Social Policy and Human Resource Management

Social policy and human resource management brings together two disciplines concerned with how societies and organisations manage people and distribute resources. Social policy examines how governments and institutions develop services to meet social needs, addressing poverty, inequality, housing, health, education and criminal justice at the societal level. Human resource management examines how organisations manage their people at the institutional level, developing the competencies in recruitment, performance management, reward, learning and development, employee relations and organisational culture that effective people management requires.

Together they provide a dual perspective on the systems through which human wellbeing is supported and work is organised.

At the University of Strathclyde you will study social policy and human resource management over four years of full-time study, developing both the analytical frameworks of social policy and the practical professional knowledge of HRM. A year abroad is built into the programme, broadening your perspective on how different societies organise welfare systems and how HR practice varies across different cultural and economic contexts. You will examine the major issues in social policy including poverty, gender and race inequality, social justice, health, education and housing, alongside the core content of professional HRM including employment law, organisational behaviour and talent management.

The typical tariff of 200 reflects the combined academic demands of two rigorous social science disciplines.

Graduates work in HR management, talent acquisition, organisational development, people analytics, employee relations, learning and development, public sector management, social research and policy roles. The combination is particularly well suited to roles in public sector organisations, housing associations, NHS trusts and voluntary organisations where both social policy awareness and people management skills are directly relevant. Many graduates pursue professional HR qualifications through the CIPD alongside or after their degree, and others go on to postgraduate study in HRM, social policy, public management or employment relations.