Specialization

Human Resource Management

Specialization of the master’s programme in Business Administration

www.vu.nl/programmes

A wider perspective
 Human Resource Every organization has its
Management:
Managing the very
objectives and its own strategy
the key to for achieving them. Harnessing
strategic success the strengths and talents of an

heart of an organisation organization’s human resources

are the key to making this process
work. How can an organization get
the best out of its employees?

Creating a person-organization fit

Each human being is unique. We all have our
individual strengths and our personal goals. A square
peg in a round hole is not a recipe for success. How
can you combine human abilities and motivations
with situational demands and opportunities to create
a competitive advantage in organizational processes
such as production and innovation?

Developing talent to the full

“I majored in Human Resources because I have always had
a keen interest in the human factor within an organization.
From the start it was clear to me that the workforce plays
a vital role in an organization’s success. An engine simply
cannot run without fuel.”
Well-rounded professionals do not come ready
made. It is one thing to recognize raw talent but
quite another to nurture and channel it within an
organization. How can you enable employees to
develop their skills and realize their full potential?

Jaap Oskam, Master’s student of Human Resource Making the most of diversity
Management Nothing stifles creativity like uniformity. But managing
diversity brings with it special challenges and requires
a clear vision and a strong sense of commitment. How
do you go about enabling employees from different
backgrounds to work together effectively?

Interactive marketing and networks

How can we better understand the potential of
information and communication technologies to
help us develop a more thorough understanding of
customers and markets? What kind of organizational
forms are best suited to meeting the challenges posed
by the knowledge economy and how can technologies
contribute to these new organizational forms?

A wider perspective Human Resource Management - 3

 Master’s Human Resource Management (HRM)
specialization in can be defined as the management
Human Resource of work and people in order to
Management at achieve desired outcomes. It is a
VU University crucial part of any organization.
Amsterdam These desired outcomes involve
high performance aligned with
organizational goals. For employees,
they involve career and development opportunities.
Human Resource Managers take on the challenge
of aligning individual needs with organizational
requirements using HRM tools and models. This
process takes place in the context of environmental
and societal trends, such as the increasing diversity of
employees’ backgrounds. At VU University Amsterdam,
students learn to reflect critically on these and many
other issues in the field of HRM.
One of the contemporary HRM-related issues facing
the Western world is the ageing workforce. The baby
boom that followed on the heels of WWII has skewed
the demographics of Western labour forces. This,
combined with the current deficit of young talent, will
lead to considerable staff shortages within a couple
of years’ time. In addition, contemporary workers
tend to focus on striking an equitable work-family
balance. When young employees enter the workforce
nowadays, they do not automatically want to work full-
time because of their family obligations or because of
other hobbies or responsibilities. Finally, the economic
situation may restrict opportunities for lifelong
employment. Some workers are simply disinclined to
pursue a lifelong career. Instead, lifelong learning is
required, and alternative career patterns such as the
‘boundaryless’ career are evolving. All of these issues
call for innovative approaches to studying and applying
Human Resource Management tools and models.
4 - VU University Amsterdam
Comparative,
critical,
contemporary
“When you take the people out of an organization, you take
out the knowledge. Without that, almost nothing remains.
Bricks and mortar, machines and products cannot think,
innovate, sell or buy! HRM is the key to managing human
capital and achieving our business objectives.”
Edwin Bak, Master’s student in Human Resource
Management
Comparative HRM
At VU University Amsterdam,
you will learn all about effective
HRM by comparing and applying
theories and practices at the
micro (individual behaviour, such
as employee motivation), meso
(organizational HRM practices, such
as performance management) and macro (contextual
factors, such as national culture) levels. This wide-
ranging and multi-levelled approach is a cornerstone
of this unique programme.
Critical developments
You will be encouraged to hone your critical and
analytical skills by assessing current HRM theories
and practices in light of their suitability over time and
how they relate to various aspects of social, political
and technological progress. You will look into whether
traditional HRM theories are still relevant when applied
to contemporary HRM issues, such as the ageing
workforce in Western countries or the urge felt by
today’s workers for work-family balance.
Contemporary research
Not only will you learn to conduct your own research,
but you will also utilize, apply, and reflect on contem-
porary research in the field of HRM, both fundamental
and empirical. In your Master’s thesis, you will be able
to show that you have amassed sufficient knowledge
of HRM to develop a relevant research question, and
to build a sound theoretical framework supporting
your study hypotheses. Furthermore, you will collect
empirical data (for example, through a questionnaire
survey or interviews) in order to test these hypotheses.
Finally, you will answer your research question based
on your data, and you will translate this conclusion
into both theoretical and practical implications.
Human Resource Management - 5
 Your
programme
in a nutshell
“The HRM programme is an exciting challenge that covers
all aspects of human resources. It is great to receive expert
guidance from thesis supervisors who are true specialists
in their field. The support and information they provide is
invaluable when it comes to completing your Master’s thesis.”
Marieke Huijskens, Master’s student of
Human Resource Management
The programme is divided into six periods. It is worth 60
credits and takes one year to complete. Important programme
components include:
Period 1: Careers & Organizations (6 credits)
Strategy, Control & Design (6 credits)
Period 2: Performance Management & Control (6 credits)
Optional course (6 credits)
Period 3: Ethics (3 credits)
Research Seminar I (3 credits)
Period 4: Diversity in Organizations (6 credits)
Research Seminar II & Start Thesis
(3 + 3 credits)
Period 5: Optional course/ Capita Selecta (6 credits)
Thesis (6 credits)
Period 6: Thesis (6 credits)
6 - VU University Amsterdam
The Master’s specialization in
Human Resource Management is
structured around three important
human resource processes and
contemporary issues:
1. Employee commitment and
development, or the extent to which
employees feel committed to their employer, to their
own performance and to the development of their
own job-related knowledge and skills (this topic is
discussed in the Careers & Organizations course).
2. Managing and controlling performance, or the HRM-
related models and tools involved in measuring and
managing employee performance in organizations
(this is the focus of the Performance Management &
Control course).
3. Managing organizational diversity, which is an issue
many of today’s employers and employees are dealing
with (the Diversity in Organizations course focuses on
this contemporary HRM theme).
Another important element of this study programme
is the Master’s thesis, which enables you to apply
what you have learned about HRM (and Business
Administration in general) to an empirical study of an
HRM-related business issue. Your thesis will be a true
research project for which you will collect quantitative
and/or qualitative data in order to help you answer
your research question on a Human Resource
Management topic.
Having successfully completed the Master’s
specialization in Human Resource Management, you
will enter the job market as a graduate in Business
Administration with a specialist
A job as… knowledge of human resource
a HRM manager, performance and development.
a consultant, As such, you will be extremely
a management well qualified to pursue a
trainee… career in HRM, but many other
opportunities will also be open
to you, for example in general
management or consultancy.
The Master’s specialization in HRM adds a critical,
contemporary, and (most importantly) comparative
component to your general Business Administration
knowledge and skills. In other words, after finishing
this Master’s specialization, you will be able to
understand and manage the very heart of an
“In my line of work, I am dealing with people all the time. The organization: its human resources.
skills I obtained during my studies have benefited me in many
ways. This programme has taught me valuable lessons and
has given me the insight to answer essential questions, when
should I lead, when should I follow, how should I respond
when people are not motivated? It’s all about bringing out
the best in people.”
Fouad Gaddur, MSc in Business Administration
with a specialization in HRM
Human Resource Management - 7
 If you would like to know more

Please visit www.vu.nl/programmes for:

• Detailed programme information

• Admission requirements
• Information on application and registration
• Career perspectives
• Opportunities for majors and minors

Or contact the faculty for more information about the programme:

Study Advisors
Faculty of Economics and Business Administration
Room 2A-22
De Boelelaan 1105
1081 HV Amsterdam
The Netherlands
T +31 (0)20 598 6116
E studyadvisor@feweb.vu.nl

International Student Relations (degree students)

Room 2E-70
De Boelelaan 1105
1081 HV Amsterdam
The Netherlands
T +31 (0)20 598 5585
E masterprogramme@feweb.vu.nl

For general information about VU University Amsterdam

Please phone us at +31 (0)20 598 5000 (Monday – Friday, 9:00 to 17:00).
You may also e-mail us at study@vu.nl. Read more about VU University
Amsterdam at www.vu.nlprogrammes.

No rights may be derived from the contents of this brochure.

Publication: Department of Marketing & Communication, VU University Amsterdam.

Photo cover: Hollandse Hoogte / Goos van der Veen
(Kantoorpersoneel in verlichte kantoren bij avond).

A wider perspective