

Effective management of people in organisations is critical to keeping teams engaged, productive, & feeling valued. Designed by our industry experts with valuable professional experience in business environments, this course will equip you with the core knowledge to become a HR Manager. Blending theory, case study analysis, and practical tasks, this course will equip you with the tools and practical skills to jump straight into a human resource management role.

Learn about workforce planning, employment relations, and wellness programmes. Understand how to follow correct employment law and put in place procedures for every stage of the employment cycle: recruitment, selection, appraisals… You will gain a practical knowledge of human resource management principles, which will help you succeed with your career in management.
A HR manager is responsible for recruiting and hiring employees, managing employee benefits, training and development, and managing employee relations. It is a key management position responsible for ensuring compliance with labour laws and regulations.
If you are studying an online course, your assessment will also be submitted online. This course is assessed through written assessments – a learning log (40%) which you will keep during the course, and a case-study (60%) to be submitted after the end of the course. You will have two weeks following the end of the course to complete and submit the final assignment. The written project is generally around 3,000 words (that’s about 5 pages of a standard Word document).
Your UCD Professional Academy Diploma will be issued electronically on a secure platform, with a link that you can share with employers and others wishing to verify your credentials. You can also add this certificate to your LinkedIn profile.
The course is available either online or on campus. For those attending on campus, it is delivered part-time over 12 weeks. Online delivery offers two options: an intensive five-day format running from 9.00am to 4.00pm each day, Monday to Friday, or a part-time schedule over 12 weeks, with one three-hour session per week. For the part-time option, you can choose between morning sessions from 9.30am to 12.30pm or evening sessions from 6.30pm to 9.30pm, depending on what best suits your work commitments and personal needs.
All formats cover the same course content. You now have more choice in how you learn with us:
Begin today or tailor your learning to suit your schedule, at a pace that works best for you.
Choose between weekly classes, usually over 12 weeks, or a 5-day intensive bootcamp.
Choose weekly evening classes on UCD Belfield Campus, Dublin 4.

An introduction to the course content and format, including the learning outcomes you can expect and how you will be assessed. You will also learn essential HR concepts.
Discover how to approach workforce planning and recruitment. Learn about recent changes in recruitment trends and contemporary issues resulting from COVID-19 and what legislation impacts your decision-making.
Learn about HR’s role in driving great candidate experiences. Look at interviewing techniques, principles, and pitfalls to avoid. Find out how to put together an offer and the pre-employment process.
Learn what happens once an offer of employment has been accepted. Discover the different laws governing employment and the steps that take your new joiner through onboarding and probation.
Find out what keeps employees engaged and motivated, with a detailed look at the different types of reward and recognition used by employers. Learn how to create a wellness programme.
An introduction to the specialist area of performance management. Find out how to manage performance with feedback models and tools as well as personal development plans.
Learn about grievance and disciplinary procedures and the laws that impact on them. Find out what constitutes fair and unfair dismissal, as well as conducting investigations remotely.
Discover organisational design principles and HR’s role in them. Learn about the psychology of change and how to effectively address management issues and drive change in an organisation.
Unpack organisational learning and development (L&D), the process of creating, retaining, and transferring knowledge within an organisation. Learn how to adapt traditional strategies to remote ways of working.
Learn to manage leave and attendance, both statutory (maternity leave, for example) and non-statutory. Understand how to manage sick leave and absences, as well as disability and return to work.
Understand the latest trends, innovations, and best practice in HR. Examine the effects of technology in human resources management and explore the future of HR – skills for success.
Recap the course content, discussing the key learnings and best practice from each area covered. Q&A for your learning log and final assessment.
Please note that all UCD Professional Academy courses are conducted in English. Prospective learners for whom English is not a native language are welcome to undertake Professional Academy courses. It is the responsibility of the learner that their proficiency in English is adequate for the course to participate and complete assignments successfully.
UCD Professional Academy welcomes learners with disabilities and makes every effort to provide facilities and support, where possible. We ask that learners who may need additional support or facilities during their course inform us at the time of application.
All staff and learners of the Academy are expected to abide by its Code of Conduct https://www.ucd.ie/professionalacademy/learner_handbook/ . In the case of serious breaches, learners may not be permitted to attend the remainder of their course, and no refund will be given.