Business and Human Resource Management

Business and human resource management is a degree that develops both broad commercial understanding and a specific focus on the people who make organisations function. Business management provides the conceptual frameworks for understanding how organisations operate, compete, and make strategic decisions. Human resource management brings a focus on the practices and policies through which organisations recruit, develop, motivate, and retain the people they need.

Together they produce graduates who understand both the commercial context of people management and the practical tools that HR professionals use.

At Birkbeck College in London, this three-year full-time programme introduces you to the key functions of business and shows you how the management of people connects to wider business performance. You will study organisational behaviour, employment law, recruitment and selection, learning and development, performance management, and the strategic dimensions of human resource practice. The programme is designed with employability in mind, developing the knowledge, skills, and professional awareness that employers in HR and management roles look for.

Birkbeck's location in central London gives you access to a rich professional environment, and the curriculum draws on the diversity of commercial and organisational contexts that the city provides.

You will develop critical thinking, communication, and analytical capabilities alongside the specialist HR knowledge that the degree focuses on, emerging as a graduate who can contribute meaningfully in both generalist business and specialist people management roles.

Graduates pursue careers in human resources, people management, talent acquisition, learning and development, employee relations, and organisational development. Many also move into broader management roles where the HR specialism gives them a particular strength in people leadership. Postgraduate study in human resource management, employment relations, or business is a natural next step for those seeking specialist qualifications.