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Courses
Courses
Choosing a course is one of the most important decisions you'll ever make! View our courses and see what our students and lecturers have to say about the courses you are interested in at the links below.
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University Life
University Life
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About NUI Galway
About NUI Galway
Since 1845, NUI Galway has been sharing the highest quality teaching and research with Ireland and the world. Find out what makes our University so special – from our distinguished history to the latest news and campus developments.
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Colleges & Schools
Colleges & Schools
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Research & Innovation
Research & Innovation
NUI Galway’s vibrant research community take on some of the most pressing challenges of our times.
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Business & Industry
Guiding Breakthrough Research at NUI Galway
We explore and facilitate commercial opportunities for the research community at NUI Galway, as well as facilitating industry partnership.
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Alumni, Friends & Supporters
Alumni, Friends & Supporters
There are over 90,000 NUI Galway graduates Worldwide, connect with us and tap into the online community.
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Community Engagement
Community Engagement
At NUI Galway, we believe that the best learning takes place when you apply what you learn in a real world context. That's why many of our courses include work placements or community projects.
Human Resource Management
Course Overview
The professionally accredited MSc in Human Resource Management (HRM) at NUI Galway, is a one-year taught programme that is research-led and practice-driven. Students will go beyond the traditional classroom by developing insights into new and emerging themes in HRM, based on sustainability, managing change and the employment relationship, ethics, business and society and analytics. The programme is designed with a focus on decent work and leadership of self and others, and building professional and academic competencies such as critical thinking and business and people development skills.
We have designed the programme such that students can pursue one of two pathways; an Internship or the Summer School, thus allowing students to gear their Masters towards their own particular interests and focused career path. This personalisation of the Master’s offers students an opportunity to tailor the programme to suit their aspirations and ambitions in the way that best suits them.
The programme covers: HRM in Practice, Employment Relations and Law, Sustainable HRM, Business and Society, Critical Thinking and Analytical Skills, Business and Professional Development Skills, Leading Change and Business Transformation, Business Negotiations, International HRM and Project Management.
This is one of very few CIPD accredited MSc. Programmes in Ireland, that offers an Internship and Summer School pathway. Both pathways require the student to undertake an applied project, where students will get to tackle a real business problem and develop suitable recommendations.
Here's our MSc class of 2021-22
Applications and Selections
Applications are made online via the NUI Galway Postgraduate Applications System.
Who Teaches this Course
- Dr Denise Holland
- Dr Deirdre Curran
- Professor Kate Kenny
- Dr Rachel Hilliard
- Ms Shona Lenihan
- Dr Ann Torres
- Dr Fiona Sheridan
Requirements and Assessment
Continuous assessment is a feature of each module. You will complete essays, projects and presentations, working individually and in groups. There are final examinations for most modules.
Key Facts
Entry Requirements
Entry Requirements:
- A H2.1 undergraduate honours degree in business or a related discipline (NFQ Level 8), or international equivalent, is normally required. However, candidates with a H2.2 honours degree and who have a minimum of 2 years relevant work experience will also be considered.
- Students whose first language is not English are required to demonstrate their English language proficiency by successfully completing and passing an English language test e.g. IELTS (score of 6.5) or DuoLingo (score of 110).
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As part of your application to this Programme please create a one minute video of yourself answering the following three questions:
1. Why do I want to pursue the MSc HRM at NUI Galway?
2. Why should I be selected for the MSc HRM Programme?
3. What are my career aspirations?
Instructions for submitting the video as part of your application:
1. Create a URL for your video: by uploading your video to, for example, Youtube (preferably uploaded as unlisted) or Dropbox
2. Share the URL of your video: by copying and pasting the link into a document. Submit this document to the NUIG CRM Recruit system as part of your application (note: please ensure the URL link is valid and the video plays when clicked/pasted into a browser)
Additional Requirements
Duration
1 year, full-time
Next start date
September 2022
A Level Grades ()
Average intake
40 (some shared modules)
QQI/FET FETAC Entry Routes
NFQ level
Mode of study
ECTS weighting
Award
CAO
Course code
1MHR1
Course Outline
Click here for: List of HRM Modules 2022
2 pathways to completion:
Two Pathways:
This programme offers a choice of learning pathway; the student gets to choose between:
- Internship
- Summer School
The Internship:
Our programme is among the first in the country to offer management internships at the postgraduate level. All internships are paid and of four months duration. They may be longer if the student and company wish to extend the internship. For more information on the internships click here.
For more information about the internships, please contact our Placement Officer Ms. Brid Connolly (brid.connolly@nuigalway.ie).
The Summer School:
The Summer School will attract students for reasons best suited to their professional and personal aspirations at that time. The students undertaking this pathway will complete a Consultancy Project and Project Management and will choose between the following modules; Negotiations or International Management. In the Consultancy Project module (20 ECTS) students will have the opportunity to investigate and diagnose ‘live’ business and management issues, to review and draw on best practice / academic literature, to further explore the issues, to collect and analyse relevant research data, derive logical conclusions and make recommendations.
Why Choose This Course?
Career Opportunities
Our students have gone on to pursue careers in a wide range of human resource management roles right up to senior executive level including recruitment and talent acquisition, HR generalist roles, Business Partners, compensation and benefits, learning & development, subject matter experts e.g. pensions. Employers of previous graduates of the MSc HRM programme come from a wide variety of industry sectors and include Aerogen, Medtronic, Boston Scientific, Merit Medical, Eli Lilly, MSD, Charles River, Zimmer Biomet, Hollister, Sanofi Aventis, L’Oreal, Glanbia, ESB, KPMG, PwC, Accenture, EY, Mazars, Sigmar Recruitment, INTEL, Dell, AWS, LinkedIn and Paypal to name a few.
We have a close relationship with the NUI Galway Career Development Centre who provide high quality career guidance and information services focused on facilitating and empowering our students to manage their own career development and make effective career transitions.
Services include: Jobs Fairs, Seminars and panel discussions, Employer Presentations / Activities, Workshops and support with applications and work-related skills.
https://www.nuigalway.ie/career-development-centre/
CIPD Accredited
The MSc (Human Resource Management) is approved by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) for accreditation at the advanced level. Students on this programme can achieve Associate Membership of CIPD. After graduation, as they build professional experience, they can progress through the professional stages of CIPD membership from Chartered Member to Chartered Fellow.
Student of the Year Award for MSc (Human Resource Management) This prize will be awarded annually. The prize will be awarded to the student who receives the highest overall aggregate mark in the examinations of the MSc in Human Resource Management programme. In the event of a tie, the prize will be divided equally.
Scholarships
Scholarship for MSc HRM: https://www.nuigalway.ie/business-public-policy-law/cairnes/scholsprizes/businesspostgraduatescholarships/
NUI Galway Scholarships: https://www.nuigalway.ie/postgraduate_scholarships/
Alumni
The MSc HRM has a strong alumni and our aim is to strengthen the ties between the Discipline of Management, our current students and our graduates. To facilitate professional and social contacts between graduates, current students and faculty members we established a LinkedIn Alumni Group. https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4182578/ Members communicate regularly through this alumni group sharing job vacancies, knowledge or just helping alumni reconnect with past colleagues. Organistions where are alumni are employed include Aerogen, Medtronic, Moston Scientific, Merit Medical, Eli Lilly, MSD, Charles River, Zimmer Biomet, Hollister, Sanofi Aventis, L’Oreal, Glanbia, ESB, KPMG, PwC, Accenture, EY, Mazars, Sigmar Recruitment, INTEL, Dell, AWS, LinkedIn and Paypal.
Many HRM alumni have supported activities organised by faculty for our current students for example:
Graduates spoke to classes about their areas of expertise (training, rewards, employment law) providing specialist input for modules including Human Resource Development, Reward Systems and Employment Law.
Graduates discussed their current employment and progression with current students providing career guidance.
Graduates have supported our Internship programme.
Who’s Suited to This Course
The MSc in Human Resource Management is for you if you:
- Recognise the importance of professional HR practice and the value it can add to organisations
- Are seeking to begin or advance your career in management, with a specific interest in people management
- Enjoy a variety of individual and team-based assignments that are both academic and practical
- Are willing to commit one academic year to intensive study and self-development
Current Students and Faculty 2021-22
Learning Outcomes
On completion of the programme students will be able to:
- Apply effective decision making to global business problems.
- Identify, analyse and solve applied problems in individual and team-based settings.
- Critically assess a range of people practices and evaluate competing theories relating to HRM, HR sustainability, employee relations, leadership and change, and critically assess how these are put into practice by different types of organisations.
- Critically evaluate how organisations are responding to different trends and contemporary debates in human resource management and develop suitable responses and recommendations in a local, national and international management context.
- Demonstrate ability to take into account different interests and perspectives to make decisions with a positive impact on HR practice, business and society.
Work Placement
Study Abroad
Related Student Organisations
Course Fees
Fees: EU
Fees: Tuition
Fees: Student levy
Fees: Non EU
Find out More
Dr Fiona Sheridan
E: fiona.sheridan@nuigalway.ie
Cathy Melia
Programme Administrator
T: +353 91 493 771
E: management@nuigalway.ie
Quick Links
What Our Students Say

Joan Burke | HR Manager at Boston Scientific
The Masters in HR at NUIG gave me the ideal platform to start my career in HR. The subjects covered provided me with a strong knowledge-base to have confidence in taking on my first role. The practical assignments we completed and the ongoing team based activities developed my communication and collaboration skills. It was an exciting year and contributed significantly to my development!

Megan McDermott | Talent Acquisition Specialist at TE Connectivity
The MSc in Human Resource Management provided so many opportunities for career development, through CIPD networking events, teamwork and panel presentations, which really stood to me in my HR career so far. I would recommend this course to anyone who is considering a career in HR because you develop professionally and personally and that is thanks to the amazing lecturers. I have completed a Talent Acquisition Internship with Creganna Medical.

Ebony Wells | Principal’s Secretary / Bookkeeper at Harlem Middle School
Being over 3000 miles from home has been tough, but I found comfort in my classmates and professors here at NUIG. The professionals and students on campus not only take an interest in us as students, but also as people. Whether it be having a voice through class reps, or having coffee, someone was always available to listen. I'm glad to have spent a year in Galway.

Priyanka Shankaran | Recruiter at Walmart Labs India - Allegis Global Solutions
"I chose the MSC Human Resources Management at NUI Galway because I received only positive feedback about the college were from my experience, the J.E. Cairnes possesses friendly and understanding faculty, top class facilities and the course is very insightful. The courses here are very practical where projects are based on real-life scenarios that help an individual grow professionally and personally."

Nigel Feerick | HR Information Specialist at Medtronic
I would recommend NUI Galway because it has amazing students, excellent facilities and dedicated lecturers. I would recommend doing the MSc in Human Resource Management as it has improved my chances of employability and sets you up for the workplace. Through opportunities that arose from the programme, I have met a lot of HR professionals during this year and use those connections I have gained to take the next step in my career.

Thalita Pereira Da Silva | Training Specialist, Scaled Engagement EMEA & LATAM LinkedIn
The quality of the lecturers, the CIPD accreditation and the fantastic support to international students were the factors which made me decide to choose NUI Galway. I would definitely recommend doing the MSc HRM. The balance between academic and practice which improves the quality of research and also the development of theoretical approaches in the workplace. There is a ‘magical’ atmosphere everyone is friendly, helpful and you feel welcome everywhere you go.