Information about the degree program
Human Resource Management - nowadays, this includes more than just organizing employees’ wage payments or managing personnel files. In an increasingly complex and dynamic environment, modern HR work is based on the understanding that a company's employees are the crucial resource for its sustainable success. The identification, recruitment, development and long-term retention of skilled employees are the central tasks in human resource management today.
The master’s degree program Human Resource Management (M.Sc.) includes theoretical and methodological knowledge as well as practical skills in dealing with personnel-related tasks and enables students to develop and apply company-specific solutions in human resource management.
In the degree program, scientific demands and practical orientation complement each other, and in addition, students learn soft skills through teamwork and presentations and develop the ability to work independently through project work. In accordance with the didactic concept, the various modules teach social and methodological skills, and here, in particular, the practical skills and abilities needed to master methods and instruments required for future responsibilities.
The modules complement and build upon the content and concepts developed in the modules of the bachelor's degree programs related to human resources. The goal is to promote the ability to grasp complex and cross-disciplinary connections [interdisciplinarity]. By means of case work and exercises, the acquired knowledge is made clear and intensified in a practice-oriented manner.
The integration with other master's degree programs at the Department of Economics at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences offers suitable elective modules in the areas of business law and business administration in the 1st and 2nd semesters.
Further information
Lectures are largely held in seminar style (including discussions). Specialized knowledge is deepened in the form of interactive case studies on current tasks in Human Resource Management. The relatively small group size of up to 25 students provides a very good framework for interactive forms of learning and thus supports the feedback process between instructors and students.
In the seminars, theory-based tasks and practice-oriented case studies are solved together in working groups. The content and results are presented in the form of presentations. In addition to the presentation, the preparation of a term paper is one of the examination results of a seminar. The special aim of this type of instruction is to promote students' methodological and social skills.
Project work takes the form of independent development of proposed solutions for project tasks formulated in practice with practical courses.
In addition, external labs in particular enable students to apply the theoretical knowledge they have acquired in an internal company environment. Excursions are designed to give students an exemplary insight into the working methods, organization and production methods of companies.
Further information on the degree program can be found in the examination and (degree) program regulations and the module description handbook.
The degree program has a modular structure. A module is a content-related teaching and learning section that must be completed through assessed work or other verifiable coursework. In addition to the compulsory modules, elective modules with a certain number of credits must be completed.
Module description handbook MA Human Resource Management [PDF, 2,000 KB]
1st regular semester
Compulsory modules
- Operational Human Resource Management
- Seminar Compensation & Benefits
- Organizational Development
- Managerial Economics
Elective modules (1 must be chosen in each case)
- WPM (Compulsory elective catalog in Business Law)
- WPM (Business Studies elective catalog)
2nd regular semester
Compulsory modules
- Human Resource Management
- Business Coaching
- Managerial Leadership
- Human Resource Project
Elective modules (1 must be chosen in each case)
- WPM (compulsory elective in Business Law)
- WPM Multivariate Methods or Survey Analysis
3rd regular semester
- Compulsory modules
- Mobility semester
4th regular semester
- Compulsory modules
- Master's thesis
- Master's colloquium
The compulsory modules in semesters 1 and 2 provide in-depth knowledge of HR policy fields of action. The seminars Compensation & Benefits and Business Coaching address topics that are of particular importance for human resources work in companies. The modules in the compulsory elective catalogs from the fields of Business Administration, Economics and Business Law were selected in accordance with the objectives of the degree program. They are directly related to the content of human resources policy fields of action.
The modules Human Resource Management - Project and the extended scientific project in semester 3 contain practical tasks in the field of human resource management. The extended scientific project must generally be completed in cooperation with a company; the projects in semesters 1 and 2 can also include practical topics without cooperation with a company.
The Human Resource Management master's degree program comprises coursework amounting to 120 ECTS credits with a workload of 30 hours per week per semester. The course is divided into three semesters.
Semesters 1 and 2 each contain 4 compulsory modules (a total of 8 compulsory modules in both semesters) and 2 elective modules per semester (a total of 4 elective modules in both semesters) and serve to specialize in the professional field with regard to the teaching of scientific models and methodological concepts of in-depth training in the field of Human Resource Management.
Semester 3 is available to students as a mobility semester. In this semester, students on the degree program complete an extended academic project in practice with a minimum duration of 24 weeks and a thematic focus in the field of Human Resource Management. Alternatively, students can complete coursework totaling 30 ECTS credits at a foreign partner university. The basis for the recognition of foreign coursework is a learning agreement to ensure a selection of modules at partner universities that are relevant to the study objective. A third option is to take modules from other master's degree programs offered by the Department of Economics at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences for a total of 30 ECTS credits.
The Master's thesis and the colloquium in semester 4 complete the course of study.
Semester structure
1st semester
- 12 weeks - lectures
- 4 compulsory modules /
- 2 elective modules of 4 semester hours per week
- 3 weeks of examinations
- 30 credits
2nd semester
- 12 weeks - Lectures
- 4 compulsory modules /
- 2 elective modules a 4 semester hours per week
- 3 weeks of examinations
- 30 credits
3rd semester
- Mobility semester with 3 different alternatives:
- Remaining at the FH Anhalt
- Subject-specific module assignment of a master's degree program at a foreign partner university
- Extended scientific project in practice with a minimum duration of 24 weeks with subject-specific activity related to the Master's degree
- 3 weeks of examinations
- 30 credits
4th semester
20 weeks Master's thesis and colloquium30 credits (25 Master's thesis, 5 colloquium)Total: 120 credits
The connection to business practice is developed on the basis of existing cooperations of the Department of Economics at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences and will be further expanded in the future.
On the initiative of individual professors, a wide range of contacts are maintained with regional and national business enterprises and organizations (e.g. Solvay Deutschland GmbH Bernburg, Serum-Werk Bernburg, Datev eG, SAP-AG, etc.) and used to ensure a practice-oriented education. This is expressed in particular through the joint supervision of students in labs, projects and Master's theses, but also through excursions to companies, guest lectures by practitioners and cooperation in inter-company committees and working groups (e.g. regional HR managers' group, BVMW, etc.).
