PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION: MSc Human Resources and Organisations
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Awarding Body
LSE
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N/A
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Details of accreditation by a
professional/statutory body,
e.g. ESRC; BPS etc
Name of final award
Programme Title
Duration of the course
Based in the Department/Institute:
Relevant QAA subject benchmark
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UCAS Code
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First written/last amended
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MSc
Human Resources and Organisations
12 months full-time, 24 months part-time
Management
Business Management Masters
N6U7 MSc Human Resources and
Organisations (International Employment
Relations and Human Resource Management)
N6U8 MSc Human Resources and
Organisations Human Resource
Management/CIPD)
N6U9 MSc Human Resources and
Organisations (Organisational Behaviour)
May 2014
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The programme aims to:
 provide a high quality education in a research-active environment for intellectually
able students from a wide range of backgrounds;
 help students understand the social science basis and inter-disciplinary nature of
Human Resources (HR) Management and how they might be applied in practice both
in the UK and abroad;
 encourage students to develop intellectual flexibility and powers of rigorous analysis,
by placing a premium on developing minds and on bringing forward their analytical
reasoning ability;
 encourage students to study independently, to critically assess received wisdom, to
scrutinise evidence and to handle ambiguity;
In addition, each of the three specialisms has aims specific to that specialism:
SPECIALISM 1 (Organisational Behaviour)
 provide students with the requisite knowledge about behaviour in organisations to
facilitate a career in management and consultancy or the foundational knowledge in
the discipline to pursue a PhD in Organisational Behaviour.
SPECIALISM 2 (HRM/CIPD)
 give students practical experience of the competencies required by HR professionals
and allow them to explore how the HR function operates in practice;
 familiarise students with the tools necessary to research HR issues within
organisations and give them the opportunity to use those tools in a company-based
project;
 ensure students reach the standards required for a professional qualification
(Membership of the CIPD) that will facilitate a career in HRM and inspire them to
become ”reflective practitioners”.
SPECIALISM 3 (International Employment Relations & HRM)
 analyse the main features of the employment relations systems in a variety of
countries and compare, contrast and evaluate them;
 provide students with analytical skills that will help them think about contemporary
issues in employment relations and contribute to policy debates.
11. Programme outcomes: knowledge and understanding; skills and other attributes
Students completing this degree programme should possess:
 the ability to critically analyse theories, empirical research, organisational practices and
their implications for behaviour, attitudes and performance;
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
an advanced, critical understanding of a social science-based approach to HRM and a
firm grasp of the contributions of various disciplines;
 a capacity to work independently and creatively on research-based tasks, as
demonstrated in their dissertation;
 a longer term potential to think rigorously about complex HR issues and strategic choices
at senior levels of management, unions or government;
In addition, each of the three specialisms has outcomes specific to that specialism:
SPECIALISM 1 (Organisational Behaviour)
 a deep and broad understanding of Macro and Micro Organisational Behaviour and its
relevance to management and managing within organisations;
 the ability to apply psychological and sociological theories to understanding individual and
group behaviour in organisations.
SPECIALISM 2 (HRM/CIPD)
 a broad understanding of the issues and practicalities covered by the CIPD Professional
Standards and an approach to HRM that will allow them to develop professionally into a
‘Thinking Performer’;
 a broad understanding of the importance of comparative study and the international
dimension in HRM;
 competence in the practical skills and knowledge necessary to begin a career in HRM.
SPECIALISM 3 (International Employment Relations & HRM)
 a keen understanding of the importance of comparative study and the international
dimension of ER and HRM and a firm working knowledge of the major models of
employment relations;
 competence and knowledge to begin or further a career in private or public sector HRM,
in trade unions or in public policy, such as in the civil service.
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Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be achieved and
demonstrated
Teaching and learning strategies:
The teaching and learning strategies vary across the courses and are designed to facilitate different
learning styles. These include class presentations, group activities, case studies, outside speakers,
and skill-building exercises. Most courses are taught by lecture and seminar, but a few are taught in
a combined lecture-seminar style. Extensive hand-outs (typically in electronic format) and lecture
capture are available on most courses. Students are encouraged to think of learning as a
collaborative process and teamwork is welcomed. Seminars are provided on the techniques of
essay-writing, and coaching is also given in exam technique.
Assessment strategies:
The assessment across courses is diverse. Some courses are assessed by examination alone,
while others are assessed by coursework (essay, group project) and examination. A few courses
also assess class participation. For diagnostic purposes, both practice essays and mock exams
are used. The Dissertation represents a quarter of the degree and is supervised by a member of
the academic staff; however, students are expected to work independently in developing their own
research question and method. An extensive project methods course (ID493) is provided to give
guidance.
13. Programme structures and requirements, levels, modules and awards
MSc Human Resources and Organisations
Additional information
14. Criteria for admission to the programme
Students will normally need a first class or upper second class honours degree or its overseas
equivalent to be accepted onto the MSc. In exceptional cases, where candidates lack the required
academic attainments, the School takes relevant work experience into account. The programme
is academically demanding and students are expected to be inquisitive and thoughtful, to have
good writing skills, and be willing to grapple with research methods. Even so, a social science
degree is not a prerequisite. English language requirement is higher (IELTS level 7).
(NOTE: We are currently debating within the Department whether or not the GRE/GMAT should
be required)
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All students apply via one entry route and one application code. The specialism will need to be
chosen upon application and this will be done by requesting that they indicate a sub code e.g.
N6U4(a) for specialism 1, N6U4(b) for specialism 2 and N6U4(c) for specialism 3.
The specialism will be detailed on the award, e.g. MSc Human Resources and Organisations with
specialization in Organisational Behaviour.
Students can transfer from one specialism to another by applying to the Programme Director for a
transfer. Transfers must be submitted within the first 4 weeks of the Michaelmas Term
15.
Indicators of quality

Growing demand from well qualified applicants from around the world. Intense
competition for places;
 Favourable remarks by external examiners and consistently good examination results;
 Student feedback;
 Employer evaluation of and demand for our graduates;
 The Department was ranked highly in the last RAE;
 The Department has made a number of new appointments at the top of their respective
fields;
For Specialism 2 (HRM/CIPD):
 Reports by the CIPD quality control team. The Employment Relations and Organisational
Behaviour Group is a CIPD “Centre of Excellence”.
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Methods for evaluating and improving the quality and standard of teaching and
learning
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The TQARO student questionnaire, which is used as a tool to diagnose problems and
explore improvements;
 Termly Staff-Student Liaison Committee meetings on which each of the three specialisms
will have student and staff representation;
 Teaching teams on each course who meet regularly to evaluate past performance,
remedy defects and propose improvements;
 Staff meetings in which the problems of teaching and student service are routinely
discussed;
 External examiners’ feedback obtained at the exam board meeting;
 The Teaching and Learning Centre is available to monitor and observe teaching and
offers constructive advice on how to improve the standard of teaching and quality;
 The Teaching Learning and Assessment Committee which regulates all aspects of
teaching quality;
 Full departmental ASC review every five years;
 The Graduate Studies Sub-Committee which oversees all graduate programmes and
ensures that significant changes to programmes and courses pass through a sequence of
formal stages, so that curricular changes are appropriate and compatible with other
developments.
For Specialism 2 (HRM/CIPD):
 A professional adviser, drawn from the local CIPD branch to consult on the key issues
relating to the profession;
 CIPD visiting panels, who inspect the department every five years in relation both to CIPD
Standards and our “Centre of Excellence” status.
School level quality assurance processes include:
1. a system of initial programme approval, with input from the providers of resource-based
services (including the Library, IT Services and the Academic Planning and Resources
Committee) and including an external assessor's report, to be conducted by the School's
central academic bodies;
2. a system of initial course approval, with input from the providers of resource-based
services and conducted by the School's central academic bodies;
3. a system of approval of major modifications to programmes and courses, conducted by
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the School's central academic bodies;
4. a system of central review of departmental taught provision every five years or so,
informed by available evidence, including student views, the main purposes being to
promote development, identify and disseminate good practice, and to flag any concerns
over standards to departments, without adjudicating on them;
5. a system of gaining student feedback on their teaching and learning experience in the
School;
6. periodic review by the School's academic bodies of its internal Codes of Practice;
7. due and appropriate consideration of national quality assurance requirements through the
School's committee structure; and
8. departments have the following arrangements in place for assuring their quality and
standards:
8.1. Staff-Student Liaison Committees for all students that meet regularly, with minutes of
meetings produced and circulated to staff and students;
8.2. Departmental Staff meetings that involve all staff, meet at least three times per
academic year, and consider information from any other extant departmental committees.
Minutes should be produced and circulated to staff;
8.3. A Teaching Committee that involves appropriate departmental staff, meets regularly
each academic session and considers all aspects of departmental learning and teaching,
including new programme and course proposals. Minutes should be produced and
circulated to members;
8.4. A system for ensuring the effective participation in the School's annual programme
monitoring exercise;
8.5. A system for considering course and programme results annually, and revising
taught provision as appropriate;
8.6. A system for considering student survey course results annually, and revising taught
provision as appropriate;
8.7. A system for considering external examiners' reports, and acting on them, on an
annual basis, with the School having an associated responsibility (a) to ensure that the
system functions and (b) for any School-wide lessons on both good practice and areas of
concern from the reports collectively.
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