Programme Structure

Programme Details

To graduate, students must complete 31 credits. There are two routes to attaining these credits:

1. 10 three-credit subjects (4 Compulsory and 6 Elective), plus one-credit subject Business Ethics; OR
2. 4 three-credit Compulsory Subjects and 2 three-credit Elective Subjects, plus one-credit subject Business Ethics, three-credit subject Research Methods, and nine-credit Dissertation

Students may graduate with a Postgraduate Diploma upon completing 4 Compulsory Subjects and 3 Elective Subjects (21 credits), or with a Postgraduate Certificate upon completing 4 Compulsory Subjects (12 credits).

Areas of Study

The following is a summary of the areas of study.

Compulsory Subjects⁺

• Human Resource Management*
• Marketing Management
• Organization and Management*
• Organizational Behaviour*

Ethics Subject⁺

• Business Ethics

Elective Subjects^+@

• E-commerce
• Employee Relations
• Entrepreneurship
• Global Leadership in the Asian Context
• Human Resource Development
• Human Resource Management in China
• International Management
• Management of Pay and Benefits
• Negotiation and Conflict Management
• Political and Economic Environment for Management
• Practice of Human Resource Management
• Research Methods
• Strategic Human Resource Management
• Strategic Management*

Information on the subjects offered can be obtained at mm.polyu.edu.hk/study/taught-postgraduate-programmes/hrm/.

⁺ The offering of subjects is subject to class quota availability.

@ Student may also choose from a list of "Common Pool Electives", subject to the prescriptions of the programme curriculum. For details, please refer to www.polyu.edu.hk/fb/pg/commonpool.

* These subjects have been included in the list of reimbursable courses under the Continuing Education Fund. The programme (MSc in Human Resource Management) is recognised under the Qualifications Framework (QF Level 6).

Note: Programme structure and content are subject to continuous review and change.

Mode of Study and Duration

Mode of study: Mixed-mode

Students may take on either a full-time study load (9 credits or more in a semester) or a part-time study load (fewer than 9 credits in a semester).

Students should normally be able to complete the programme full-time in 1.5 years or part-time in 2.5 years (5 regular semesters plus a Summer Term).  Classes are normally scheduled on weekday evenings. Students who wish to extend their studies beyond normal duration can submit such request to Departments/Faculties for consideration, as appropriate. 

The programme offers a structured progression pattern. Students are encouraged to follow the pattern to benefit from a cohort-based structure.