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Project Management and Operations Management (Professional Practice) MSc

2024-25 (also available for 2025-26)

Start date

16 September 2024

27 January 2025

Duration

18 months with placement

About the course

Reasons to study

  1. Study at the Times Higher Education Business School of the Year 2023.
  2. This course helps develop your understanding of the need to manage and plan complex projects in an integrated manner, which can be taken into a variety of sectors.
  3. Study at an AACSB International accredited Business School. Globally, less than 6% of institutions offering business degrees achieve this accreditation.

This course is specifically aimed at International students, supporting those wishing to gain practical work based experiential learning. Together with studying your chosen course we are offering an additional 6-month placement opportunity, making the course 18 months in length. This allows students to put into practice the skills and techniques developed throughout the Master’s degree within a UK environment after completing the 12-month taught programme.

This course looks at the core principles of project management and business operations, including how to plan and manage complex projects effectively, helping prepare you for a career in a variety of project management roles. Project Management is constantly at the core of business development; every responsible business is in need of staff who know how to deliver projects effectively and on time and organise its operation in a resource-efficient way. Our graduates will gain knowledge and enhance their skillset in a way that would allow them to achieve strategic objectives and goals when employed within their organisations.

The course aims to provide you with an in-depth appreciation of project and operations management theories and practices, and their importance to contemporary businesses. The course helps in developing your understanding towards planning, managing, monitoring and controlling complex projects and their operations in an integrated manner, within a wide range of business environments. Through this course you will expand your knowledge and gain practical experience using project and operations management tools and techniques working with fellow members of your course in real-life projects.

This course is aimed primarily at those seeking to progress or move into a project management role. The course is also a good fit for those who wish to work in the complex functions of construction, IT, manufacturing, services, and the retail industry. Having experience working as a project/operations manager is not a prerequisite.

Course detail

Core modules:

Project Management

Within the complex functions of major construction, IT, manufacturing and retail projects that mark nowadays’ industries, the need for skilled and knowledgeable project managers is crucial. If you seek a role in a project context at any level of complexity, this module aims to provide you with an in-depth understanding of project management theories and practices in addition to operations management and their importance to contemporary businesses.

Productivity Improvement

“The only thing that is constant is change” (Heraclitus). All businesses face a world of ever changing technology and ever increasing customer demands. Throughout your career you undoubtedly be involved in change of some description. This module will facilitate the development of the transferable skills and understanding you will need to face the challenges of near constant change with resilience. Starting with a strategic overview of productivity improvement you will develop the skills needed to lead, as well as take part in, productivity improvement, product development, process improvements, service design, and innovation initiatives.

Strategic Management

This module provides an introduction into the strategic management theories and its practical application. It will cover: mission and goal formation, stakeholder theories, corporate governance, and business ethics, in addition to these topics, this module will equip you with the strategy toolbox that includes: external and internal analysis, corporate level strategies and business level strategies, strategic decision making and at the end overall evaluation of strategy implementation and evaluation.

Operations Management

In today’s competitive and global market, organisations have to design, plan and control as well as improve effectively and efficiently their processes, operations and supply chains in order to satisfy the demand and develop a competitive edge. You will certainly find yourself working within organisations that rely essentially on their operations function to gain and sustain their competitive advantage, either via a cost proposition or the quality and innovation of their products and services. In light of this, the aim of this module is to demonstrate how operations management can influence, shape and align firms’ competitive strategies.

Intelligent Business Information Systems

This module will review the principles and applications of information systems and business intelligence in different types of businesses and organisations. The role of information systems and business intelligence in modern operations and supply chains will be reviewed and discussed. The most recent advances in technology, their applications and implications in managing businesses will be discussed. Different types of information and enterprise systems and software will be reviewed and discussed in this module. Issues to be considered in the implementation and use of these packages will be highlighted.

The Global Professional

In today’s highly mobile and interconnected world of business, you will undoubtedly find yourself working with culturally diverse teams, partnerships and customer bases. It is therefore essential that you are able to offer future employers, colleagues and other stakeholders an adaptable interculturally aware and responsive approach. In the light of that, this module fosters transferable skills fundamental to global employability. Your professional and personal development will be guided through the application of the eight CIPD Behaviours, University of Huddersfield’s target Graduate Attributes, and key Intercultural Effectiveness skills and mindsets. As you develop professionally through your subject studies you will increase consciousness of your individual cultural make-up and the impact of this on behaviour, relationships and worldview in order to navigate beyond the borders of your own culture. You will develop a conscious approach to effective global practice, responding positively to difference, and constructing strategies to deal with intercultural workplace encounters.

Final Project

An opportunity to pursue an area that interests you or which you are passionate about comes in your choice of project. You have a choice of three routes: Research Route, Consultancy Route and New Venture Creation Route (subject to tutor approval).

Research Route

Research Methods

This module aims to provide you with foundation concepts of research methods to prepare you to conduct your own research. It will introduce you to different types of research approaches available to researchers, how to formulate good research questions, how to review academic literature in the research process, how to select the appropriate data collection techniques, how to carry out the data analysis and write-up. The module should provide a solid basis for you to develop your skills further in your own research project.

Individual Research Project

The Individual Research Project provides an opportunity to pursue your own interests and engage more deeply with your subject by completing an in-depth piece of research work using relevant research methods. Working autonomously, but under the guidance of a supervisor, you will make choices about the most appropriate methods and then conduct your own research project. Through the Individual Research Project, you will have the opportunity to greatly enhance your own knowledge and skills. The research will be presented in written format using academic conventions recognised in your field.

Consultancy Route

Consultancy Skills

This module prepares you for the Group Consultancy Project. It introduces the theory underpinning the process of consultancy in organisations. The module will analyse various models of consultancy and you will be given an opportunity to explore different stages in the consultancy cycle including: the purpose of consultancy in business context, project scoping and contracting, information gathering, analysis and report, action planning, implementation, review and exiting.

Group Consultancy Project

The Group Consultancy Project provides you with the opportunity to engage in a ‘real world’ live client brief. You will work in small teams and will be expected to engage in the process of scoping the project with the business client, undertake the necessary information gathering, analysing the information and make recommendations to the client. As part of this module, you will also need to evaluate how principles of ethics, sustainability and responsibility influence your professional decision making.

New Venture Creation

Launch a venture

The module provides you with the opportunity to take the practical steps to initiate a new venture or facilitate growth and innovation in an existing venture. The focus is on developing an understanding of business practicalities through action, reflection and case study. The module encourages you to acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes for practice, recognising that you may be at different stages and working on different issues at the same time. Supervision and action learning sets provide flexible support to enable self directed learning to facilitate start up and business development initiatives with existing businesses.

New Venture Creation

The module will encourage you to develop your entrepreneurial mind-set, and help you understand the challenges and opportunities of starting and running a new venture. Your entrepreneurial skills and abilities will be guided through the application of different entrepreneurial tools and techniques – as well as practical exercises - that should enable you to assess your own entrepreneurial readiness, while preparing for the risky, uncertain and challenging environment of creating new ventures.

MSc Professional Practice Placement

The Professional Practice module gives you an opportunity to reflect on your personal and professional development and put theory into practice through professional work experience. This route must be chosen at the point of application by selecting the specific (Professional Practice) route as the placement adds a further 6 months to your duration of study. Due to the competitive nature of the placement route the Professional Practice course has limited availability and places are capped.

Placements are not guaranteed and are secured through a competitive process. You may be required to undertake formal application processes and interviews with placement providers in order to successfully secure a work placement.

Assessment of this module is in the form of a reflective log

Additional information

Exposure to various activities at the University of Huddersfield will enrich your knowledge and skills. An intensive induction pre-course workshop, which will be held in September and January, provides you with an in-depth insight into your course; helps promote an interactive environment between fellow students and meet with your tutors.

Tutors are experts in their field and with many having practical experience in industry and the professions which helps combine your academic knowledge with practical application. Many aspects of teaching and assessment are grounded in real life situations.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for Professional Practice courses are normally:

  • An Honours degree (2:1 or above) or equivalent professional qualification, in any subject.
  • Applicants with other appropriate professional qualifications and/or experience will be considered on an individual basis.

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 7.0 overall with no element lower than 6.5 (a minimum of TOEFL 550 (Computer Based Toefl 213) score) or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our Where are you from information pages.

Placements


This course offers you the chance to undertake a 6 month placement at the end of the taught element. A placement can help you build on the knowledge and skills developed on the course.

The placement is a valuable tool that can enhance your employability and help you to develop as an individual. It is acknowledged that graduates with work experience are generally much more attractive to employers.

Our Employability and Placements Office are available to support you in finding placement opportunities and can provide advice in areas such as interview skills and preparing CVs and covering letters.

Student support

Learning, Innovation and Development Centre : Our Learning, Innovation and Development Centre (LID) provides academic support to all students within Huddersfield Business School. Our academic skills tutors have taught at all levels including Master’s who can work closely with you to help you achieve your full potential throughout your time at the University of Huddersfield.

They can help with a wide range of academic skills including referencing, academic writing (such as essays, reports and coursework), research, reading, note-taking, dissertations and presentations as well as all other skills and issues relating to academia. As well as this, they also offer advice on dyslexia and can provide information on accessing disability support.

The team also provides support for international students. We recognise that there are many differences between studying here and in your home country. This is why we have dedicated academic skills tutors who can help you with both your study as well as your language skills.

International Student Development: We understand that settling into a new country and environment can be very stressful. So, if you are an international student, the International Student Development (ISD) team can help provide support in understanding and adapting to the UK Higher Education environment as well as settling into life in the UK.

In addition, we can also help you develop the essential academic skills needed to ensure you achieve your full potential throughout your time at Huddersfield. We provide help and guidance to students at all levels (both undergraduate and postgraduate) with timetabled academic skills sessions. These sessions are delivered in same-course groups by our experienced tutors. In addition, English language sessions are available at foundation, intermediate or upper intermediate level. The number of weekly sessions and support you receive will vary depending on the level you are currently working at.

Student Support & Guidance: Huddersfield Business School has a Student Support & Guidance service which aims to ensure that you are fully supported whilst studying here with us at The University of Huddersfield. They are able to offer you help, advice, support and guidance on a wide range of matters that may be having an impact on your general well-being or university life and studies.

The team can offer one to one pre-booked appointments or drop-In sessions to discuss or give advice on anything that concerns you which may include; attendance, disabilities, timetable Issues, welfare and any personal issues that may be impacting upon your studies.

Library services and online study support: Students at the University of Huddersfield have access to a wide range of study resources through the library and additional online study support resources. Our modern, professionally organised library provides a wide range of books, cds, dvds and additional online resources such as company reports, market research reports and academic and professional journal archives. At key times in the academic year the library is open 24-7 and our students also borrow laptops, reserve study rooms for group working and access computer software programmes.

Important information

We will always try to deliver your course as described on this web page. However, sometimes we may have to make changes as set out below.

Changes to a course you have applied for

If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment.

Cancellation of a course you have applied for

Although we always try and run all of the course we offer, we may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or combine your programme with another programme if we consider this reasonably necessary to ensure a good student experience, for example if there are not enough applicants to ensure you have a good learning experience. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and we will contact you to discuss other suitable courses with us we can transfer your application to. If we notify you that the course you have applied to has been withdrawn or combined, and you do not wish to transfer to another course with us, you may cancel your application and we will refund you any deposits or fees you have paid to us.

Changes to your course after you enrol as a student

We will always try to deliver your course and other services as described. However, sometimes we may have to make changes as set out below:

Changes to option modules

Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have a range of options to choose from and we will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.

Major changes

We will only make major changes to the core curriculum of a course or to our services if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change in this context is a change that materially changes the services available to you; or the outcomes, or a significant part, of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), classes, type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum.

For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators; to meet the latest requirements of a commissioning or accrediting body; to improve the quality of educational provision; in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback; and/or to reflect academic or professional changes within subject areas. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff leaving the University or being unable to teach, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to damage or interruption to buildings, facilities or equipment.

Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but this may not always be the case. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will carry out suitable consultation with affected students. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you contact us in writing before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for future tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

Termination of course

In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed and we will notify you as soon as possible about what your options are, which may include transferring to a suitable replacement course for which you are qualified, being provided with individual teaching to complete the award for which you were registered, or claiming an interim award and exiting the University. If you do not wish to take up any of the options that are made available to you, then you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the course without liability to the University for future tuition fees and you will be entitled to a refund of all course fees paid to date. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by a framework of regulations, policies and procedures, which form the basis of your agreement with us. These include regulations regarding the assessment of your course, academic integrity, your conduct (including attendance) and disciplinary procedure, fees and finance and compliance with visa requirements (where relevant). It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to abide by them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan, where you will also find links to the full text of each of the regulations, policies and procedures referred to. You should read these carefully before you enrol. Please note that this information is subject to change and you are advised to check our website regularly for any changes before you enrol at the University. A person who is not party to this agreement shall not have any rights under or in connection with it. Only you and the University shall have any right to enforce or rely on the agreement.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.

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