Master of Science in Human Resources and Employment Relations

at Brunel University London United Kingdom

If you follow the news and keep up-to-date on what’s happening in the world, you will know that the challenge of keeping people and nations secure is a focus and a priority across the globe. What does the future hold for keeping us safe, and how are solutions concluded?

Everyone wants to feel secure. Whether it is the security of our borders, our food and water supplies, our data or our homes, securing the safety of our resources and ourselves has never posed as big a challenge as it does today.

Alongside the core spine of your Global Challenges degree, you will take an in-depth look at issues such as climate change, sustainable development, migration, terrorism, inequality and poverty and how they affect the world we live in, this pathway will give you a greater understanding of security issues, whether they’re on the ground, in space or in cyberspace.

Your studies are structured into three levels which reflect the depth and breadth of the subject: integrated, applied and advanced security. The integrated security modules in your first year will introduce you to four themes including security, intelligence, reasoning and influence. In your second year you move on to look at applied security issues to help integrate your knowledge into new topics of war and crime, space and risk. Then, in your final year, you go on to look at more advanced security themes like threats and government.

As part of your course, you will also investigate some of the measures adopted in crisis management including the security implications of militarisation. This interesting course will take you on a journey through variety of subjects including military studies, criminology, sociology, politics and war.

Throughout your course you will build your ability to work in a team as you build skills in project management, presenting and team pitches. A third year Enterprise Project will help to bring all these skills together as you work on a group project with a real organisation.

You have the option to apply for an internship at the end of your first year and can take a one-year placement between years two and three, giving you valuable work experience and a step ahead for your career when you graduate.

Are you looking for a rewarding career that impacts the lives of individuals, families and communities? On successful completion of the Social Work MA course at Brunel, you’ll be eligible to apply for Social Work England registration which is mandatory to practise social work.

Through a combination of academic expertise and high-quality practice placements you’ll be prepared for your career in social work, where 95% of our graduates are in employment after completing their studies. Brunel is located in London, home to a diverse landscape of social work settings. Our academics have strong connections within the sector and you’ll benefit from excellent work placement experience, over 170 days in total.

This Social Work England accredited course will equip you with the skills to tackle the challenges faced in social work today including problems such as county lines, cyber bullying, discrimination and extremism. You’ll learn about law, psychology, social policy and sociology, giving you a comprehensive understanding of various approaches. You’ll develop the skills to identify, understand and critically appraise evidence and research which can inform social work practice.

Mathematics is a fundamental subject that is critical to our understanding of the world. Through the study of mathematics you’ll advance your problem solving skills, develop your reasoning and increase your analytical thinking. This is why mathematics forms a basis to so many careers. Yes – it is a discipline in its own right, but it is also the thinking behind countless commercial, industrial and technological activities. Mathematical models underpin engineering, the applied sciences, computing and many aspects of management today.

With the Financial Mathematics MMath you’ll study for a further year and bring your BSc degree to master’s standard. This means you’ll be able to get that competitive edge when you apply for jobs without having to go through the application process again after Level 3.

Two-thirds of your course is shared with the MMath in Mathematics. This covers several application areas – finance, statistics, operational research (i.e. how maths can be applied to commercial and industrial problems) and numerical analysis. The remaining third covers the key principles of finance.

Follow the five-year ‘Professional Placement’ degree programme and you‘ll benefit from our extensive experience in helping students to find well-paid work placements with blue-chip companies. Our sandwich students find that their mathematical and transferable skills are in demand in many sectors, both in the UK and abroad.

Areas recently offering placements include: accountancy, aviation, banking, defence, finance, insurance, IT (software development, network management and design), management (public and private sector), marketing and telecommunications.

This programme will meet the educational requirements of the Chartered Mathematician designation, awarded by the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, when it is followed by subsequent training and experience in employment to obtain equivalent competences to those specified by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for taught master's degrees.

Understanding customer behaviour and translating this into how a company communicates and operates is the crux of good marketing practice, which in turn, is integral to a successful business.

Brunel’s Business and Management (Marketing) BSc offers you the chance to explore the principles and practices of modern day marketing, such as market research, database marketing, digital marketing, and the marketing of not-for-profit services.

As with all our Business and Management degree courses, you will be equipped with a broad knowledge of business and management fundamentals as well as the analytical and interpersonal skills required to address the problems that today’s companies face.

You will also learn valuable technical skills along the way including numerical methods and how to use statistical software such as SPSS and EXCEL (A-level maths or the overseas equivalent is not a requirement).

A module on Management Enquiry will help you adapt to university study with learning sessions on working in groups, report writing, and time management.

There is the option to take a year’s work placement between your second and third year which could see you working in the marketing department of a leading brand or organisation. This is an excellent opportunity to gain experience and make valuable contacts for your future career. Find out more on our work placement year page.

You may also obtain the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Certificate in Professional Marketing while you study through the CIM Gateway, as this is a CIM accredited course. The CIM is the leading professional body for marketers worldwide and CIM qualifications are highly regarded by potential employers.

Our Business and Management (Marketing) BSc is also accredited by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), which means you will gain exemptions from some of their professional papers if you wish to undertake further study towards being a chartered management accountant after you graduate.

This course has a placement option. Find out more about work placements available.

All our business degrees include the option of a work placement year between your second and third year.

• In addition to providing the opportunity to put what you’ve learnt in your degree into practice, and to earn some much appreciated money, our students find their work placement experience significantly enhances their career prospects when they come to graduate. In fact many students are offered employment with their work placement company upon graduation. You'll be working in the same capacity as you would when you graduate so it will give you a taste of what's to come, hopefully, including all the challenges and rewards.
• Placements are available at different sized organisations across the public and private sector, so you can choose the type of experience most suited to you. You’ll need to apply for these positions in much the same way as you would a job, so it’ll be useful experience in that respect too.
• The good news is that through our Business Life programme and the University’s Professional Development Centre, you should be well prepared to make the best applications you can.
• Placements tend to last 44 weeks. During your placement, an academic member of staff from Brunel Business School will keep in touch, and your employer will be invited to attend a tutorial day at Brunel with you

Psychology in Sport, Health and Exercise is an area of growing interest, particularly in the world of professional sport. Through studying the link between the mind and the body, we can understand things like motivation and determination, and the effect that physical activity has on the brain.

This course is jointly delivered by the Divisions of Psychology and Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences. It is accredited by the British Psychological Society.

The Division of Psychology offers a firm foundation of learning including cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, and biological psychology. Quantitive and qualitative research methods are taught to support experiments you may carry out as research for your dissertation.

The Division of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences will cover the fundamentals of sports psychology, and how to apply research knowledge to real-world situations. You will learn about experiences you may encounter as an applied psychology practitioner in both sport and exercise contexts.

As an accredited course, should you graduate with a 2:2 grade or higher, you will be eligible to apply for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society. Membership will be key if you choose to pursue postgraduate training. It’s also a pre-requisite of entry to all accredited Stage 2 and Doctoral programmes needed to become a chartered psychologist – be it in Sport and Exercise or otherwise.

Managing teams of people while recognising the needs of individuals in the workplace is a growing area of interest for corporations who want to ensure employee wellbeing and good productivity levels. With the introduction of concepts such as flexi-hours and remote working, and rights around parental leave, human resource management is taking centre stage. The Human Resource Management MSc offers the opportunity to explore the issues of managing people both in theory and in practice and how this can contribute to organisational success.

The course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), which students and graduates are encouraged to join. The CIPD is the world’s largest Chartered HR and development professional body and by becoming a member, you become part of a global network of HR professionals. Find out more on our accreditations and exemptions page.

The compulsory modules look at areas such as talent search, selection and recruitment, leadership recruitment, reward management, performance management, and creating an environment of learning and development.

International human resource management is also covered, looking at expatriation, management across cultures, and HR systems and processes from an international perspective.

As a prospective human resource manager, you will be able to address business and professional situations knowledgeably, making a contribution to improved organisational performance and delivering sound HR support.

Events organised via the Business Life Employability Programme will expose you to the various tests used by HR departments such as:

BAT (Bloomberg Aptitude Test)
The BAT is a three-hour online test which can be taken on campus within an invigilated environment with a Bloomberg representative. BAT was designed in conjunction with leading financial institutions and academics to uncover a person’s levels of knowledge and skills relevant for a financial career.

Psychometric testing
Online aptitude and ability tests which are taken under test conditions. You will also receive confidential feedback on your performance and advice and tips to help you use your results effectively.

Assessment centres
The opportunity to experience a range of assessment centre exercises and tasks from the perspective of the candidate and the assessor.

Myers Briggs Type Indicator
Widely used in organisations to help people understand team dynamics, completing this will help you to identify your own preferred style of communication, information processing, and decision making.

Belbin
Belbin reports identify a person’s behavioural strengths and weaknesses to ascertain their ideal team role. It is used primarily to select and develop better-performing teams, but can also be used to raise self-awareness, increase personal effectiveness, and aid recruitment decisions. 

Our Structural Engineering MSc degree is a highly specialist course that has been developed to equip you with a broad range of knowledge and management skills to meet the real-world needs of safety and sustainability in the civil engineering and construction industry.

You will study the traditional elements of structural engineering and deepen your knowledge of structural analysis and design, and sustainable construction. You’ll also develop advanced and specialist knowledge on topical subjects such as fire protection, environmental hazards and energy efficient buildings.

You’ll have access to our custom-designed technical facilities for the testing of materials and structures. The latest industry standard engineering software packages are available for you to use in the purpose-built computer laboratories.

During your studies, there is a residential field trip with hands-on construction experience where you will build a scaled-down version of a bridge, building or dam. You will also benefit from guest lectures delivered by industry professionals, as well as visits to construction sites and civil engineering development projects.

Our MSc structural engineering degree is accredited by the Joint Board of Moderators (JBM). The JBM comprises the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institution of Structural Engineers, the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation, and the Institute of Highway Engineers. These four professional bodies ensure that your engineering degree meets the academic requirement to qualify as a professional engineer. This accredited MSc degree in structural engineering fully meets the educational requirement for progression to Chartered Engineer (CEng) status. It is studied full-time over one year.

Handling large amounts of data efficiently and quickly is becoming an increasingly important aspect of computing; businesses need to understand trends in data which will allow them to make informed and timely decisions. Artificial intelligence (AI) and the techniques it embraces provide opportunities for this to happen and to make sense of big data.

Qualified graduates with the skills and ability in AI to take advantage of these opportunities are in great demand. Brunel’s Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence) BSc, will expose you to the foundations, theory and practical aspects of computer science and AI.

You’ll gain a good understanding of computer science and a grasp of the important elements of a computer system. You’ll also learn how to build different types of software, from web-based systems to mobile solutions.

By specialising in AI you’ll develop a range of techniques which can be applied in software to solve complex problems. AI is inherent in modern games, financial trading systems and medical systems and enhances the software solutions in each of these areas.

You’ll be confident in your knowledge of the nature, diversity and limitations of software artefacts (or programs) that display apparently intelligent behaviour, understand a range of machine learning paradigms, and be able to apply them to the production of innovative and useful artefacts.

Our course is designed for flexibility, so if you’re not sure which route you want to go, you can select modules and specialise gradually during your time with us. You can transfer between Computer Science and Business Computing up to the start of Level 2, then, should you wish, to choose a specialism up to the start of Level 3.

We know that when you graduate, you’ll be working on large projects. That’s why one third of each year of our programmes is project-based. On Levels 1 and 2, you’ll build a software solution in a team, and in your final year you’ll carry out an individual project. You’ll also have the opportunity to showcase your projects at the annual Made in Brunel (Software Innovation) event, with awards presented by the likes of Cisco, Sky and Xerox.

As part of your degree course, you’ll have the chance to take a year-long work placement between your second year and third year. We’ll support you in finding that all-important paid professional experience, in the UK or abroad. The feedback we’ve received is that those who have taken a placement are much more likely to find a job for which their degree was a formal requirement as it gives you a competitive advantage. Recent graduates have gone on to work for well-known names such as Accenture, Toshiba, Microsoft, British Airways, O2, and Barclays.

Our programmes are accredited by the British Computer Society, the Chartered Institute for IT, for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered IT Professional (CITP), and on behalf of the Engineering Council, for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for Incorporated Engineer (IEng) and partially meeting the academic requirement for a Chartered Engineer (CEng). 

The accreditation also allows you to apply for professional membership of the BCS after you have successfully completed your degree.

The department has been awarded an Athena SWAN Bronze, recognising our dedication to the advancement of gender equality in STEM subjects. We now have an ongoing three-year action plan to further implement strategies and improve our practices. As part of this endeavour, Brunel’s Women in Engineering and Computing mentoring scheme provides our female students with invaluable help and support from the industry.

Politics and Sociology at Brunel is a dynamic combination of high level study in both subjects. Your politics studies will help you address critical questions like: Who has political power? Why do they have it? And in whose interest do they exercise it?

Meanwhile, your studies in sociology will look at subjects like sociological theory, social identities, the sociology of everyday life and the changing nature of modern societies. You’ll be studying people, societies and how people live, and on the other how they are governed or want to be governed.

Both subjects will help to demonstrate your intellectual acumen and understanding of world affairs and real life issues, which will be an asset in so many fields of work.

Whether you’re studying modern world politics or the development of social change and transformations, you’ll not just learn about them, you’ll be analysing them using the tools of political science and social science to help deepen your understanding and critical thinking.

Opt for a placement year and you'll gain valuable experience to help give you the edge in the job market when you come to graduate. Past students have secured placements in the Home Office, HM Treasury, the House of Commons, and the Competition Commission, but the list of possibilities is endless.

It’s a competitive world out there, so you’ll get plenty of support from your lecturers and the University’s Professional Development Centre to help prepare you for your placement year and the world of work.

But why not increase your career options with an accredited journalism course, a free modern language course, or a social media internship? You can even opt to study part of your degree abroad in one of our partner universities in Europe, or participate in an exchange programme to China or the USA.

It’s all available at Brunel to help you make a difference in the world – now and in the future.

Brunel graduates of this subject enter diverse careers. Some go into politics and the civil service, some are at GCHQ and military intelligence, and some go on to further study or into research.

Others go into the public sector – the NHS, social or care work, education or in local authorities, while others go into the private sector working for international banks, business consultancy, law, NGOs, the media and marketing. The opportunities are endless.

In today’s business landscape, brand is everything. But what exactly is brand and how do we manage it for the best possible outcome? Brunel’s Corporate Brand Management MSc examines the importance of branding, corporate identity, image and reputation.

You will study a wide-range of brands (e.g. product, service, personal, company) from a variety of cultures and sectors (private, public and not-for-profit) including start-ups, SMEs, and multinationals. You will also study how corporate branding is key to an organisation’s overall marketing strategy.

Brunel Business School was the first school to introduce a specialised MSc in corporate brand management back in 2007. The Corporate Brand Management MSc is taught by an enthusiastic team including Professor John M.T. Balmer, who is highly regarded in the corporate brand domain, as well as renowned brand specialists Dr Sharifah Alwi and Dr Yousra Asaad, amongst others.

You have the option of taking either a year-long or six to twelve week work placement, depending on your needs, to help you enhance your skills and boost your career prospects while you study. We were one of the first business schools to offer postgraduate degrees with placement and the feedback has been that this is incredibly useful as you can put your learning into practice immediately. It’s also a great way to make business contacts with the possibility of a job offer from your placement employer once you’ve graduated. Find out more on our work placements page.

Accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), this course offers the option to study the CIM Certificate in Professional Marketing alongside your degree. Find out more on our accreditations and exemptions page.

Topics covered on the degree include corporate and product brand identity, corporate and product brand image and reputation, corporate marketing, and corporate communications. You will also study marketing communications and strategy from a corporate branding perspective.