Description
Please note that this qualification is no longer open to students new to the University. The final date on which it will be awarded is 31 December 2026.
This qualification is suitable for those at the start of a career in human resources (HR) or hoping to enter the HR profession and for line managers. This diploma will deepen your understanding of HR management and strategy, while building the specialist skills essential for practitioners. You will address business and change management issues and work at a strategic level; and explore issues such as employee relations, employee engagement, learning and development, employee resourcing and talent management. There is a strong emphasis on practice-based learning, and you will examine international and comparative practice – preparing you for work in the global economy. You will also evaluate the relevance of research and theory in relation to practice improvement.
Key features of the course
- Suitable for those at the start of their HR career or aspiring to enter the HR profession
- Explores the role of the HR professional, the nature of professionalism and approaches to addressing ethical dilemmas
- Develops people management skills such as interviewing, coaching, managing conflict and managing performance
- Prepares you for further study, such as the MSc in Human Resource Management.
Planning your studies
You must hold a bachelors degree awarded by a recognised UK university, or equivalent. Please contact us if you hold a qualification that you believe is an equivalent level to a UK degree, to ensure that it meets the requirements for admission.
Your spoken and written English must be of an adequate standard for postgraduate study. If English is not your first language, we recommend that you will need a minimum score of 6.5 under the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Please see their website for details.
You will need to be able to draw on experience of working in or with organisations. This experience can be drawn from a wide range of situations such as employment in public and private sector organisations and in self-employed or voluntary roles.
How long it takes
As the final date on which this qualification will be awarded is 31 December 2026, the maximum time to complete is one year. This will require approximately 12–14 hours of study a week for each 30-credit module.
Career relevance and employability
This qualification can provide a route to professional membership of the CIPD if you wish to develop a career in HR management. It will also provide training in research and academic skills if you want to develop an academic career in the field of HR management, and if you have studied Managing research in the workplace (B865) and complete the HR management residential school (BXR868).
More generally, by studying a postgraduate business qualification you can expect your salary to increase and for it to have a positive impact on your career progression, as well as bringing improvements to their organisation.
Careers and Employability Services have more information on how OU study can improve your employability.
Modules
You should study the modules in the order shown.
If you started your studies prior to November 2019 and you successfully passed Managing research in the workplace (B865), you can use this diploma as a route to membership of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) if you also take the module HR management residential school (BXR868).
To gain this qualification, you need 120 credits and there are two routes to achieving this.
Route 1
30 credits from the following:
| Compulsory module |
Credits |
Next start |
- The human resource professional (B863) (discontinued)
|
30 |
|
plus 30 credits from the following:
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued module B864.
plus 60 credits from the following:
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued modules B865, B866 and B867.
Route 2
60 credits from the following:
| Compulsory module |
Credits |
Next start |
- HR management in practice (BXM840) (discontinued)
|
60 |
|
plus 60 credits from the following:
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued modules B865, B866 and B867.
CIPD recognition of this qualification:
Please note that a route to CIPD membership is only available to students using this qualification where they have successfully passed Managing research in the workplace (B865) – final presentation was November 2019.
Both routes to the Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management are complemented by an online school where there is daily contact time over an 12 day period. Some of the contact is synchronous with real time online tutorials students are required to participate in. The school is an opportunity to practise and receive feedback on HR skills. The school is compulsory for those seeking CIPD membership and is optional for other students.
You should note that the University’s unique study rule applies to this qualification. This means that you must include at least 60 credits from OU modules that have not been counted in any other OU qualification that has previously been awarded to you.
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes of this qualification are described in four areas:
- Knowledge and understanding
- Cognitive skills
- Practical and professional skills
- Key skills
Read more detailed information about the learning outcomes, and how they are acquired through teaching, learning and assessment methods.
Credit for previous study elsewhere
If you’ve successfully completed some relevant postgraduate study elsewhere, you might be able to count it towards this qualification, reducing the number of modules you need to study. You should apply for credit transfer as soon as possible, before you register for your first module. For more details and an application form, visit our Credit Transfer website.
On completion
On successfully completing this course, we’ll award you our Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management. You'll be entitled to use the letters PgDip HRM (Open) after your name.
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the qualification-specific regulations below and the academic regulations that are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
How to register
If you want to study for this qualification, read the description and check you meet any specific requirements (for example, some of
our qualifications, require you to be working in a particular environment, or be sponsored by your employer). Then select the
module you wish to study first and ensure it is suitable for you before following the registration procedure for that module.
During the registration procedure you will be asked to declare which qualification you are studying towards.
See a full list of modules available for this qualification