Curious about studying Human Resource Management - BA (Hons)at Birmingham City University? We've gathered all the key details—entry requirements, modules, fees, and more. Hear from real students by checking out reviews, or take the next step by booking an open day to explore it for yourself.
Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
City Centre Campus (The Curzon Building)
Full Time
Sep 2027
3 Year
Our BA (Hons) Human Resource Management degree equips you with the tools you need to develop high-performing workforces and the innovative, flexible and enterprising teams which are increasingly demanded by modern businesses. Drawing upon all aspects of people management, this course enables you to gain not only the building blocks of knowledge and understanding, but also a high degree of professional competence and real-world experience in the field of people management and development. Reflecting on the evolution of the HR profession and looking ahead into the near future, you will be provided with opportunities to use digital and immersive technologies and VR in areas such as people analytics, recruiting and selection, training and development, on-boarding and performance management. Employability is a pillar of this course and there are opportunities for both short and long-term placements in the UK and overseas. The course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), demonstrating the high-quality provision of our course.
What's covered in this course?You will gain good understanding of how organisations work and how they change and the strategic position of human resource management (HRM) in organisations. You will become confident in managing functions of HR including recruitment and selection, training and development, employment law and employee relations, employee retention and engagement, and performance and reward management. You will develop your skills through contemporary methods of teaching and interactive workshops, involvement in real projects, and field trips. You will get involved in real projects, and benefit from field trips, guest speakers and interactive workshops. Our work-integrated approach to learning means that graduates of this course leave with real, practical experience, ready for the workplace.
Professional Placement YearThis course offers an optional professional placement year. This allows you to spend a whole year with an employer, following successful completion of your second year, and is a great way to find out more about your chosen career. Some students even return to the same employers after completing their studies. If you choose to pursue a placement year, you will need to find a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study. You will be able to draw on the University’s extensive network of local, regional, and national employers, and the support of our Careers teams. If you are able to secure a placement, you can request to be transferred to the placement version of the course. Please note that fees are payable during your placement year, equivalent to 20% of the total full-time course fee for that year.
In an increasingly volatile and ever changing employment environment, how an organisation attracts and retains the right calibre of employee has never been more important or visible. Furthermore, how the organisation gets the best performance possible from its team whilst all the time making sure they are not only safe and cared for, but that they feel safe, included and valued is key to any high performing organisation. In this module you will be introduced to the key aspects of the employee - employer relationship and the role of human resource management in facilitating and managing that relationship.
The aim of this module is to enable you to explore the operational activities of a business through its value chain from its suppliers to its customers. It will utilise activities that draw on the themes of problem solving, employability, reflection, and professional development. You will develop an understanding of the theoretical perspectives that underpin the understanding of organisations and management activities. This module seeks to give you an understanding of the reality of organisational life and the role of particularly commercial organisations in the modern, global world. This module’s approach provides you with the opportunity to enhance the employability skills of working with and summarising written and numerical data; being able to create a formal business report for an organisation. They will develop an understanding of the application of AI and related technology within the various functional areas in the workplace.
This module offers an in-depth exploration of Data Analytics and its application in different aspects of business. The module also explores Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its role in contemporary business practices. It is designed to provide you with a practical understanding of the real-life application of data analytics in Business settings. The module brings together the worlds of business and technology and is ideal for those pursuing careers in business related fields, or business analytics. It equips you with essential critical thinking and data analytics skills that are highly in demand in today’s as well as the future employment market.
The People and Organisation module is designed to introduce you as first-year university students to the fundamental concepts of organisational life and how people behave and interact within organisations. This module centres on four main areas: organisational structure and culture; power, control, and leadership in organisations; communication methods and processes (verbal, non-verbal, and written); and motivation theories and their application in the workplace. Through this module, you will gain an understanding of workplace dynamics and employee behaviour in various organisational settings. The module draws on both theoretical perspectives and practical examples from public, private, and not-for-profit sectors across different countries. This approach ensures that you develop a comprehensive understanding of organisational behaviour in diverse contexts.
This module will provide a gentle introduction to the world of accounting and finance for business managers of the future and is designed for those new to accounting or those studying on non-accounting related degree programmes.
This module provides a comprehensive exploration of entrepreneurship, equipping you with the skills, perspectives, and theories applicable across industries and professions. It covers both new venture creation and innovation within existing organisations, emphasising entrepreneurial thinking and mindset. You will engage in practice-based learning, exploring entrepreneurship in diverse cultural and geographical contexts. The module delves into key entrepreneurial concepts such as opportunity recognition, evaluation, and exploitation and examines how traits, behaviours, and leadership styles influence entrepreneurial success. You will actively apply this thinking, taking bold risks, navigating ambiguity, and solving complex challenges.
Getting the right person in the right role at the right time is a key priority for organisations as they look to recruit and select new staff. Recruiting and selecting employees are usually seen together in practice and academia, however they are really separate HRM activities. You will learn the meaning of the two constructs and explore the two processes underlying them and how they inter-relate.
This module will provide you with the foundation and understanding of the function of Performance and Reward Management and its role in promoting organisation competitive advantage. In it, you will examine various performance management systems and total reward approaches in an organisational and international context, and, through this examination, you will gain a strong understanding of specific tools and practices. A major focus of the course will be on contemporary theories and practices of performance and reward management and more specifically on the process of designing an internally aligned and externally competitive total rewards package to attract, retain and engage talents. Also, a special emphasis will be given on the contribution of performance and reward systems on HR sustainability and overall business sustainability.
This module looks at the important contribution that an efficient and effective human resource management capability can add to an organisation. The purpose of this module is to introduce you to human resources (HR) activity and to the role of the HR function in organisations in general terms. It focuses on the aims and objectives of HR departments in contemporary organisations and particularly on the ways that these are evolving. Different ways of delivering HR objectives and emerging developments in the management of the employment relationship are explored, as well as the methods that can be used to demonstrate that the function adds value for organisations.
This module aims to enable you to build a strong understanding of the legal issues that impact on the “people” aspects of the business within the context of the wider employment relationship. Studying this module will provide you with a deep insight into the practical steps employers need to consider when dealing with employment issues in order to minimise the risk of employment tribunal claims.
This module is designed to provide you with the opportunity to undertake a credit bearing, 40- week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Undergraduate Degree. The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market. Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace.
This module will to provide you with a broad understanding of how HR professionals work to ensure that once employees are hired they stay in their organisations and do not leave. You will learn that this is a strategic matter for any type of organisation in all sectors and it is closely related with increased performance. Employee turnover and retention is managed not only by HR specialists, but all organisational members, so you will learn how HR professionals facilitate the right actions of everyone who manages people. Retaining employees is an orchestrated concern which begins from the time an employee joins an organisation. You will be introduced to theories of Person-Organisation fit and Job Embeddedness.
Individuals and organisations find themselves in a rapidly changing environment. The aim of the module is to provide an introduction to the field of Work and Organisational Psychology (sometimes referred to as Occupational, Occupational Health, Organisational or Industrial Psychology). Work and Organisational Psychology (WOP) is an academic subject that focuses on human behaviour related to organisations, work, and productivity. It applies psychological principles to the workplace. The WOP module will cover the importance of how the workplace can impact upon people’s health (in both negative and positive ways) and how the workplace can also be used to improve the well-being of its employees. The module will provide you with an understanding of the sometimes complex links between workplaces and health, and an appreciation that physical health, psychological health, the quality of working life, job satisfaction and well-being are all intrinsically related. The module will cover health issues such as stress, mental health, musculoskeletal disorders, respiratory and cardiovascular related conditions. Emphasis will be made of the tensions between the needs and functions of both organisations and of individual workers. In exploring the conflicting needs that sometimes exists between workers and organisations, you will understand how workplaces (can) utilise psychological processes in order to obtain maximum effectiveness of workers and the organisation; to promote the design of better working and how jobs are done; and to ensure appropriate selection processes.
This module provides a framework with which to undertake a substantial, disciplinary-relevant, research project. This is dependent on the subject you are studying or degree pathway you are pursuing. For example, it may be a study into marketing and public relations, human resource management, accounting and finance, or strategy. The module provides a framework for integrating the principles, tools and methods of your programme, developing your practitioner skills via research methods, analytical tools and techniques. The project requires a high degree of professionalism in time management and managing the supervisory relationship. It is a requirement that the project adheres to the framework of ethical approval applied in the Business School in the year of study. Beyond the learning outcomes of this module, and as an alternative to a more traditional business research project , studying this module allows you to develop and explore a business problem in a live environment. This is a useful experience for employment, graduate schemes, or further study. As you are in control of the process, the project allows you to refine and consolidate your research and communications skills. The format of the Project is dependent on the subject you are studying, or degree pathway you are on. For example, it may be a study of an organisation’s marketing and public relations strategy, human resource management, or accounting and finance practices. This is a negotiated project, the details of which will need to be agreed with your supervisor and client. The brief can be supplied through the Schools business engagement team or you can source you own. Where you do source your own (such as from a placement), this will need to be approved by an academic member of staff. It is a requirement that the project adheres to the framework of ethical approval applied within the business school in the year of study, and it requires a high degree of professionalism in time management and managing the client and supervisory relationship.
This module enables you to build an in-depth understanding of the fundamentals of learning and development within the workplace. Studying this module encourages you to offer critical insight into the practical uses of Learning and Development (L&D) and Human Resource Development (HRD) interventions, specifically coaching, mentoring and reflective practice. The module facilitates the considerations employers need to make when planning, delivering and evaluating coaching and development activities as part of delivering L&D strategy within organisations.
4.2
