• Undergraduate

Human Resource Management with Foundation Year BSc (Hons)

Overview

Overview

Why study at UWL? 
  • In the top 30% of universities nationwide - The Guardian University Guide 2024
  • University of the Year for Social Inclusion - Daily Mail University Guide 2024
  • Best university for Student Experience and Teaching Quality in the UK - The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024
  • Number 1 London university (non-specialist) - National Student Survey 2023**
  • Our Human Resource Management course is ranked #3 in London for overall student satisfaction in this year's NSS
Why study this course?

Do you enjoy problem-solving and working with people? On this course, you will explore human resource management (HRM) issues in a global context and gain valuable professional experience on a real-world consultancy project.

You will learn how to approach problems from different angles using enquiry-based learning, a method that will prepare you for critical problem-solving in the workplace by helping you to think about problems in different ways. In addition, you will build an electronic portfolio of HRM work to showcase your skills and knowledge to potential employers.

Our experienced staff will support you and encourage your personal and professional development throughout the course.

Foundation year

The foundation year course is designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge you need to continue onto your Honours degree. You will study a range of subjects that will underpin your future study and also gain valuable experience of university life, with full access to campus facilities. Successful completion of the year allows you to progress straight onto Level 4 of this course.

BSc (Hons) Human Resource Management at UWL video - thumbnail

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 Foundation Year with us?

Why study Human Resource Management with Foundation Year with us?

What our students say…

I did not have any tangible experience in HR before, but this course gave me everything I needed to secure a job in the industry while still studying at university!

The aspect I enjoyed most was the quality of the modules and how well they prepared me for a career after (or during!) studies. I cannot think of any better tutors to support you in your journey as they have both academic and industry backgrounds. And these are only a few of the many benefits CLBS has to offer!

Emilija Kuzmaite, BSc (Hons) Human Resource Management

During my time at CLBS, I have been able to gain a solid understanding of the important HR concepts and how to apply those to real-life scenarios. My tutors always integrate their work experience into the teaching process, make every session very interactive and have given me a lot of valuable career advice.

La Brisca Gumbs, BSc (Hons) Human Resource Management
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Course detail & modules

Course detail & modules

Businesses around the world are finding that their future success depends on having a workforce that possesses social, cognitive, and emotional skills. This course will develop the following employability skills and appropriate attitudes to enable you to excel and be successful throughout your career

  • Business Awareness
  • Collaboration and Teamwork
  • Communication
  • Innovation and Problem Solving
  • Critical Thinking and Decision Making
  • Leadership and Global Citizenship
  • Personal Development and Management
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Digital Literacy

Developing these skills means you’ll be in high demand for roles in the public, private and third sectors with competitive salaries and excellent prospects for career progression.

Year 1 (Level 4)

In the first year, you will develop your skills and knowledge in gathering and analysing data as a people professional.

You will develop skills and an understanding of how people data offers the opportunity to contribute to an organisation’s strategy by creating insights on what people can do to drive change. You will also gain an insight into the framework of analysis on how organisations promote equality and diversity whilst managing and developing their workforce.

  • Data Analytics for People Professionals
  • Equality Diversity and Inclusions in Society and Organisations
  • Managing and Developing People

In the second semester, you will understand the complexities of corporate social responsibility and the way digital HR works in managing and measuring progress at different stages of the employee life cycle.

You will also develop practical skills on how to effectively apply a range of tools and techniques when working with different stakeholders to increase their readiness for change.

  • Business Ethics and Corporate Responsibility
  • Digital Working
  • Influencing Stakeholders

Year 2 (Level 5)

As you progress through Level 5, you will develop a deeper understanding and skills for people management practices. We will cover:

In the first semester, you will learn the complexities of employment regulation and the way it informs HR practitioners to ensure employees are treated fairly, as well as how to promote equal opportunities, anti-discriminatory practices, and manage workplace diversity and inclusion.

Further, you will understand the relationship between those involved in shaping the employment relationship for effective service delivery. The international context of HRM will provide insight into specific issues involved in HRM in multi-national firms and how to deal with them as an HR professional

  • Employment Law
  • HR Professional Practice and Service Delivery
  • International Business Context of HRM

The second semester will focus on how rewards, incentives and performance are developed and managed globally. You will also understand and develop skills on how to create HR practices to engage and retain staff. This will equip you with different aspects of organisational behaviour and psychological theories which can be applied for improving staff turnover rate. In Research Methods you will understand and develop skills and specific procedures for collecting and analysing data for research projects in their final year of study.

  • Global Perspective in Performance and Reward Management
  • Psychology and Employee Engagement
  • Research Methods

Year 3 (Level 6)

In your final year (Level 6), you will explore human resource management at a strategic level.

This approach will develop your critical thinking skills and application skills while exposing you to contemporary challenges and issues in the contemporary world of work.

The first semester of the final year offers a comprehensive cover and integration of human resource management into the strategic thinking, direction setting, planning and operation of the organisation. You will also develop your skills as an HR consultant, identifying contemporary business issues, developing methods, and preparing business reports for specific HR consultancy projects.

  • Strategic HRM
  • Consultancy in HRM
  • Contemporary Business issues in HR context

In the second semester, you will develop your leadership skills within your HR practice context, including developing your knowledge and understanding of organisational culture and change. You will also have the opportunity to work on a live consultancy project for a real business, offering you the practical experience of applying the theory to practice.

  • Leadership and Change Management
  • Consultancy in HRM

You will also choose one of the following 20-credit optional modules:

  1. Managing small and medium-sized enterprises where students will evaluate a small business and develop a growth or development strategy for the business.
  2. In Knowledge Management you will explore the methods, techniques and circumstances in which knowledge management principles can be applied.
Foundation Year

There are many reasons for joining a foundation year course; you may not have the exact subjects or grades at A level to meet the entry requirements, or you may have been living abroad or want to change direction with your career. Whatever your starting point, the foundation year offers a firm grounding in the skills and knowledge that you will need to get the most from your studies and thrive at University. Successful completion of the foundation year allows you to progress straight onto Level 4 of this course.

Compulsory modules

  • Introduction to Business

    During this module you will gain a basic knowledge and understanding of business organisations and the way they operate in the UK economy.

  • Recording Business Transactions

    During this module you will cover the methods of bookkeeping and financial accounting used by organisations to record their financial transactions.

  • Personalised Learning

    The Personalised Learning module is intended to equip you with the study skills needed to successfully progress onto level 4, the first year of undergraduate study. Tutor group sessions are an integral part of the module, where you will consolidate your learning and frame it in the context of your subject area. The module will focus on various aspects of study skills, such as those skills related to reading and writing, learning approaches, problem-solving techniques, critical thinking, researching, referencing, plagiarism, legal research and time management.

  • Data Handling and ICT

    You will develop skills and confidence in the use and application of numerical data and analysis. 

    You will also prepare, present and process data using business software.

  • Managing People and Systems

    In the course of this management module you will explore people management within business structures and how they lead to the fulfilment of business goals.

    You will learn about recruitment, different personalities, team dynamics, people assessment systems and understand basic theories of motivation and leadership.

  • Study Skills for Success

    This module will enable you to read critically, present an argument, and distinguish between the quality and suitability of materials. It will prepare you to use and evaluate a range of evidence sources throughout your degree.

Compulsory modules

  • Data Analytics for People Professionals

    The aim of this module is to provide you with the knowledge and understanding of the varied methods of collecting HR and business information to make informed business decisions

    The module aims to:

    • equip you to extract business information from various sources to make informed choices
    • predict future trends and implement change to create a competitive advantage for businesses
    • provide you with insight into the interrelatedness of information across the organisation.
  • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Society and Organisations

    The module aims to equip you with the knowledge and understanding of the concepts of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). This module will also provide you with the skills and attributes, which are fundamental to employability and effective management of a diverse workforce.

  • Managing and Developing People

    The aim of this module is to introduce core theoretical perspectives in the field of people management. You will be able to develop the skills needed to become an effective HR professional, in a globalised world. 

    This module also addresses many of the skills areas required by CIPD to become people professional. 

  • Digital Working

    The module aims to

    • enhance your ability and skills required to flourish in a digitised workplace
    • provide an in-depth overview of the key trends, issues, and methods involved in strategically implementing digital HR
    • enable you to gain insights into how digital technology changes are likely to affect organisations, with a particular focus on people management
    • explore the factors that influence digital working at both macro and micro levels.
  • Influencing Stakeholders

    The module aims to equip you with the knowledge and skills required to function as an effective relationship manager. It is underpinned by a critical awareness of the current issues and challenges of improving the multi-professional, multi-agency work relationships in an ever-changing environment.

  • Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility

    The module combines academic research about business ethics and corporate social responsibility with real-world business case studies. This will enable you to contemplate the importance of sound CSR and ethical practices in an organisational context

    The focus is to introduce ethical models and frameworks which can be utilised to examine and foster the best business policies and practice at both micro and macro levels.

Compulsory modules

  • Employment Law

    The first aim of this module is to enable you to understand certain key aspects of employment law, including the employment protection given to individuals and what remedies are available if these provisions are not complied with. The second aim of the module is to build on the knowledge of contract law that you will have studied at level one and to apply this knowledge in a practical context. The final aim of the module is to further develop the problem-solving techniques, including the identification and application of relevant law, which you have been introduced to whilst studying modules at levels 4 and 5.

  • HR Professional Practice and Service Delivery

    The aim of the module is to equip you to understand the academic models of Human Resource Management [HRM] and how they translate into practice for efficient HR service delivery.

  • International Business Context of HRM

    The aim of this module is to provide you with the knowledge, understanding and key skills required by HR professionals working in an international context, including:

    • to equip you with a critical understanding of the body of academic knowledge relevant to international human resource management and its application in practice
    • to provide you with sets of managerial practices and strategies to successfully implement and manage the global workforce
    • to enable you to have a closer look at the challenges businesses face in managing talents across multiple jurisdictions
    • to provide you with the grounding required for those seeking to pursue, or further develop a career in international human resource management.
  • Global Perspectives in Performance and Rewarding People

    The aim of the module is to provide you with in-depth knowledge and understanding of how business context drives performance management, and reward strategies and policies.

  • Psychology and Employee Engagement

    The module aims to develop your knowledge and understanding of the significance of the concept of employee engagement and how it is a key priority for organisations to sustain competitive advantage.

  • Research Methods

    This module aims to provide you with the knowledge and skills that are required to undertake independent business research on a topic/project that you have chosen, where you determine the methodology and approach. In doing so, you will take significant strides on the path to becoming an independent learner, and feel able to undertake other research tasks, with minimal supervision.

Compulsory modules

You will study all the compulsory modules and will choose ONE of the optional modules
  • Strategic HRM

    In this module, you will learn how strategic management is related to business operations. Using this knowledge as a basis, you will be able to understand how people management strategies are formulated and implemented to achieve organisational goals.  

     

  • Consultancy in HRM (double module)

    This module will enable you to develop and apply the project management skills required as part of your role as a people practitioner in supporting and solving problems within an organisation.

    Please note that this is a double module taught across two semesters.

  • Contemporary Business Issues in HRM

    The module will enable you to effectively identify, examine and analyse the major issues within which your organisation operates.

  • Leadership and Change Management

    The overall aim of this module is for you to understand the nature of effective leadership in a dynamic organisational environment. You will acquire the practical, communication and negotiation skills that you need to become an effective leader and change agent.

Optional modules

  • Knowledge Management

    In this module you will be exposed to the concepts and fundamental principles of knowledge management. You will explore the methods, techniques and circumstances in which knowledge management principles can be applied. It will provide you with a range of views on the social, behavioural and organisational conditions associated with bioinformatics knowledge and data management. It will also introduce you to a range of tools and techniques to support the curation, management and dissemination of knowledge including knowledge representation, ontologies, data mining and knowledge storage.

  • Managing Small and Medium Sized Enterprises

    This module will help you to gain an insight into the nature of SMEs and the people who run them. You will engage in a consultancy-type project in which you will evaluate a small business and develop a growth or development strategy for them.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

72 UCAS points required from level 3 qualifications

These can include:

  • A Levels at grades B and C (if you have two A levels) or grades D, D and D (if you have three), or above
  • BTEC Extended Diploma with Merit, Merit, Pass
  • Access to HE Diploma
  • T Levels

You also need GCSE English and Maths (grade 9 – 4 / A* - C) or Level 2 equivalents.

Looking for BSc (Hons) Human Resource Management without Foundation Year?

View course
Whether you are changing career or don't have the exact subjects and grades required for this course, you might want to choose this course with a foundation year. This will give you an extra year's study to prepare you for the standard degree programme, where you can go on to graduate with a full Honours degree. Follow the link to see full details of the course with foundation year.

Mature applicants (aged 21+): If you do not hold the qualifications listed but have relevant work experience, you are welcome to apply. Your application will be considered on an individual basis.

We take pride in our inclusiveness and the diversity of our student population. We have a vibrant mature student community and look forward to welcoming you.

Looking for BSc (Hons) Human Resource Management without Foundation Year?

View course
Whether you are changing career or don't have the exact subjects and grades required for this course, you might want to choose this course with a foundation year. This will give you an extra year's study to prepare you for the standard degree programme, where you can go on to graduate with a full Honours degree. Follow the link to see full details of the course with foundation year.
5.5 IELTS or above

You need to meet our English language requirement - a minimum of IELTS 5.5 for each of the four 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.

Looking for BSc (Hons) Human Resource Management without Foundation Year?

View course
Whether you are changing career or don't have the exact subjects and grades required for this course, you might want to choose this course with a foundation year. This will give you an extra year's study to prepare you for the standard degree programme, where you can go on to graduate with a full Honours degree. Follow the link to see full details of the course with foundation year.

Mature applicants (aged 21+): If you do not hold the qualifications listed but have relevant work experience, you are welcome to apply. Your application will be considered on an individual basis.

We take pride in our inclusiveness and the diversity of our student population. We have a vibrant mature student community and look forward to welcoming you.

Looking for BSc (Hons) Human Resource Management without Foundation Year?

View course
Whether you are changing career or don't have the exact subjects and grades required for this course, you might want to choose this course with a foundation year. This will give you an extra year's study to prepare you for the standard degree programme, where you can go on to graduate with a full Honours degree. Follow the link to see full details of the course with foundation year.
Fees & funding

Fees & funding

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The fee above is the cost per year of your course.

If your course runs for two years or more, you will need to pay the fee for each academic year at the start of that year. If your course runs for less than two years, the cost above is for your full course and 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

You may be eligible for a student loan to cover the cost of tuition fees, or a maintenance loan. Additional funding is available to some types of students, such as those with dependants and disabled students.

We offer generous bursaries and scholarships to make sure your aspirations are your only limit. In recent years, hundreds of students on a four-year degree with a foundation year have received our Path to Success Scholarship. View full details, including conditions and eligibility.

{{ formatCurrencyValue(currentVariantData.field_p_cv_int_main_fee.name) }} per year

The fee above is the cost per year of your course.

If your course runs for two years or more, you will need to pay the fee for each academic year at the start of that year. If your course runs for less than two years, the cost above is for your full course and 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.

 

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

A female presenting to a group of people

This course will prepare you to become an HR professional in the public, private or voluntary sectors.

However, it can also open the door to a career as a:

  • careers adviser
  • employee relations adviser
  • IT trainer
  • life or careers coach
  • management consultant
  • sales executive
  • recruitment consultant

Alternatively, you could develop a related specialism or explore a new area on one of our postgraduate courses.

How to apply

How to apply

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 2022 and 2023 - Based on an average of all 27 questions. 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.