Trinity Business School’s new postgraduate course in Human Resource management has been approved by University Council and is due to commence in September 2017. Upon completion, students will be awarded an MSc or exit award of a postgraduate diploma.
Trinity is seeking accreditation from the three largest Human Resources (HR) professional bodies for this new programme. It has so far been approved by the Society for Human Resource Management and the Human Resource Certification Institute, both of which are based in the US. The third body is the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, with which Trinity has reached an initial agreement. These organisations have 285,000, 500,000 and 140,000 members, respectively. The Society for Human Resource Management spans over 165 countries, the Human Resource Certification Institute over 100 and Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has members across the world.
The course would be offered as a one-year, full-time course or a two-year, part-time course, and has been placed at level nine in the Irish National Framework of Qualifications. A level eight is what is achieved by an Honours Bachelor’s Degree or a Higher Diploma. A number of the 12 five ECTS modules will be taken as shared classes with other courses in Trinity’s Business School.
Positive feedback concerning the course was given by Tony Dundon, Professor of Human Resource Management and Employment Relations, Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester following an external review. He commented, in the review, that the course is well placed to attract applicants.
In an email to The University Times, Dr Na Fu, Associate Professor in Human Resource Management and Director for MSc in Human Resource Management in Trinity’s Business School, explained the importance of achieving these approvals: “MSc in Human Resource Management at Trinity Business School meets the increasing demand for competent graduates who can undertake and advise on HR core function and activities in organisations.”
“Our graduates will have [an] in-depth understanding of HR theory and knowledge, be able to put them into practice, and can develop successful careers in the HR areas”, she added.
Human Resource Certification Institute CEO, Amy Dufrane, in a press release, spoke about the importance of Trinity joining the group, stating that the group’s “approval means that Trinity Business School has established a strong reputation for enhancing the lifelong learning of HR professionals and providing a professional development opportunity that meets the recertification needs of busy HR professionals in a wide range of sectors”.
To add to this, Fu explained the importance of achieving such an important accreditation: “Our MSc in Human Resource Management programme meets the increasing demand for competent graduates who can undertake and advise on HR core function and activities in organisations. This programme offers a strong foundation in Human Resource management and delivers specialist content in the key HR areas.”
Last year, Trinity’s Business School announced that they had accepted the first cohort of students into it’s new bachelor in business studies for undergraduates. The course is a specialist business degree intended to focus on business from the beginning, in contrast to the existing Business, Economics and Social Studies (BESS) course, which only offers students the opportunity to specialise in business from third year.
The school also announced a new MSc in operations and supply change management last October, which will see its first intake of students in September 2018.
Trinity Business School are currently in the midst of building a €82.5 million facility on campus, where Luce Hall used to be. The new business school, announced in 2013, is due to be completed in 2018.
