Master of Science (MSc) Degree in Human Resource Management
Preamble
These regulations shall be read in conjunction with the Faculty Regulations for Postgraduate Degree Programmes and General Regulations for Postgraduate Degrees, which have precedence over Departmental Regulations.
General Description of the Programme
The programme covers human resources principles and practices that are significant for the human resources function to contribute meaningfully to an organisation’s strategic direction. The core elements of the programme encompass strategic human resources management, reward management, employee resourcing, leadership and organisation behaviour, human resource information system and managing organisational change. These are among the core competencies that are required of a human resources practitioner. The programme also covers key functions of a business such as marketing, business law, managerial accounting, and operations management, to which the human resources function is obligated to provide an effective support service.
Rationale
The programme will equip graduates in this field with the requisite competences to effectively and professionally manage the human capital. The human resource is arguably the most important resource in any organisation both in terms of cost to the company and leverage to the company’s sustainable profitability. Salaries and other related remuneration packages constitute the biggest expense to most of the companies. Effective human resources management will thus, on one hand reduce the allied employment costs and on the other optimise employee productivity. In today’s era of internet almost every other organisational competence other than the human resource competence can be copied with relative ease and speed. Hence the programme is of vital importance to the students as well as the companies that will employ the graduates.
Objectives
The programme intends to:
• Enhance efficiency and effectiveness in the execution of human resource functions.
• Provide 21st century managers with the knowledge and skills to coordinate human resource functions in private and public sector organizational settings.
• Prepares human resource managers with skills to take on a more strategic role in organisations.
Career Prospects
• Human Resource/Organisational Development Practitioners
• Recruitment officers
• Compensation Administrators
• Human Resource Managers
• Human Resource Directors
• Academics
• Labour/HR Consultants
Entry Requirements
To qualify for admission into the Master of Science Degree in Human Resource Management, applicants must normally hold a good honours degree in the appropriate area.
Normal Entry
A candidate must have a relevant Bachelor of Science Honours Degree or its equivalent with a lower second class or better.
Special Entry
A candidate who does not meet normal entry requirements may, subject to the approval of the senate, be admitted into a programme on special grounds.
Structure of the Degree Programme
• The programme shall be one and half (1½) years on block release.
• The programme shall be offered in accordance with Faculty regulations
• A programme shall consist of a minimum of ten (10) modules and a dissertation equivalent to two modules.
• Students shall be required to take five (5) modules in semester I, five (5) modules in semester II and two (2) modules in the final semester.
Part I Semester I
Core Modules
Code Module Description
MHRM501 Human Resource Information Systems
MHRM502 Strategic Human Resource Development
MHRM503 Advanced Labour Relations and Collective Bargaining
MHRM504 Organisational Theory
Optional Modules
A student may choose any one (1) module from the following:
Code Module Description
MHRM505 Financial Management and Policy
MHRM507 Operations Management
Part I Semester II
Core Modules
Code Module Description
MHRM508 Strategic Human Resource Management
MHRM509 Reward Management
MHRM510 Advanced Research Methods and Statistics
MHRM511 Managing Organisational Change
Optional Modules
A student may choose any one (1) module from the following:
Code Module Description
MHRM512 Managerial Accounting
MHRM513 Managerial Economics
Part II Semester I
Core Modules
Code Module Description
MHRM514 Dissertation
Assessment
• To be admitted into an examination, a candidate must have been registered for that module and attended at least 80% of the lectures and satisfactorily completed the approved module’s coursework.
• Each module in the programme is assessed on the basis of a three (3) hour written examination and by course work undertaken during the period of study.
• A dissertation shall be submitted to the Department in accordance with the Faculty regulations.
Weighting
The weighting for the examination and coursework shall be 70% and 30% respectively.
Determination of Results
• To successfully complete a programme, a candidate must pass all registered modules.
• A candidate who fails a minimum of two (2) modules within a supplementable range in Part I may be allowed to sit for supplementary examinations.
• A candidate who fails any module below a supplementable range shall be required to repeat.
• A module may be repeated when next on offer.
• The following grading system shall be adopted:
80 – 100 Distinction
70 – 79 Merit
50 – 69 Pass
0 – 49 Fail
Notification of Results
The results for each examination shall be published in accordance with the provisions of the General Academic Regulations.
Degree Classification
The final classification for the degree shall be calculated by averaging the three semester module marks.