;

LO4. Analyse strategic and operational issues within organisations, and devise appropriate proposals and solutions to alleviate and resolve issues in organisational and employment contexts, using as appropriate accepted best practice within the people management field;


LO5. Apply general study skills (problem solving, group work, communication, presentation etc.) and be able to assess their own personal, professional and scholarly development needs and implement person¬al, professional and scholarly development plans; and

LO6. Demonstrate confidence, resilience, ambition and creativity and will act as inclusive, collaborative and socially responsible practitioners/professionals in their discipline.

LO7. Draw upon relevant, internationally valid theoretical and empirical research-based ideas and concepts, taking into consideration empirical examples of practice in the international context of Global HRM.

Principle QAA benchmark statements

Master's Degrees in Business and Management – June 2015.

Assessment strategy

The course is assessed formatively and summatively using blended learning as a starting point. Therefore assessment encourages engagement in digital literacy objectives as well as a range of assessment including reports, essays, reflective portfolios, case studies, group presentations, individual blogs and the preparation of research proposals.

All modules on the course include significant formative assessment and feedback, aimed not simply at improving success on summative assessments, but also on achieving sustained iterative personal professional development.

Course specific regulations

The course achieved accreditation in May 2022 from the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD). Provided they are members of the CIPD, all students who achieves the PGDip Global HRM will be able to apply for Associate Membership of the CIPD, a highly valuable lever to progression for HRM practitioners. Once their results are published, students need to contact the Course Leader with details of their CIPD membership number and date of birth. The Course Leader will then initiate the application process by passing on the results and related membership details to the CIPD using its bespoke online results system. The CIPD will then contact the students to progress the application.

Arrangements for promoting reflective learning and personal development

The course is mapped to the Professional Map of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) and seeks to reflect that body’s commitment to the importance and promotion of reflective learning and personal development planning. The course includes a summatively assessed reflective skills-based portfolio in one of the core modules (HR7135). The course’s other modules each contain components aimed at both developing and applying reflection to enable continuing professional development and personal development planning. The dissertation requires a section on personal reflection. See also section 20 on buddying, mentoring and networking within our community.

Career, employability and opportunities for continuing professional development

The course is mapped to the Professional Map of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) and in May 2022 it secured accreditation from the CIPD. Students who achieve the PGDip Global HRM will be able to apply for Associate Membership of the CIPD, which is a highly valuable lever to progression for HRM practitioners.
In order to further facilitate professional development, students have the option of joining “GSBL HRM”. This is a linkedin based group set up by the Course Leader which alumni and existing students of the HRM programme at GSBL (UG and PG) are exclusively entitled to join. The primary purpose of the group is to encourage valuable networking, buddying and mentoring across the programme and to facilitate the development of our own Community

Professional Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) accreditations & exemptions

You will need to join the CIPD when you begin your course. Upon successful completion of the course, you’ll gain Associate Membership of the CIPD.

Depending on your professional experience, you’ll also be able to apply for professional upgrading to achieve Chartered Membership or Fellowship. Our dedicated CIPD professional adviser will be available to guide you on your application to upgrade to Chartered status.

Upgrading to Chartered Membership or Chartered Fellowship of the CIPD enables you to use the designatory letters CMCIPD or CFCIPD, further enhancing your employability.

Career opportunities

Completing the Global Human Resource Management PG Dip will give you a significant career advantage. On the strength of their Management Research Reports, our graduates have gained full-time posts from their placements in financial services, leisure and tourism and major international charities.

Many have also gained significant promotions for instance in the health sector, while alumni in higher education have significantly developed their careers and entered roles such as Head of HR.

In the private sector, students have moved from general administrative and PA positions to heading strategic HR project team initiatives. Others have moved up into international HR management positions for global companies.

Entry requirements

You will be required to have:

a bachelor’s degree (2.2) in any subject or a three-year diploma in business that includes good grades in HR subjects; OR
a subject aligned level 5 professional qualification such as those from CIPD along with significant HR experience at a senior level, for which a interview would be needed on the basis of non-standard entry.
For non-native speakers of English, you'll need a minimum IELTS score of 6 (or equivalent) with a minimum score of 5.5 in all components.

In order to obtain the CIPD’s Advanced Level Diploma, you’ll need to apply for membership of the CIPD as soon as you join the course.

Official use and codes

Approved to run from 2022/23 Specification version 1 Specification status Validated
Original validation date 01 Jul 2022 Last validation date 01 Jul 2022  
Sources of funding HE FUNDING COUNCIL FOR ENGLAND
JACS codes 100085 (human resource management): 100%
Route code GLHURM

Course Structure

Stage 1 Level 07 September start Offered

Code Module title Info Type Credits Location Period Day Time
HR7010 International HRM: Working Across Cultures Core 20 NORTH SPR WED AM
HR7134 Contextualising Management Core 20 NORTH SPR WED PM
HR7135 Leading, Managing and Developing People Core 20 NORTH AUT THU PM
HR7159 Resourcing and Developing Talent Core 20 NORTH AUT TUE AM
BL7106 Employment Law and Practice Option 20 NORTH SPR WED EV
          NORTH AUT WED EV
CA7013 Sustainability in Global Companies Option 20 NORTH AUT MON AM
          NORTH AUT TUE PM
          NORTH AUT MON PM
          NORTH AUT TUE AM
FE7066 Data Analysis for Global Business Option 20 NORTH SPR TUE EV
HR7060 Employee Engagement Option 20 NORTH AUT MON PM
HR7146 Managing Employment Relations in Contemporary O... Option 20 NORTH SPR MON PM
MN7002 International Business Strategy with Simulation Option 20 NORTH AUT WED AM
          NORTH AUT WED PM
MN7008 International Project Management Practice Option 20 NORTH SPR TUE PM
          NORTH SPR TUE AM
          NORTH SPR WED PM
          NORTH SPR WED PM
          NORTH AUT MON PM
PY7011 Social Psychology Option 20 NORTH SPR MON PM