A Masters in Human Resource Management is the ultimate development program for HR professionals. Masters in HR are available 100% online from leading Australian universities.
Studying for a Master of Human Resource Management is a way to become a human resources manager or give your current HR career a boost. Programs are open to uni grads (any discipline) and professionals with relevant experience.
With a masters in HR, you learn how to manage staff strategically. For example, students explore how to align employee and company goals to achieve great results for everybody. Online HR masters allow you to do this kind of training as a working professional. Study online part-time while you work full-time.
Featured HR Degrees
Accelerated, Fast-Track Program
To get your online HR masters quickly, consider an accelerated, fast-track program. Accelerated online programs allow you to complete a subject every 2 months as a part-time student. Fast-track programs give you academic credit for previous study and/or professional experience, potentially cutting program length from 16 subjects to 9-12 subjects.
ECU Master of Human Resource Management
The 100% online Master of Human Resource Management from Edith Cowan University is flexible and exam-free. Online study is accelerated, meaning you study part-time throughout the year. You can also fast-track your degree, and skip 3 of the 12 subjects, if you have a major in HR, management, business administration, or employment and/or industrial relations. Students explore the key aspects of being an HR manager, including managing people and organisations, employee relations, managing and rewarding performance, healthy work and wellbeing, and people analytics.
HR Masters with a Leadership Specialisation
An attractive study option for many HR managers is an online masters that emphasises contemporary leadership. Companies are increasingly investing in workplace culture to drive productivity improvement. That is propelling demand for HR managers with the skills and knowledge to be agents of change. In a leadership-orientated program, you learn modern techniques for shaping culture to support people and businesses.
RMIT Master of Human Resource Management
RMIT Online offers an accelerated Master of Human Resource Management degree. The program is forward looking and aims to build leadership expertise for creating better workplaces. Topics include key concepts, professional practices, strategic human resource development, contemporary strategic issues, employment law, and managing for entrepreneurship and innovation. The 100% online program is ideal for working professionals. You study flexibly in an interactive online environment, with each subject delivered in a 7-week study block.
Master of Business Administration (HR)
Instead of a dedicated HR masters degree, you can do a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with an HR specialisation. This option is for ambitious professionals seeking broad management responsibilities. An MBA in HR is ideal for (a) experienced HR managers who want to diversify their skill set and (b) managers and professionals who would benefit from stronger HRM skills. You'll receive a general business education plus some HR management training.
UTS Online MBA (Organisational Learning)
The flexible MBA from UTS Online has an 'Organisational Learning' specialisation. The program suits HR managers who want to lead and support innovation in how employees learn. The 100% online MBA is made up of 12 subjects, with 8 core subjects and 4 electives. For this specialisation, you have 6 electives to choose from: Designing Innovative Learning, Evaluating Learning and Innovation, Leading Innovative Practices, Leading Learning, Mentoring in the Workplace, and Strategic Learning in Workplaces. The forward-looking MBA also explores business analytics, finance for managers, leading people and change, and strategy and negotiation.
What You'll Study (Course Structure)
A good Masters in HRM explores the discipline's core topics, developing essentials skills HR managers routinely use. Programs may also offer elective units, which are usually drawn from related management fields. Here are example subject lists for an online HR masters.
Edith Cowan University
- Managing People and Organisations
- HRM Fundamentals
- Managing Employee Relations
- Acquiring and Managing Talent
- Managing and Rewarding Performance
- Healthy Work and Wellbeing
- Diversity and Inclusion
- People Analytics
- Connecting Strategy and HRM
- Current Issues in HRM
- Managing Change
RMIT Online
- Key Concepts in HRM
- Professional HRM Practices
- People and Organisations
- Employment Law
- Strategic Human Resource Development
- Employment Relations from a Global Perspective
- Contemporary Issues in Strategic HRM
- Global HRM
- Business Research Design
- Issues in Diversity
- HRM for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Learning Outcomes
Graduates of an HR master's program have well-developed knowledge and advanced skills in key areas of responsibility for HR managers. Competencies you can expect to build include being able to:
- Formulate and communicate strategies to improve people and organisational management
- Apply knowledge of employment law and agreements to manage employee relations
- Acquire and cultivate talent through recruitment and performance management
- Use HR information systems to support data-driven planning and decision-making.
Career Opportunities
An HR master's can be used to launch a career in HR management. If you already work in HR, the degree will improve your prospects of achieving high-salary, high-responsibility roles. Here are some of the potential job opportunities from going to business school.
HR specialist positions
- Employee adviser
- Human resources officer
- Learning and development officer
- Pay/rewards officer
- Recruitment manager
- Trade union officer
- Training facilitator
- Workplace relations officer
Executive HR roles
- Change management consultant
- Employment relations manager
- Human resources director
- Industrial relations manager
- People and culture manager
- Training and development manager
- Work, health and safety manager
- Workplace relations manager
Entry Requirements
Entry requirements are typically that you either have a bachelor degree in any discipline OR substantial (say, 5+ years) experience in a professional setting. Holding a business-related degree can reduce the number of subjects you need to complete, especially if your degree was focused on HR or related fields.
Here are course admission requirements. Enquire for further details.
To gain entry to the Master of Human Resource Management, you need: any bachelor degree OR equivalent prior learning, including 5+ years relevant professional experience.
To fast-track your degree and do only nine subjects, you need: a Bachelor of Commerce / Business / Management / Work and Employment Relations, with focus areas: HR, Management, Business Administration, Industrial and/or Employment Relations.
Tuition fees are $4,130 per subject in 2022. FEE-HELP is available.
More information16-subject program: An Australian bachelor degree (or equivalent) in any discipline.
12-subject Master of Human Resource Management: An Australian bachelor degree (or equivalent), or higher level qualification, in a business or related discipline OR the RMIT Graduate Certificate in HRM, for which you may gain entry with 5 years of relevant work experience.
Tuition fees are $4,080 per course in 2022. FEE-HELP automatic government loans are available to domestic students.
International students from a non-English speaking background must provide evidence of English language proficiency for admission.
More informationFAQs
HR is a solid career choice for people who are well organised, effective communicators and keen to make a difference. Critical thinking ability and problem solving skills are also important. Being empathetic is perhaps less vital for success than being able to solve real-world problems.
Working in human resources provides a high level of job security. You're employable in every city in Australia; wherever medium and large organisations are based.
The health of medium and large businesses depends on having a good HR team who can smooth out employment issues, recruit well, maintain staff morale, and positively influence workplace culture.
The average HR salary in Australia is $87,820 annually according to survey data from talent.com. Entry-level positions begin at $68,848 while most experienced workers have a salary of up to $124,751.
HR jobs are generally professional positions that pay well. Promotion opportunities are also available into team leader and more senior roles. A career in HR means you're part of an office hierarchy and will always have opportunities for advancement, either within your workplace or externally.
What is MHRM? Master of Human Resource Management is abbreviated to MHRM. The abbreviation may also refer to close variations of this degree title, including Masters in Human Resource Management, Master of HR Management, and Master of HRM. MHRM is an abbreviation for a specialist master's degree taken by current and future human resource management professionals. As a graduate of this degree program, you can use the abbreviation in your CV or resume.
By getting a masters in human resources (HR), you qualify for specialist HR jobs and related management roles. You stand a stronger chance of being shortlisted for HR job interviews and being the successful applicant.
Postgraduate study may be used for a career pivot into HR or, for current HR workers, to strengthen your professional knowledge, skills and credentials.
Education is important when working in HR since your job duties may, among other activities, include recruiting university graduates and supporting staff learning and development. You would not be well positioned to advise on recruiting and development, and may not be taken seriously, without a high level of education yourself.
In a technical sense, you don't need any particular qualification to work in the human resources field in Australia. But a university education is almost mandatory.
In a survey of HR professionals published in 2016, more than 8 out of 10 respondents reported having some form of university education. More than two-thirds had bachelor and/or master's degrees while others had graduate certificate and graduate diploma qualifications.
A Bachelor of Business with an HRM major or a master's in HRM are the natural go-to qualifications for starting an HR career.
Note that, to work in HR, you DON'T need: qualifications that are accredited by the Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI) or AHRI membership of any kind. AHRI is a member-owned industry body that provides services to members.
Demand for HR professionals is reliably solid in Australia. Because human resources is about managing staff, the number of HR professionals employed is proportional to the number of employees at medium and small businesses. Australia's workforce has been growing steadily for decades due to immigration-led population growth, producing commensurate growth in HR employment.
Earning a degree in human resources, whether a bachelor degree or masters, has a reliably good payoff. Graduates with an HR degree are able to find work in HR or other business fields, and are generally well paid. Experienced HR professionals often earn up to $124,751 annually (refer here: https://au.talent.com/salary?job=hr).
Human Resources (HR) Manager Qualifications in Australia
