MA Personnel and Development (Part Time)

This course is designed to provide progression to a master's degree for students who have completed the Postgraduate Certificate andDiploma in Personnel and Development| (or equivalent) at Southampton Solent University.

The course aims to develop students as effective managers of people in changing employment conditions. Conveniently structured, it provides the ideal opportunity to develop your career and broaden your knowledge with high-quality supervisory support.

You will have the opportunity to engage with a specific personnel issue at a more academically rigorous level of enquiry. The course will appeal to anyone involved in the management of people at a senior and strategic level. Those who are likely to benefit include HR professionals, middle and senior managers, trade union officials and members of other professions.

Industrial focus

You will be taught by tutors with wide-ranging HR experience in many business and non-profit sectors.

Course content

Research Methods: This unit will develop the skills of inquiry and research required primarily for the dissertation. It covers the major theories and concepts associated with empirical and library-based research. It will also develop your ability to apply these concepts to practical research situations.

Dissertation: The dissertation enables you to examine a specific HR issue of your choice in significant detail. It builds on your skills, subject knowledge and interests by encouraging independent working, reflection and development of a specialist area of knowledge. It is also an important element of your career portfolio and you will be encouraged to consider the relevance of your chosen topic to current developments in both the academic and professional environment.

Assessment

25% research proposal (3,500 words plus talk) and 75% dissertation (20,000 words).

Key career skills

Organisation, research, independent working, writing, strategic and creative thinking.

Projects/work experience

Your dissertation is directly relevant to current developments in your professional environment. Examples of the topics explored by students in their dissertation work include staff appraisal, employee retention, work–life balance, centralisation of HR, ageism and managing conflict.

Why Solent is special

• Attendance: The course is conveniently structured to be delivered in six Saturdays.
• Choice: There is a wide choice of dissertation topics. Staff expertise: Tutors have a wide range of HR experience in business and non-profit sectors.
• Top-up: One-year ‘top-up’ from Postgraduate Diploma.

Attendance

You will attend two consecutive Saturdays starting in the first week in October to learn about the nature of dissertation work and the alternative research methodologies which might be adopted for this purpose.You will agree your dissertation topic with the course leader before the end of October. Students are then matched with appropriate supervisors and begin work on their dissertation proposal.

On the second Saturday in November, a session is held to consider different methods of data collection and analysis and to provide further guidance on the completion of the dissertation proposal. You will be required to submit your dissertation proposal in mid-December and a further session (second Saturday in December) will be used for students to deliver a presentation of their research topic to their tutors and peers. Following this session, students will continue to work closely with their supervisor. It is envisaged that most will gather their primary research data early in the New Year.

A further session will be held shortly before the Easter break (second Saturday in February and third Saturday in March) to address issues associated with the writing up of the dissertation. Students will be required to submit the dissertation in late May.

Fees

Fees for the academic year 2013/14 are:
Year 1
UK and EU students: £2,150 per year.Years 2 and 3
UK and EU students: £2,565 per year.

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