Human Resources and Consulting MA

Lancaster University

The ability to empower organisations and their people is a highly sought-after skill, and the focus on developing, valuing, and managing human resources has never been greater. This unique course blends strategic HR, development and consulting to develop your expertise in working with and through people.

Whether you are a recent graduate or already working in HR, management education or consultancy, your mind will be challenged as we train you to think and act critically and effectively.

This is not a programme focused on simplistic ‘models’ or techniques. Instead, we will teach you to hone the capabilities and skills necessary to develop people and knowledge effectively.

You will put your newly developed conceptual abilities into practice with real-life organisations, including how to intervene constructively in strategic issues and stimulate change through consulting. We will encourage you to work collaboratively, sharing ideas and experiences with your international classmates and tutors. As our graduates tell us, that’s often how you will learn the most.

We provide a supportive environment, centred around our students. You will be taught by distinguished academics who research and publish at the very highest level. You will also hear from guest speakers ranging from internal managers to experienced external consultants. Our learning approach includes critical analysis, experiential learning and interactive processes. Even your dissertation will be stimulated through peer-supported research.

Programme Outcomes

Equipped with sophisticated conceptual, analytical and practical skills, many of our graduates secure roles in consulting on the people side of organisations. Others work in human resource development and management, organisational development, or leadership and management development.

Learning Design

The programme takes an experiential approach to learning and development, which is why project work is used to complement academic study. Throughout the MA, you are actively encouraged to diagnose and explore issues that are central to your individual learning – and encouraged to question and challenge philosophies and theories and re-examine established beliefs and managerial practices.

Through its various strands and activities, the programme aims to:

• Develop your skills and awareness as a responsive, reflective practitioner, able to analyse and respond to changing needs and evolving organisational contexts
• Develop your critical thinking skills and your analytical capabilities
• Increase your confidence and skills in working with others within an international learning community
• Develop your ability to form balanced and reasoned judgements about the value, strengths and weaknesses of your own work and those of others

Course Content

The modules on the MA in HR and Consulting are taught over three terms, with a break at Christmas and Easter. Some of the modules span across terms. The first term sets the groundwork for the programme with a number of short and small assessments and a focus on key HR, consultancy work, development and teamwork knowledge and skills.

Alongside the modules listed in the course structure, there is a careers and learning development element, which provides interactive group sessions over terms one and two that will equip you with skills to make the most of your learning, study and career opportunities.

During your second term from January to March, you engage in a consulting project with an external client organisation, as well as developing consultancy knowledge in HR and research methods. In this term, you also begin to work on your dissertation proposal.

From May to July, you develop your advanced knowledge in leadership and work on your master's dissertation in a learning group, with support from your dissertation supervisor.