• Postgraduate

Human Resource Management PgDip

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Overview

Overview

Why study at the University of West London? 
  • Ranked 30th university in the UK - The Guardian University Guide 2025
  • Number 1 London university for overall student satisfaction - National Student Survey 2024**
  • Best university for Student Experience and Teaching Quality in the UK - The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024

Are you a human resource manager, adviser or administrator looking to take your career to the next level?

Our diploma in Human Resource Management (HRM) is designed to develop your skills and professionalism and will provide you with an accredited qualification.

This specialist postgraduate course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD) and meets the Advanced Level knowledge requirements of the CIPD for upgrading to the professional grades of membership.

The course meets standards set by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) for postgraduate degrees in business and management.

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Select your desired study option, then pick a start date to see relevant course information:

Study options:
We support flexible study by offering some of our courses part-time or via distance learning. To give you real world experience before you graduate, we also offer some courses with a placement or internship. All available options are listed here. Your choices may affect some details of your course, such as the duration and cost per year. Please re-check the details on this page if you change your selection.

Start date:

If your desired start date is not available, try selecting a different study option.

Why study Human Resource Management with us?

Why study Human Resource Management with us?

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What our students say…

The University is very modern, and it has a really good atmosphere. 

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Take your career to the next level
apply for chartered membership of the CIPD upon completion
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This course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
Course detail & modules

Course detail & modules

We have been teaching a human resource management course accredited by CIPD for more than 40 years, and you will learn from highly qualified tutors with experience of working in a range of business settings.

On this diploma course, you will be encouraged to take a critical perspective on current theory and practice in human resource management, analyse complex problems and devise creative solutions to them. You will:

  • explore the broader context of human resources
  • look at issues such as organisational strategies and the internal and external environmental influences on strategy development 
  • examine the key principles underpinning UK and EU employment law 
  • develop your people-management skills through exploring various approaches to recruitment management and leadership taken by different organisations
  • be encouraged to develop personal skills including the ability to be self-aware and reflect on your strengths and weaknesses; leadership and decision-making abilities 
  • have the opportunity to improve professional skills including IT and finance

This course shares a common first year (semesters one and two) with our Masters in Managing Human Resources. You will not need to decide whether to continue with the Diploma or pursue an MA until the end of semester two. 

The MA MHR route adds an extra semester to the course, extending it from three to four semesters. Masters in MHR students take two additional modules, Employment Law and Research Methods, and replace the management research report with a longer dissertation.

Compulsory modules

  • Strategic People Management and Planning

    This module aims to enable you to:

    1. Gain advanced knowledge and understanding of business context and how people practice should be aligned with the business strategy to ensure the organisation sustainability and performance.

    2. Explore the different approaches to Strategic People Management and how these influence the operational strategies within organisations.

    3. Develop workforce plans to support organisational effectiveness in the delivery of key business strategies and plans.

    4. Develop people management policies and procedures that will bring about effective organisational performance.

  • Advanced Employment Law and Relations

    The purpose of this module is to provide you with the knowledge, understanding and skills required to brief organisations on the consequences of current and future developments in employment law, and to give up-to-date, timely and accurate advice concerning the practical application of legal principles at work in different jurisdictions.

  • People Resourcing and Talent Management

    During this module you will explore the mainstream activities of the HR practitioner, including human resource and talent planning, job design, recruitment and selection, performance appraisal and management, and employee release.

  • Personal Effectiveness and Leadership

    The module is primarily concerned with the development of your leadership skills and other core behaviours/skills in line with the CIPD Profession Map. In particular, we will support you, as part of your growth as a people practitioner to develop and improve a range of definable skills and behaviours that are important to successful people management and practice.

  • Business Research in People Practice

    This module aims to enable you to:

    1. Design and develop an empirical investigation, on a specific, current people management issue, within an organisation and make costed recommendations sensitive to the personal, economic, political and social consequences as part of evidence-based practice.

    2. As a People Practitioner and in line with the CIPD Profession Map, reflect and demonstrate your ability to critically review, analyse, evaluate and communicate your own experience in its professional, social, personal and programme context including how to manage your learning.

  • Research Methods and the use of Technology for Business Effectiveness

    This module aims to enable you to;

    1. Develop an evidence-based approach to people practice underpinned by the use of data

    2. Develop insight focus and key competencies based on problem-solving people issues within the workplace.

    3. Gain an in-depth understanding of the psychology behind people behaviour to support evidence-based practice.

    The study of this module will also encourage and enable you to gain new skills and core behaviours in line with the CIPD Profession Map to support your development as a People Practitioner.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

You should have:

  • Graduate with a minimum of 2.2 from a UK university or equivalent
  • CIPD level 5 qualifications – with a minimum of 2 years HR or management Experience
  • Without Degree – a minimum of 5 years HR or management experience

Graduates without any HR or managerial experience and non-graduates with the above-specified experience will be assessed through a written piece of work and an interview at which they will be assessed on their ability to do the course.

 

Find out more about our processes for recognising previous experience
 

We look for students who show enthusiasm and a passion for the subject through previous study or professional experience.

If you have any questions about the relevance of your qualifications or experience please contact the course leader shown in the teaching staff.

6.5 IELTS or above

You need to meet our English language requirement of 6.5 overall score for IELTS, with a minimum of 5.5 for each of the 4 individual components (Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening). Visit our English language requirements page for information on other English language tests we accept.

You also need academic qualifications at the same level as UK applicants. In some countries where teaching is in English, we may accept local qualifications. Check for local equivalents.

We offer pre-sessional English language courses if you do not meet these requirements. Find out more about our English Language courses.

We look for students who show enthusiasm and a passion for the subject through previous study or professional experience.

If you have any questions about the relevance of your qualifications or experience please contact the course leader shown in the teaching staff.

Fees & funding

Fees & funding

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The above cost is the total fee for your course. Please note, you will need to pay the full fee upfront.

Government regulation does affect tuition fees and the fees listed for courses starting in the 2025/26 academic year are subject to change.

If no fee is shown above then the fees for this course are not available yet. Please check again later for updates.

Funding your studies

If you are studying a Masters course you may be eligible to apply for a Postgraduate Loan, this may help contribute towards your course fees and living costs.

Additional funding is available to some types of students, such as disabled students or those with dependants.

We offer a range of scholarships and bursaries, including awards for specific subjects. Awards for business students are also on offer. 

Help with funding
{{ formatCurrencyValue(currentVariantData.field_p_cv_int_main_fee.name) }} per year*

The above cost is the total fee for your course. Please note, you will need to pay the full fee upfront.

Government regulation does affect tuition fees and the fees listed for courses starting in the 2025/26 academic year are subject to change.

If no fee is shown above then the fees for this course are not available yet. Please check again later for updates.

International students - funding your studies

We offer scholarships for international students including International Ambassador Scholarships. 

Further information about funding and financial support for international students is available from the UK Council for International Student Affairs.

 

Financial support for international students
Teaching staff

Teaching staff

Tejinder Singh

Tejinder Pal Singh

I started my career as a graduate trainee and have accumulated over 43 years of managerial and teaching experience in HRM and Organisational Behaviour. Currently I am head of Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Change at the University of West London for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in human resource management (HRM) and MBA. I am also head of UK Academic Partnerships.

I worked for 20 years as a senior manager (HRM) in the steel industry in the area of training and development, performance management and HR strategy and as a management consultant to a variety of public sector and private sector companies. My area of interest is performance management, change management and organisational development. I am a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI).

I started my career as a graduate trainee and have accumulated over 43 years of managerial and teaching experience in HRM and Organisational Behaviour. Currently I am head of Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Change at the University of West London for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in human resource management (HRM) and MBA. I am also head of UK Academic Partnerships.

I worked for 20 years as a senior manager (HRM) in the steel industry in the area of training and development, performance management and HR strategy and as a management consultant to a variety of public sector and private sector companies. My area of interest is performance management, change management and organisational development. I am a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI).

Study & career progression

Study & career progression

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The course is designed to improve your chances of gaining promotion. With a postgraduate degree in Human Resource Management you could work as a: 

  • consultant
  • human resources manager
  • human resources business partners/operations managers
  • civil servants
  • human resources officer
  • office manager
  • occupational psychologist
  • training and development officer

On completion of this course you will be able to apply for Chartered Membership of the CIPD. This grade of membership is regarded as essential for progression into HR management and consultancy. 

If, after finishing this course, you want to go on to our Masters in Business Administration (MBA) course, you may be exempt from some of its modules. Please see our postgraduate courses for further study options.

How to apply

How to apply

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Important notes for applicants

Disclaimer

*Modern universities - defined as higher education institutions that were granted university status in, and subsequent to, 1992.

**The National Student Survey 2023 and 2024 - Average of answers to all questions by registered student population. Excludes specialist institutions.

Testimonials - our students or former students provided all of our testimonials - often a student from the course but sometimes another student. For example, the testimonial often comes from another UWL student when the course is new.

Optional modules - where optional modules are offered they will run subject to staff availability and viable student numbers opting to take the module.

Videos - all videos on our course pages were accurate at the time of filming. In some cases a new Course Leader has joined the University since the video was filmed.

Availability of placements - if you choose a course with placement/internship route we would like to advise you that if a placement/internship opportunity does not arise when you are expected to undertake the placement then the University will automatically transfer you to the non-internship route, this is to ensure you are still successful in being awarded a degree.