MBS in Human Resource Strategies at Dublin City University Business School
The Classroom Learning Experience
DCU Business School is committed to an active, interactive
and participative learning experience that is facilitated by
our Faculty.
The MHRS programme seeks to engage participants in high
level strategic analysis and to assist them in developing the
personal attributes critical to leadership success. To this
end, we believe that the classroom and wider learning
experience must be inculcated by a spirit of inquiry, group
learning, and active engagement and participation by
all participants.
We seek to maximise peer-to-peer learning. To achieve this
learning, we believe that classes must comprise small
numbers of students. We therefore limit classes to 25
students.
We recognise that the DCU MHRS alumni community of
business leaders is a valuable network for our MHRS
students and we facilitate interaction between current
and past students.
Programme Delivery
Students attend the programme on a weekly basis (one day
per week) when classes are delivered from 2pm to 8pm.
Each semester runs for 12 weeks. Semester One each year is
from September to December, while Semester Two is from
February to April.
The DCU Environment
The DCU MHRS programme is delivered in the new purpose-
built executive education facility housed in DCU Business
School. This facility has been customised to meet the needs
of post experience students. It is bright and spacious, with
classrooms that facilitate maximum participation and
class interaction.
Within DCU Business School, students have access to small
study rooms for group assignments and for collaborative
study; computer rooms; a coffee shop and restaurant; a
large ‘open space’ with a balcony that facilitates networking
and social interaction; and full wireless Internet access.
The award-winning John and Aileen O’Reilly Library is a
modern study facility with private study space, collaborative
study rooms, and an extensive collection of business books
and journals. MHRS students have access to our extensive
online library resources. These resources can be accessed off
campus and allow for downloading of academic material
and company information. This facility is very useful for
executive part-time students and assists them to complete
assignments and to study while off campus.
DCU’s modern campus offers excellent student facilities,
which include four restaurants, The Hub student centre, The
Helix performing arts centre, a world-class sports complex,
retail outlets and banking facilities. The entire DCU campus
is wireless enabled.
Support Services
The MHRS is an intensive learning experience and a
significant commitment for part-time students. During
the two-year programme, students are supported by
the Administrative Team in The Centre for Executive
Programmes. This team is very experienced in dealing
with the needs of managers who are working full-time
and attending our programme on a part-time basis. They
deliver a very high quality customer service.
The team is led by the Head of Operations for the Centre
and is specially trained in customer care. Academic direction
is the responsibility of the academic teaching staff and the
programme director.
Getting to DCU
By car
DCU’s location in Glasnevin, north Dublin, makes it very
convenient to the M50 and the M1 motorways and to
Dublin City Centre. There is a multi-storey car park on
campus.
By bus
Buses that stop close to the campus include 3, 4, 11, 13, 16,
17A, 33 and 41.
By rail
Drumcondra Railway Station is close to DCU. The 17A bus
links DCU with Howth Junction DART Station, while the 103
and 104 bus routes operate via Clontarf DART Station.
MHRS Candidates
The minimum entry requirements are:
n An honours degree or professional qualification
n At least three years’ managerial/professional work
experience in the broad area of human resource
management (including areas such as training and
development, employee relations, etc.) or extensive
experience in managing human resource issues.
Applicants must be in a position to undertake and
implement project-based assignments within their
work organisations. Selection of applicants may include
an interview.
Applications
To apply for the MBS in Human Resource Strategies visit the
Postgraduate Applications Centre (PAC) at www.pac.ie to
complete an online application.
The PAC Code for the programme is DC503.
See www.dcu.ie/dc503 for closing dates for application.
One of the best programmes of its kind in Europe
Adopting a strategic approach to HR issues
Creating a high performance culture
Fees
See www.dcu.ie/dcubs for current fees.
Enquiries
We encourage you to contact us for further information or
to visit us at DCU. If you would like an informal discussion
on how the DCU MHRS programme might fit with your
career, or if you need any further information about the
programme, please contact:
Bernadette McCulloch
Head of Operations
DCUBS Centre for Executive Programmes
Telephone +353 (0) 1 700 8915
Email bernadette.mcculloch@dcu.ie
“Having worked for 6 years in HR at the time of
commencing the programme, it was great to see the full
range of HR issues and challenges pulled together in a dublin city university business school
consistent way and set in the context of business strategy.
Much of what had been observed in practice was borne
MBS in Human Resource Strategies
out in theory. At the end, I felt as knowledgeable in HR as
anyone I would encounter – a great source of enhanced
self-confidence.”
Michael Loughnane, Manager, Leadership & People
Development, ESB
MBS in Human Resource Strategies at Dublin City University Business School
The Programme for HR Leaders
Established in 1997, the MBS in Human Resource Strategies
(MHRS) programme at DCU has developed a reputation as
the leading programme in Ireland for managers and
professionals who are interested in pursuing a strategic
approach to human resource issues within their
organisations and in creating a high performance culture.
The programme attracts a wide variety of participants
including human resource professionals, training and
development professionals, and employee relations
specialists, in addition to line managers and those involved
in managing their own companies.
Organisations that have sponsored individuals to attend the
programme include ESB, AIB, VHI and Intel, as well as a
variety of public sector organisations such as the HSE, the
Defence Forces, An Garda Síochána, and the Civil Service.
The MBS in Human Resource Strategies programme is fully
accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and
Development (CIPD) for graduate membership of the
Institute. It has been described by the CIPD as ‘one of the
best of its kind in Europe’.
The MBS in HR Strategies
Programme
The MBS in HR Strategies Programme equips managers
and professionals with the competencies required to take
on the challenging roles demanded in turbulent times. The
competencies include business acumen, human resource
expertise, change and process mastery, and personal
capability. These are built into the MBS programme in
the following ways:
Business Acumen: Modules in Strategic Management,
Finance and Ethical Decision Making, Economics, Marketing,
and Law.
Human Resource Expertise: Modules in Strategic
International HRM, HR Strategy in Practice, and Coaching.
Change and Process Mastery: Modules in Organisational
Behaviour and Change, the Learning Company, Managing
Change, and Managing for High Performance.
There is also a major change management project instead
of a traditional dissertation.
Personal Capability: The MBS in HR Strategies has been
designed to develop the sets of skills and behaviours that
have been described as meta-qualities or meta-abilities.
These are competencies that drive other skills and abilities
and include creativity, mental agility, balanced learning
habits and self-knowledge. These higher level competencies
“This is an excellent programme. Its key strength lies in
helping participants transfer the academic insights gained
on the programme into practice. In terms of personal
development and its impact on personal effectiveness,
I believe this programme is second to none.”
Barry McKimm, HR Director, Coyle Hamilton Willis
enable managers to understand how and when to utilise
the knowledge and skills that they have acquired over time.
These competencies are particularly critical for success at
senior management level and are crucial to establishing
personal credibility.
The acquisition of meta-abilities is based in growth
and personal development. The participant in the MBS
in HR Strategies is therefore not embarking simply on
an education programme but is also engaging in a
management development process that is designed
to enhance personal learning and development.
The tools and techniques that are used during the
programme enable participants to gain insights into and
feedback on their own strengths and weaknesses in an
environment that is removed from the political issues that
predominate in their own work organisations. These tools
include measures to explore learning styles, creativity and
innovation, systems thinking, leadership profiles and
team-working.
MBS in Human Resource Strategies at Dublin City University Business School
Developing The HR Strategist
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Leadership Development
Leadership plays a central role in successful HRM. The LInK –
Learning, Innovation and Knowledge – Research Centre at
DCU is involved in ongoing research into management
learning and development. One of the projects has focused
on charting the impact of the MBS in HR Strategies on
participants’ leadership capabilities.
The research has shown statistically significant changes in
leadership style over the course of the programme with
participants demonstrating increased preference for
developmental styles, in particular embracing the need for
change, challenge, risk and excitement under conditions of
freedom and scope for personal choice. These leadership
competencies are crucial in organisations facing conditions
of uncertainty and rapid change. This change process has
proven to be very successful for managers completing the
programme and has resulted in positive career moves and
promotions.
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participants will have at their disposal a wide range of
Learning Climate within the
Programme
In order to develop the range of competencies required to
undertake HR roles, participants are exposed to a series of
learning opportunities over the course of the programme
that are based on an adult learning model that emphasises
the importance of:
n Self-directed inquiry
n A collaborative learning environment
n A problem-centred approach
n The use of experiential techniques
Thus, participants learn with others by sharing information
and understanding; they focus on work-based problems and
issues; they engage with work-based problems that require
the understanding of, and taking action on, appropriate
solutions. The lecturers involved in delivering the modules on
the programme see themselves as tutors and facilitators of a
learning process driven by the participants, and the course is
process rather than information driven.
MBS in Human Resource Strategies at Dublin City University Business School
Programme Structure in-depth knowledge of their subject areas underpinned by
research and publications. They act as tutors and facilitators
of a learning process driven by the participants themselves.
Year One: Exploring Organisational Issues
The first year of the programme is devoted to exploring
Healthy Mind, Healthy Body
organisational issues from a number of contrasting
We have linked up with DCU Sports Centre and DCU School
frameworks from diverse disciplines (law, government, of Health and Human Performance to provide a unique
feature in our programme. We believe this will assist our
economics, organisational psychology, human resource
management, marketing, finance, ethics and research students in achieving their desired work/life balance, not
methodology) are utilised in this process. Issues are explored just during the MHRS programme but also into the future.
at the level of the individual, the level of the organisation DCU School of Health and Human Performance has an
and at a macro level. Thus, by the end of the first year, international reputation for its teaching and expertise.
Faculty from this School, together with experts from the
analytical and conceptual tools for the analysis and DCU Sports Centre, will deliver a seminar once during each
understanding of organisational problems. semester on work/life balance, managing stress, nutrition
and other relevant topics.
Year Two: Strategic Analysis
Each student can also, if desired, avail of the DCU Sports
In second year, the programme moves to considering HR
Centre facilities for the duration of their programme. This
issues in the light of the new insights gained in year 1 and
is a state-of-the-art sports facility that includes a gym,
takes the analysis to a strategic level with courses on
strategy, coaching and the capstone change management
swimming pool, sports arena and specialist classes. Students
can opt to have a personal plan developed by DCU Sports
project.
Centre experts.
Leading Faculty
The lecturers involved in the MBS in HR Strategies
programme are drawn from both the lecturing staff of DCU
Business School as well as business and industry. They blend
their extensive experience of management education with