UNIVERSITY OF BRADFORDSchool of ManagementProgramme/programme title: Master of Science /Postgraduate Diploma/ Postgraduate Certificate in Employee Relations
Awarding and teaching institution: / University of BradfordFinal award: / Master of Science [Framework for Higher Education Qualifications level 7]
Postgraduate Certificate [Framework for Higher Education Qualifications level 7]
Postgraduate Diploma [Framework for Higher Education Qualifications level 7]
Programme title: / Employee Relations
Programme approved/ accredited by:
Relevant subject benchmarks: / The Employee Relations Institute
FHEQ Level: / 7
Duration: / PG Certificate: 12 months (part-time)
PG Diploma : 20 months (part-time)
Master: 24 to 72 months (part-time)
Date produced: / October 2012
Last updated : / 31st January 2014
Introduction
In accordance with the University’s mission ‘Making Knowledge Work’, the School of Management aims to provide programmes that educate individuals such as, managers, professionals, practitioners and business specialists, and thereby improve the quality of management as a profession and the quality of working life and organizations.
The MSc in Employee Relations focuses on the ‘Employment Relationship’ (the nature of the exchange between an organization and its managers and the employees of that organization, which is the focus of study in Employee Relations). It seeks to draw together and share understanding and perspectives from the major stakeholder groups with respect to the employment relationship with firms (unions/union representatives, human resources/HR managers, line managers). As such this programme has been designed and developed in consultation with the Employee Relations Institute and its member organizations (drawn from both employers and unions).
This programme therefore aims to prepare you, as (prospective) managers and employee representatives, to operate as effective practitioners who are able to comply with the highest professional standards and to continuously develop your professional capability. This involves equipping you with the skills and knowledge required to work effectively in changing and challenging environments, and to develop the competencies required to think critically and strategically within an organisational context. This will support you in making a full contribution as an employee representative or as an effective manager, as you develop and support sustainable approaches to engagement, management and organization and develop understanding and practice focused on recognizing the value in the diverse stakeholder perspectives on the employee relationship. As such the programme is aligned with the University’s commitment to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and the School’s membership of UN’s the Principles for Responsible Management (PRME) initiative (see statement on ESD below).
As this is a part-time programme which is focused on the application of learning, it is expected that you will normally be in work or have access to work organizations in which you would locate some of your study. It is recognised, however, that you may not be in work or that your circumstances might change over the duration of the programme. If this is the case then we will work with you to provide access to suitable organizations and/or adapt assessment to suit your personal circumstances. For example, the careers and business engagement team and academic staff at the School will be able to offer support in gaining access for studies if you are interested in the programme and are not currently in work.
The programme is structured formally in three stages (Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, and Master of Science).
The Certificate stage aims to enhance and develop your understanding of the practices and theory of employee relations and help you consider effective approaches to workplace cooperation and constructive employment relationships. The Diploma stage seeks to build on and further develop your skills and knowledge in the area of employee relations and the employment relationship. It also aims to enhance your learning and organizational contributions now and in the future, so that you will have an increasing impact on the success and development of the organizations in which you are engaged. The Master of Science stage will draw together your learning from the Diploma programme, allow you to apply learning to your workplace and, in doing so, allow you to demonstrate actionable impact of learning on employment.
In terms of admission, the programme emphasizes relevant experience over academic qualifications. Your entry is based, primarily, on your having had significant and relevant experience within organizations and of a role that has an impact on workplace employment relations. Advanced entry to the Diploma and Master of Science stages of the programme is potentially possible on the basis of prior certificated learning or professional experience. More details on admission requirements are included below.
The programme is led by the HRM/OB team at the School of Management. The MSc in Employee Relations seeks to integrate theoretical and practical understanding on the issues it addresses and will draw on practitioners for inputs alongside the HRM/OB academic staff. HRM/OB team members nonetheless have a wealth of both academic and practitioner experience, were commended at the 2008 RAE for their internationally recognised research and have strong links with the business and union communities in the West Yorkshire region and beyond.
Programme Aims
The Postgraduate Certificate stage is intended to enable you to:
A1 Understand contemporary business issues and current research and practice in reference to the areas of employee resourcing and employee relations;
A2 Understand the concepts, constructs and frameworks applicable to employee resourcing and employee relations and of the tools and techniques used to support decision making in this area;
A3 Apply principles of employee resourcing and employee relations to your own and others organizational contexts;
A4 Work collaboratively with others concerned with employee resourcing and employee relations.
In addition, the Postgraduate Diploma stage is intended to enable you to:
A5 Develop adaptability and originality in tackling and solving problems, and the ability to work cooperatively with others and provide leadership in the areas of employee resourcing and employee relations;
A6 Exercise personal initiative and responsibility in effecting solutions to employee resourcing and employee relations problems;
A7 Develop self-awareness and ability to take responsibility for your own and others development;
A8 Begin to critically evaluate and develop investigative designs that will facilitate the collection of data to support the construction and presentation of business case.
In addition, the Master of Science stage is intended to enable you to:
A9 Critically evaluate and develop investigative designs that will facilitate the collection of data to support the construction and presentation of business cases;
A10 Develop the ability to critically appraise current research and advanced scholarship in employee relations to support the formulation of solutions relevant business problems.
Programme Learning Outcomes
When you have completed the programme you will be able to*:
LO1 Demonstrate a critical and in-depth understanding of contemporary business issues, and current research and practice in reference to the areas of employee resourcing and employee relations (Cert.);
LO2 Demonstrate a detailed and critical understanding of the concepts, constructs and frameworks applicable to employee resourcing and employee relations and of the tools and techniques used to support decision making in this area (Cert.);
LO3 Effectively apply principles of employee resourcing and employee relations to your own and others organizational contexts (Cert.);
LO4 Demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively and constructively with others concerned with employee resourcing and employee relations (Cert.);
LO5 Show adaptability, originality and critical thinking and analysis in tackling and solving problems, and the ability to work cooperatively and constructively with others and provide leadership in the areas of employee resourcing and employee relations (Dip.);
LO6 Demonstrate personal initiative and responsibility in effecting solutions to employee resourcing and employee relations problems (Dip.);
LO7 Demonstrate self-awareness and ability to take responsibility for your own and others development (Dip.);
LO8 Critically evaluate and develop investigative designs that will facilitate the collection of data to support the construction and presentation of business cases (Dip./Master);
LO9 Demonstrate the ability to critically appraise current research and advanced scholarship in employee relations to support the formulation of solutions relevant business problems (Master).
* The stage to which each learning outcome is attached is shown in brackets at the end of the learning outcome.
Curriculum
Postgraduate Certificate
Module Code / Module Title / Type / Credits / Level / Study periodMAN4337L / Employee Relations: Principles and Practice / Core / 20 / 7 / Sem. 1/2
MAN4338L / Leading in the Workplace / Core / 20 / 7 / Sem. 1/2
MAN4339L / Work Based Partnership Project / Core / 20 / 7 / Sem. 1/2
Postgraduate Diploma
Module Code / Module Title / Type / Credits / Level / Study periodMAN4340M / Leading and Enhancing Employee Relations / Core / 10 / 7 / Sem. 1/2
MAN4341K / Action Learning: Adding Value to Workplace Relations / Core / 40 / 7 / Sem. 1/2
MAN4228M / Personal Development Planning / Core / 10 / 7 / Sem. 1/2
Master of Science
Module Code / Module Title / Type / Credits / Level / Study periodMAN4342M / Contemporary Developments in Employee Relations / Core / 10 / 7 / Sem. 1/2
MAN4148M / Research Methods / Core / 10 / 7 / Sem. 1/2
MAN4343K / Integrative Work Based Project / Core / 40 / 7 / Sem. 1/2
The curriculum may change, subject to the University's programme approval, monitoring and review procedures.
Postgraduate Certificate: Delivery and Award
You can register for a Postgraduate Certificate award in Employee Relations and complete this by taking the Postgraduate Certificate modules shown above. These will normally be completed over 12 months. The three modules are delivered in parallel through six integrated ‘thematic’ 2-day residential workshops which will look at specific organizational issues from both the employee relations and managerial perspectives. These will be supported through directed independent study and ongoing support provided through the virtual learning environment.
Postgraduate Diploma: Delivery and Award
You can register for a Postgraduate Diploma award in Employee Relations. This will normally be completed over 20 months. You will need to complete the Postgraduate Certificate stage as outlined above and then progress to the Diploma stage. This begins with a 4-day residential workshop which will cover Leading and Enhancing Employee Relations and introduce Adding Value in Workplace Relations and Personal Development Planning. You will then progress both of these modules by attending six action learning set meetings where you will work on and report back on your progress with Adding Value in Workplace Relations and your Personal Development Planning. Again, these will be supported through directed independent study and ongoing support provided through the virtual learning environment.
Masters in Science: Delivery and Award
You can register for a Master of Science award in Employee Relations. This will normally be completed over 24 months but may be extended to 72 months. You will need to complete the Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma stages as outlined above and then progress to the Master of Science stage. This begins with a 4-day residential workshop which will cover Contemporary Developments in Employee Relations and introduce Research Methods and the Integrative Work-based Project. You will then complete Research Methods through Distance Learning and will complete your Project with the support and guidance of an academic supervisor.
Whilst University regulations allow for you to condone up to 20 credits (see below) and still achieve an award, it is normally expected that you will have successfully completed and passed all the modules at a prior stage of study prior to commencing on the next stage of the programme.
Teaching and Assessment Strategies
The programme aims through its learning, teaching and assessment to provide you with a safe, supportive and challenging environment through which you can critically reflect on your own and your organizations understanding and practice in respect of employee and workplace relations. Your learning will be primarily directed, supported and reinforced through workshops which will introduce you to key concepts and issues relevant to the programme of study and the effective management, support and leadership of the employment relationship and will provide you with an opportunity to explore and discuss your own practice and debate best practice and cutting edge ideas with colleagues on the programme. Such debate and discussion and the enhance understanding that comes through exploring ideas in this way is integral to the programme.
Workshops will be facilitated and led by Bradford academic staff but will have within them, as tutors, expert practitioners with relevant industry and workplace experience. Workshops will incorporate lectures, small group sessions, cases, exercise, and much will be made of sharing and discussing your own experiences in the class environment. Classes will also use practical application of cases and case studies with oral feedback given in the class. The focus here will be on the utility and application of ideas to real world problems and challenges. Learning, teaching and assessment are all focused on understanding the application, and the complexities of application of the principles discussed to your own and others working environments.
Workshops will also provide you with opportunities for formative assessment and feedback to support you in the development of your studies. An initial induction and orientation with structured guidance on the expectations of studying at University and structured opportunities for formative feedback on assessment activities will be included as part of your learning. This induction and the programme generally have been developed to be inclusive of your particular needs, by, for example, adopting small group seminars and electronic support mechanisms. These electronic mechanisms are integral to the delivery of the programme as you are part-time students who will work remotely from campus much of the time.
In addition, therefore, workshops will be supported and extended through specific activities provided in the virtual learning environment and guided private study. You will be directed to appropriate primary and secondary sources and be required to perform research and presentation exercises. This study will support, extend and develop the learning gained through workshops and allow you space to develop more detailed and critical consideration of the issues raised across the programme.
Each 10 credits worth of study represents approximately 100 hours' study time. This includes time spent in workshops, in preparation for these and through subsequent directed study as well as time spent working on assessments and directed study (see module descriptors), and will include a balance between individual and collaborative learning, both of which requires you to be highly motivated and willing to develop understanding through self directed and peer to peer study. Opportunities for you to work collaboratively with peers on the programme are included in both workshops and through project assessments.