International Human Resource Management MBA

Course overview

Study level: Postgraduate

Build a successful strategic management career, developing people in the complex and fast-changing world of the contemporary workplace.

Responding to global market trends, the digital economy and constant change, the MBA International Human Resource Management course addresses the needs of a new generation of leaders by exploring the creation, development and sustainable growth of businesses globally.

• Gain a solid understanding of how and why people function at work, and of the relevant legal frameworks governing human resource management.
• Deepen your understanding of how to find, develop and engage the most appropriate talent for any organisation.
• Develop an analytical understanding of international business in the context of a changing environment with a focus on people practice and related developments.
• Study at our exciting London campus, or online – either full-time for 1 year or part-time for 2 years.

What you'll study

Your main study themes are:

• Strategy
  You’ll develop a wide range of Strategic Management, Human Resource Management, Marketing and Finance skills which are transferable across all industries and which meet the objectives of a broad-based MBA.
• Professionalism
  You’ll learn to adhere to the highest levels of professional conduct, and dependent on which modules you decide to take you could be accredited by one of the world’s leading professional associations for management and HR.
• Globalisation
  You’ll learn how approaches to issues such as labour, ethics, sustainability and finance differ globally, equipping you to work overseas, or within a multi-national, or within an importing/exporting organisation.
• Talent
  You’ll deepen your understanding of how to identify, attract, recruit, motivate, develop, engage and reward the very best people for any given role or context.

We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.

How you'll learn

What you’ll learn on this MBA course is a true reflection of what’s current in industry, and will help to deliver the skills employers are looking for. That’s because we work hard to build strong relationships with professional associations (both in general management and in HR) and also with employers, especially when it comes to designing the content of the course.

Study on campus

• Teaching methods may include lectures, seminars, textbooks, workshops, debates, case studies, consultancy projects, and online collaborations.
• Develop your critical-thinking and decision-making skills. Besides time spent in lectures and seminars, you’ll tackle practical exercises and collaborations, and could do real work experience*. You’ll be challenged by realistic business simulations, group projects and case studies. Beyond the classroom, you’ll be encouraged to go out and explore the learning opportunities which London offers the HR professional.
• Our wide network of prestigious alumni, leading academics and industry leaders means you’ll also be able to enjoy a fascinating programme of guest lectures* (in the past, this has included people from Google and a former contestant on The Apprentice. Your tutors may also organise visits to businesses, trade shows and/or conferences*.
• Take part in extra-curricular activities such as our Student Enterprise Business society, student mentoring programmes and you could apply to take part in volunteering opportunities to develop your personal and professional skills. You could also take part in our High Flyers programme, to help you develop the personal and professional skills necessary to thrive in a rapidly changing world, through a suite of extra-curricular, non-course specific workshops.

In your first and second semester, you will typically receive around 12 hours of contact teaching per week. The contact hours may be made up of a combination of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials, and online classes and tutorials. A strong emphasis is placed on the Project module in your final semester and therefore total teaching contact hours may be reduced. In addition, you will be expected to undertake a significant amount of self-directed studying and revising in your own time each week, which may include, for example, guided study using hand-outs, online activities.

This course can be offered on a part-time basis. Whilst we would like to give you all the information about our part-time offering here, it is tailored for each course each year depending on the number of part-time applicants. Therefore, the part-time teaching arrangements vary. Please contact registry.london@coventry.ac.uk for more information about studying this course part-time.

Explore our campus

Study 100% online

• Whether you choose to study this course on campus or 100% online, you will have the opportunity to benefit from a learning experience designed with you at the centre. You can select the learning methods that best suit your learning style and apply your learning to real-world problems.
• You will have timetabled classes, online tutorials, and seminars, with all your learning activities available on-demand so that you can learn at the best time and location for you.

As an innovative and enterprising institution, the university may seek to utilise emerging technologies within the student experience. For all courses (whether on-campus, blended, or distance learning), the university may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via online technologies and methods.

How online learning works

Assessment

The assessments on this MBA course are designed to reflect the work you’ll undertake in industry, helping you to prepare for the workplace and for appraisals there. Your tutors will take an employer’s perspective, as well as an academic one, when assessing the content and delivery of your work. You will be assessed regularly, rather than relying on a few major events. This will help you to stay focused on your ongoing learning and will enable both you and your tutors to be aware at all times of how you’re performing and where you may need some additional study or support.

The course is infused with practical HR assessments such as creating a performance-management and reward-management system; a resourcing and talent-management strategy; a live training workshop; a learning and development strategy for a global client; and/or an employee-engagement survey.

You’ll be encouraged to prove your subject knowledge while demonstrating your ability to write professional reports, structure logical arguments, analyse data, and make compelling presentations. Your assessments will therefore consist of a mixture of seminar and workshop activities, debates, presentations, written assignments, and individual and group work.

The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards the achieving the intended learning outcomes.

Job ready

On successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Critically evaluate the impact of contextual forces such as economic, environmental, social, legal, and technological change issues, international developments and corporate governance to apply concepts and frameworks in Strategic Management for a range of business and people management contexts.
• Systematically assess social and ethically responsible leadership, organisational strategies and practices in relation to their response to diverse and uncertain international market environments, to evaluate the needs and expectations of diverse stakeholders and develop plans and proposals that achieve business outcomes in a sustainable manner.
• Evaluate the policies, concepts and processes in the production and marketing of goods and/or services and apply business acumen to maximise the management of resources, efficiency of operations in a range of international business and people management contexts.
• Demonstrate a critical understanding of Finance and Management Accounting principles and regulations to apply the relevant analytical tools for business and people practice decision-making.
• Analyse the theories and practices for the management and development of people within international organisations relating to Organisational Behaviour, Human Resource Management practices, Change Management to resolve contemporary people issues in an ethical and inclusive manner, formulating a critical assessment of your own professional practice.
• Critically investigate complex business and people management issues by analysing a range of qualitative and quantitative research methods/techniques, applying business acumen to recommend appropriate options in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) environment.
• Evaluate the management and exploitation of relevant information systems, digital media and technologies and utilise analytics for decision-making, reviewing ethical challenges presented by these for a range of business and people management contexts.
• Collaborate with and lead diverse cross-cultural teams to develop inclusive business policies and organisational strategies to adapt and innovate in changing contexts and communicate professionally through a flexible and personalised learning experience.

International experience opportunities

As indicated by its title, this course has been designed to take a globalised approach, aiming to prepare you to work across cultures, upon successful completion. You’ll learn how and why HR practices and frameworks vary around the world, and how to apply effective strategies when working cross-culturally and/or in a multi-national organisation. You’ll also explore how to track and respond to significant and far-reaching economic, social, technological and geo-political changes affecting the contemporary workplace – changes which demand different patterns of thinking and behaviour from those who wish to manage and lead.

The course also offers a truly multi-cultural experience because you may get the opportunity to study alongside students from other countries, each offering their own contexts, experiences and insights. You may also have the opportunity to participate in an international field trip*; past trips have gone to France, Switzerland, Japan and the Czech Republic, where students have witnessed HR in action in SMEs and multi-nationals.

Coventry University Group aims to give you the global opportunities needed to become a truly global graduate, enhancing your employability on a global scale. Choose from language classes, studying or working abroad*, international field trips*, summer schools, leadership development or work experience*. Opportunities such as these have enabled previous students to obtain higher starting salaries and develop the global skills employers require and achieve better career progression.

Facilities

Our International Human Resource Management MBA students have access to a wide range of facilities* to help you build a successful strategic management career, developing people in the complex and fast-changing world of the contemporary workplace. Take a virtual tour of our campus to explore all of the facilities available to you.