Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Human Resource Management with Placement Year

at University of Westminster - Marylebone Campus United Kingdom

Whether caused by politics, environmental issues or world health crises, the global economy is ever changing and of growing concern to businesses. Monitoring and predicting the impact of economics on business is now a top priority, raising the demand for graduates who understand how markets work and how local and international issues can affect competition and performance.

Combining the study of economics with general business management, this degree is designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge to analyse individual company and industry performance within the context of global economics. Using live and historical data in our state-of-the-art Financial Markets Suite (FMS), you’ll apply economic theory and practice to real-world businesses, learning how to plan, evaluate economic trends and become better placed to help firms make effective business decisions. 

To help you support future business and management decisions, we’ll examine how and why businesses emerge, exist and expand – studying their global environment, relationship and interactions with employees, providers of capital, customers, competitors, government and other regulatory bodies. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of the economic, qualitative and quantitative techniques and ideas used to analyse and solve business problems in a global marketplace. 

Taught by academics with substantial business experience across the range of business disciplines, through consultancy or knowledge exchange, there is an emphasis on learning through practice, so you graduate with the breadth of knowledge and capabilities to respond proactively and creatively to contemporary business issues and challenges. Throughout the course, you’ll also develop a range of transferrable skills highly prized by employers, such as critical evaluation, self-direction and problem-solving, as well as a sound grasp of analysis, presentations and negotiation techniques.

You’ll be capable of holding positions of significant responsibility and authority in public companies, private businesses and government agencies. Past Business Management graduates have found successful employment as management, marketing and advertising trainees, as trainee accountants and brand managers, recruitment consultants, retail managers and as assistants in market research, PR and global branding.

The global environmental and energy challenge facing current and future generations of architects and building professionals calls for a deeper understanding of the principles of environmental design, and their effective application into architectural practice worldwide. Over the last decades Environmental Design as a subject area has developed, responding to new research and experimentation, both in academia and in practice. However, buildings claiming to be environmentally conscious do not perform to the expected standards, still heavily contributing to global CO2 emissions and often providing unsatisfactory comfort conditions to occupants. The same can be said for the existing built environment which is largely outdated and underperforming, requiring urgent implementation of effective retrofit strategies not only to improve energy performance, but also comfort, health and wellbeing. This is due to a lack of comprehensive performance prediction and feedback protocols, which are still not common practice in architectural design.

Globalisation has enabled companies to become better connected, able to target international customers, develop a worldwide supply chain and attract a multicultural workforce. Our degree will prepare you to respond proactively and creatively to the opportunities and risks presented by international business and the challenges of the global business environment – from cultural, legal and economic perspectives.

Today, almost all companies, involved in anything from the sale of physical goods to services such as finance, marketing and construction, are affected by global events and competition. Exciting opportunities exist for graduates with a cross-cultural perspective who can operate with confidence, adapt and successfully negotiate increasingly complex internal and external global environments.

On our course, you’ll have a truly global learning experience, studying alongside staff and students from all over the world. We also try to provide as many opportunities as possible for you to hear direct from our alumni, who have established successful international careers in sectors as diverse as human resources, IT, law and finance.

You’ll be studying in the heart of London, one of the world’s major cities and international business hubs, and can also choose to spend a year living, studying and/or working abroad at one of our partner institutions in Europe, Asia, Australia or the USA. This will give you a valuable insight into another country’s learning experience and broader cultural environment.

Top reasons to study with us

• Programmes are delivered by a multicultural and international teaching body, who come from professional practice and/or regularly publish in top international journals
• Participate in Westminster Working Cultures trips to understand working cultures within businesses abroad, which in the past have included Berlin, Mumbai and Washington DC
• Extend your learning and your international experience by taking part in an overseas Summer School. Past venues include ESCE, Paris, Copenhagen Business School, and Inha University, South Korea
• Option to spend one year studying abroad at one of our partner institutions or gain valuable work experience, or a combination of both, for example, one student studied at Copenhagen Business School and then worked at Volkswagen in Germany
• Opportunity to study a foreign language as an optional module in each year of study
• Access to one of the largest financial databases in our state-of-the-art Bloomberg virtual trading room
• Guest lectures from industry practitioners have previously included speakers from IBM, Tableau, Coca Cola and LinkedIn

Career-focused, our degree incorporates general business management as well as the tools, techniques and specialist knowledge to manage human resources (HR) effectively. You will put theory into practice coaching other students, designing assessments, conducting interviews and more. This provides valuable experience and a genuine appreciation of how HR fits within the broader business landscape, preparing you to make a positive impact for your employer from the get-go.

How an organisation manages its people has a direct impact on both their mindset and productivity, making HR Management (HRM) a core function in every business. This course will equip you with the breadth of knowledge, skills and capabilities to develop positive working cultures and respond proactively and creatively to contemporary business issues and challenges, such as change management.

Our emphasis is very much on experiential learning. You will be taught by staff who are or have been HR professionals, bringing their real-life case work into the classroom, showing you how the HR theories, tools and techniques you are learning can be put into practice. You will also hear direct from industry practitioners, such as experienced HR Directors, Heads of HR and HR Consultants. Where possible, we also take you on field trips to see HR strategy in action at a range of different organisations.

Your learning is fully informed by current professional practice and you will be encouraged to act as an HR professional from day one. We will introduce contemporary tools and techniques and give you the chance to gain the practical experience you would in work – sometimes several years into a career – while you study. For example, you will experiment with psychometric tests such as Myers Briggs Type Indicator, participate in mock disciplinary hearings, interview panels, act as a mentor and receive mentoring yourself. In doing so, you also develop valuable transferable skills, such as communicating effectively, team-working and problem-solving skills, thereby enhancing your employability.

Past graduates have found successful employment as an HR advisor, HR operations assistant, career consultant, professional development and training advisor and employee service advisor. They work for major employers including Accenture, Hilton Hotels and Resorts, Trainline, The Body Shop, Waitrose, the Metropolitan Police and the NHS.

Marketing lies at the heart of every successful business. By engaging with and understanding the customer’s needs, marketing managers influence the development of products and services, providing advice on the best point of sale and recommending the most competitive price. They identify and make sure the target market knows what’s on offer – in increasingly more creative and dynamic ways.

You can also boost your employability by gaining additional qualifications with the Institute of Data and Marketing (IDM) and/or the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) – our status as a CIM Graduate Gateway institution entitles you apply for exemptions from modules on its professional qualifications, while you can gain IDM’s Award in Digital Marketing during the Digital Marketing Essentials module.

Top reasons to study with us

• Professionally focused course with chance to gain additional professional qualifications from the Institute of Data and Marketing (IDM) and the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)
• Digital Marketing Essentials module incorporates a professional Award in Digital Marketing from the IDM
• Marketing degrees share a common first year, giving greater flexibility when choosing your specialism
• Option to spend one semester or one year studying abroad at one of our partner institutions, gain valuable work experience, or a combination of both. For example, one previous student worked as a marketing executive for ICG Medical
• Opportunity to study a foreign language as an optional module in each year of study: one of our students chose to learn Japanese and spent a year studying at Waseda University and working as an intern at SMEJapan in Tokyo
• Hear from experts and mingle with marketing students by joining the student-run Westminster Marketing Society or gain professional experience working for Westminster Business Consultants
• Guest lectures from industry practitioners have previously included speakers on the use of Google Analytics, and speakers from IBM, Tableau, Coca Cola and LinkedIn
• Programmes are delivered by a multicultural and international teaching body, who come from professional practice and/or regularly publish in top international journals

The traditional world of banking and finance has been transformed with the emergence of new technology and the development of new, faster, cheaper and more efficient ways of conducting business. The financial services sector is evolving as FinTech and business data analytics are becoming mainstream global activities.

Technology–led changes in digital finance, along with a plethora of new market regulations and compliance, are seeing the evolution of a transformed landscape that is characterised as a smart financial ecosystem. The revolution in financial markets is rapidly increasing demand for postgraduates with this type of knowledge and learning. Financial services employers seek candidates who can help the business rapidly adapt their services and operations and develop new business models.

Our exciting MSc draws together knowledge of financial markets and institutions along with the education and skills to develop and implement technological solutions to problems in digital finance. Graduates will be equipped with contemporary digital financial and business analytics knowledge and skills to meet and adapt to the changing needs of businesses and digitally astute consumers.

This cross-disciplinary course, capitalising on our links with the School of Computer Science and Engineering, is designed to develop an in-depth understanding of the financial techniques and applications that are transforming the sector and giving rise to a new financial ecosystem. You will learn to apply the computational technologies, products and approaches used in business: blockchain technology, digital currencies, big data, predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, machine and deep learning.

Attitudes to money management have changed since the credit crisis, the emphasis now is on understanding enterprise and broader risks, and managing these appropriately. With its practical focus, our MSc responds to the increased global demand for talent in both investment and risk management. You’ll develop a strong sense of market awareness from weekly updates on current market conditions drawn from the same commercial research used by several investment banks and hedge funds.

The course provides a thorough theoretical and practical grounding in the key aspects of investment and risk finance, developing sound analytical, numerical and technological skills. Suitable for experienced financial management practitioners who wish to advance their knowledge and those seeking front or middle office careers, the highly practical nature of the course, together with the unique access to professional insight and input, are key strengths.

Setting you apart in a competitive job market, you’ll graduate with direct experience from a three-month internship and the holistic business knowledge, capabilities and cutting-edge digital expertise demanded by today’s employers.

In the fast-moving global business environment, employers demand multi-skilled, digitally competent graduates with a sophisticated understanding of business and its changing context, one which cuts across the traditional business disciplines that include human resources, management and marketing. To succeed you need a ‘big picture’ approach. You must be capable of adapting to emerging business models, creating new enterprises, leading and managing people effectively and improving processes with digital solutions.

At Westminster Business School, we recognise that future business professionals need the full range of technical and personal development skills – more responsible, resilient, adaptable and versatile than ever before. Our aim is to help you become an aspiring leader and entrepreneur, someone who can add value to any type of organisation. But we believe it’s essential for this transformation process to start early, before you have extensive working experience or have adopted the mindset of one particular employer or business sector. By starting this process early, it’s much easier to develop your skills, learn to think outside the box, and independently lead changes in the business world – wherever your career takes you. It’s also what our employer contacts tell us they’d prefer.

The Tourism Planning and Management BA focuses on the planning, development, management, and regeneration of destinations.

Tourism continues to be a major component of the global economy and has now become an established academic discipline, with roots in geography, economics, sociology, planning and business.

The University of Westminster has over 20 years of expertise in tourism education and research, and we are consistently ranked as one of the top universities for teaching quality and research output in the discipline. Our long history, dating back to the 1830s, includes a significant association with the early years of tour operating in Europe, and with the Olympic Games held in London in 1908 and 1948.

Located in the heart of London, we offer an unrivalled and stimulating environment in which to study tourism. We have close links with partner universities in Australia, the USA, Hong Kong and Malta, which in the past have given several students the opportunity to study abroad for one semester.

You can choose to take part in an optional year-long work placement module between years 2 and 3 (Levels 5 and 6). This is a further opportunity to enhance your transferable skills, commercial awareness and professionalism – increasing your future employability in the tourism sector.

This course is recognised by the Tourism Management Institute (the UK’s professional organisation for destination management) for the excellence of its content and is delivered in collaboration with our Department of Planning and Transport.

People are arguably an organisation’s most important (and expensive) resource in a global knowledge economy. To successfully adapt to the fast-paced, competitive environment, businesses must deploy staff effectively, developing their full potential.

Accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD), this exciting, stimulating and challenging degree aims to provide a solid grounding in business, alongside specialist skills in people management, leadership and development. Benefiting from the shared experiences of staff and students, many of whom continue to work in this profession, you’ll learn to appreciate the organisational, commercial and societal factors that shape company and individual behaviour.

With an emphasis on learning through practice, we consider how human resources (HR) fits into the structure of businesses and management with the functions and systems needed to support these. You’ll hear direct from practitioners currently working in industry. For example, previously lectures have been given by a representative from Save the Children UK and the general secretary of NAPO, the trade union for probation and family court staff.

You’ll develop key human resource skills in planning, organisation and control, gaining hands-on experience of common business computing and software used by HR professionals. Using specialist software in the HR Analytics module, you’ll interpret real-life data, looking for correlations around diversity or absence, for example, as you would in the workplace.

Top reasons to study with us

• Learn to understand human behaviour and how to drive a successful business through its people
• Programmes are delivered by a multicultural and international teaching body, who come from professional practice and/or regularly publish in top international journals
• Excellent industry links and opportunity to undertake an internship which has enabled previous students to gain experience with Disney, Warner Bros, London Fire Brigade, Goldman Sachs, Accenture, HSBC, L'Oréal, Enterprise Rent a Car, McDonalds Head Office, Debenhams, start-ups and charities including Marie Curie and Cancer Research
• Opportunities to participate in field trips to see work in practice, with past students visiting Mintel
• Outstanding facilities and access to the software widely used in industry: Bloomberg, NVivo and SPSS
• Past graduates have secured jobs as HR officers and managers within the retail and leisure sectors, among others