Entrepreneurship and Human Resource Management

Entrepreneurship and human resource management is a combination that addresses two of the most important dimensions of building and running organisations. Entrepreneurship is concerned with identifying opportunities, building new ventures, managing risk, and creating value in conditions of uncertainty. Human resource management focuses on the most fundamental resource that any organisation depends on: its people.

Together these disciplines develop the mindset and the competencies needed both to start something new and to build the people systems that allow it to grow.

At the University of Derby, you will develop your knowledge of businesses and people management while pursuing your own areas of interest, on a programme underpinned by real-world business experience. The degree includes a foundation year for students who benefit from additional academic preparation before entering degree-level study. It also incorporates a sandwich placement year, a year abroad, and a work placement, giving you extensive professional and international experience within the degree structure.

You will study the theory and practice of entrepreneurship, including opportunity recognition, business planning, and innovation management, alongside the core competencies of human resource management, from recruitment and development to employment law and organisational culture. The full programme runs full-time over the combined years.

Graduates of entrepreneurship and human resource management programmes pursue careers in HR, talent management, learning and development, organisational consultancy, and business development, as well as founding their own ventures. Many go on to professional HR qualifications or postgraduate study in business, management, or entrepreneurship, or move into innovation-focused roles in organisations where the ability to identify and pursue new opportunities is as valuable as the ability to manage people effectively.