MSc Human Resource Development (Top-up)
Sue Thomas - Pg Diploma in Human Resource Management
I studied part time for the Diploma in Personnel Management. I am now a Human Resources Partner for IBM.
I gained much more from the course than the professional qualification alone. The breadth of HR knowledge I’ve acquired has played a significant part in obtaining my new role within the company.
I’d been working in Learning and Development and decided on further study to expand my overall knowledge of HR and to improve my career potential in more generalist HR roles.
Now I advise senior managers within IBM about best practice in a range of HR topics. I work with the leadership team to manage our staff effectively across the lifecycle of their career with IBM.
The Diploma has given me a sense of the wider context in which I do my job as an HR professional and a strategic view of the profession. I now have a really strong theoretical understanding and insight into different areas of HR.
Meeting other people on the course from diverse organisations was extremely useful. We spent time comparing different practices and the insights into how other places do things has improved my ability to think through the HR process in my own organisation.
I attended half a day a week at the University and we learned through a mixture of lectures, projects and group discussion. The quality of teaching was superb – the staff were absolutely excellent. Those students returning to formal education after several years’ absence received lots of encouragement and support.
It’s been hard work and you need to be very self motivated, but it’s been a hugely valuable experience for me, not just for my career development but because it makes you think more deeply and analyse why you do what you do.
Beatrice Zulu - MSc in Human Resource Management
'I had been working for a number of years after my first degree and I didn’t want to spend a year away from industry. This course was ideal as I could combine my learning with a three-month work placement and Portsmouth is one of only ten UK institutions recognised by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. I was so pleased that I could combine doing a Masters with becoming professionally qualified.
I completed my work placement in the learning, training and development department at Southern Focus Trust, a large charity organisation based in the city. The experience was fantastic and it has helped me to decide which area of human resource management I now want to specialise in.
When I arrived in Portsmouth I didn’t know a soul so I’m pleased that I have met so many people and made some great friends. Although it has been a challenging year, requiring a great deal of hard work, it has been really exciting.
I am originally from Zimbabwe and I hope to eventually return there but for now I am looking forward to getting into the world of work and thanks to this course I feel really prepared for it.'
Roger Metcalfe, Human Resources Director, Lockheed Martin UK Ltd
On leaving school, I concluded the University route was not for me. I thus joined the NatWest Group and progressed through the ranks over a number of years, that culminated in the completion of my Chartered Institute of Bankers Professional Qualification.
In early 1990, I decided to take a short development secondment within the Human Resources Function, but within a short period of time I was hooked on HR, that ultimately led me to study for, and complete, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development Qualification through the University of Plymouth.
Over the years, in a number of progressively more senior HR roles within NatWest Life Assurance Limited, Lockheed Martin UK Ltd and General Motors, I became aware of the credibility and value of a Masters level qualification. Despite significant exposure to strategic issues within the business, I recollect being a little nervous about what I perceived was a significant academic step up from Professional Qualification to Masters level.
However, the experience of the MSC at Portsmouth was fabulous and my fears over the academic demands unfounded. I was able to apply theoretical principles gained from an appropriately pitched course to real life practice. This has added significant value in the strategic parts of my role, whilst also providing me with a more enquiring and critical approach to research and analysis. The course is a must for current, and aspiring, senior HR professionals who wish to underpin their practical experience. My supervisory support for the dissertation element was outstanding that led to me achieving a distinction, that ranks as one of my most treasured achievements.