Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management (IR&HRM) builds your skills through papers in Education Studies, Human Resource Management, Labour Studies and Psychology. This interdisciplinary approach gives you a multi-perspective understanding of how legislation frames IR&HRM, the relationship between education and training and employability in a globalised environment.
We gear programme content and learning experiences to prepare for employment as well as for those who want to further their studies. You'll benefit from combined learning with the Labour Studies and Social Policy programmes, as well as a multitude of other programmes in Economics, Education Studies, Geography, Psychology, Sociology and Women’s and Gender Studies.
Labour Studies, Education Studies and Psychology are particularly advantageous to combine with IR&HRM due to their strong focus on disciplinary fields. While subjects such as Geography, Sociology and Women’s and Gender Studies have a more theoretical perspective and interdisciplinary focus. You are also encouraged to explore second majors or supporting subjects relevant to your long term career aspirations such as Economics.
During your IR&HRM studies at Waikato, you'll learn how to increase organisations' productivity through how its employees interact and relate with each another.
Career opportunities
- Employment Court Official
- Human Capital Development Strategist
- Human Resource Manager, Adviser or Officer
- Industrial Relations Mediator or Facilitator
- Payroll Manager or Administrator
Qualifications
Study Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management in any of these qualifications
Papers
Papers available within this subject
100 level
| Code | Paper Title | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|
| ARTSC110 | Old Worlds - New Worlds | 18A (Hamilton) |
| This multi-disciplinary paper offers students a rich context in which to develop arts-based reading, writing and research skills. It is structured around stories of cultural encounter and journeys through place and time, and focuses on a variety of printed and electronic texts, moving and still images, and sound. The paper is deliv... | ||
| ARTSC111 | Social Science Theory and Action | 18B (Hamilton) & 18B (Tauranga) |
| This paper introduces University of Waikato social scientists as researchers. Each presenters research will be discussed to demonstrate how it illustrates key themes of the social sciences and their specific disciplines. | ||
| LABST100 | Work, Employment and Society | 18A (Hamilton) & 18B (Hamilton) |
| The purpose of this paper is to focus on the interdisciplinary account of the changing forms and social contexts of work from ancient times to the present and beyond. | ||
| STMGT101 | Introduction to Management | 18A (Hamilton) & 18B (Hamilton) |
| Explores the world of management in organisations, the roles of managers and how they strategise, plan, organise, and motivate staff to achieve goals. | ||
200 level
| Code | Paper Title | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|
| EDSOC202 | Planning Learning Opportunities for Adults | 18A (Hamilton) |
| This paper investigates fundamental concepts of adult learning and then studies some adult learning theorists whose work is relevant to programme development. Major bottom-up and top-down approaches are taken to understand the dynamics of programme development. Students develop and apply their own approach to development, implement... | ||
| HRMGT202 | Human Resource Management | 18A (Hamilton) |
| Employees can be challenging. This paper uses latest HRM research and practice to examine how employees are acquired, managed, accommodated, trained and developed to improve individual and organisational performance. | ||
| HRMGT203 | Remuneration and Reward | 18B (Hamilton) |
| This paper provides students an understanding of a range of pay practices and how and when each of these can influence employee behaviour and human capital to affect organisational performance. | ||
| LABST201 | Employment Relations in New Zealand | 18A (Hamilton) |
| This paper examines the employment relations legislation and its impact on employers, unions and workers. Other issues considered include occupational health and safety, industrial training and practice of employment relations | ||
300 level
| Code | Paper Title | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|
| FASS396 | Work Placement | 18C (Block) & 18D (Block) |
| This paper enables students to undertake work placement in an area related to their major as part of their degree. Students work in a chosen field for a period of time in order to gain valuable work experience and learn from experts in their chosen field. | ||
| HRMG342 | Human Resource Management | 18A (Hamilton), 18A (Tauranga), 18B (Hamilton) & 18B (Tauranga) |
| This paper studies the management of organisations' most valuable asset, their people. It uses latest research to examine how employees are acquired, managed, accommodated, trained and developed to improve individual and organisational performance, within ever changing economic and social contexts. Together we will explore the huma... | ||
| HRMG343 | Business Research Methods | This paper will not be taught in 2018. |
| This paper will not be taught in 2018. | ||
| HRMG374 | Women and Management | 18T (Hamilton) |
| A study of issues relating to women and management: language, the law, work, equal employment opportunity, women as managers, and career development. | ||
| LBST301 | Globalisation and International Development | 18A (Hamilton) |
| This paper examines the impact of globalisation on labour across both developed and developing countries. Assignments focus on the application of comparative methods. | ||
| LBST331 | Education, Skill and Employment | 18A (Hamilton), 18A (Online) & 18A (Tauranga) |
| This paper provides an examination of current policies, issues and institutions in workers' education and training. Assignments are designed to help students acquire practical skills for employment in industry training, areas relevant to labour studies or in related policy development and analysis. | ||
| PCSS330 | Adults Learning for Life | 18B (Hamilton) |
| This paper explores the character of adult learning from varied perspectives including an analysis of specific social issues in the field. It focuses on areas within lifelong learning where social inequalities are most prevalent. | ||
| PSYC317 | Organisational Psychology | 18B (Hamilton) & 18B (Tauranga) |
| The application of psychological theories and research to job-related and organisational issues. | ||
400 level
| Code | Paper Title | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|
| HRMG474 | Women and Management | 18T (Hamilton) |
| A study of issues relating to women and management: language, the law, work, equal employment opportunity, women as managers, and career development. | ||
| LEGAL420 | Employment Law | 18B (Hamilton) |
| This course is a practical survey of employment law in New Zealand. It examines the formation, operation, and termination of the employment relationship as well as personal grievances, remedies and the employment insitutions. | ||
Prescriptions for the GradCert(IR&HRM) and GradDip(IR&HRM)
A Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma are available to graduates who have not included Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management at an advanced level in their first degree. Each programme of study for the Graduate Certificate must include LBST201 and HRMG342. Each programme of study for the Graduate Diploma must include LBST201, PCSS231, HRMG342 and LBST331.
For further details, contact the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Office.
Graduate Study
Students who major in IR&HRM and who have adequate grades may undertake interdisciplinary graduate programmes in the broad area of IR&HRM by enrolling in a PGCert(LabSt), PGDip(LabSt), or BSocSc(Hons) or MSocSc in Labour Studies and completing a IR&HRM specialisation.
See Labour Studies for admission requirements.
To complete the IR&HRM specialisation within the PGCert(LabSt), PGDip(LabSt) or BSSocSc(Hons), students must complete 120 points at 500 level comprising LBST531, LBST532 and LBST591, 30 points from HRMG543, HRMG544, HRMG545 or HRMG574 and 30 points from LBST541, LBST542, PCSS530, PSYC571, PSYC572, PSYC573, PSYC579 and PSYC585.
To complete the IR&HRM specialisation within the MSocSc in Labour Studies, students must complete 180 points at 500 level comprising LBST531, LBST532, LBST592, SSRP503, SSRP504, 30 points from HRMG543, HRMG544, HRMG545 or HRMG574 and 30 points from LBST541, LBST542, PCSS530, PSYC571, PSYC572, PSYC573, PSYC579 and PSYC585.
Students wishing to specialise in IR&HRM at graduate level may enrol in the IR&HRM specialisation within the PGCert(LabSt), PGDip(LabSt) or BSocSc(Hons) in Labour Studies. The requirements for the specialisation are prescribed in the FASS Graduate Handbook or may be obtained from the Programme Convenor for IR&HRM.
| Code | Paper Title | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|
| HRMG543 | Pay and Performance Management | This paper will not be taught in 2018. |
| This paper will not be taught in 2018. | ||
| HRMG544 | Human Resource Management Strategy | 18A (Hamilton) |
| This paper provides students with the opportunity to evaluate and discuss the latest research in human resource management strategy. This focus is on examining theories of internal fit, which address how and why human resource practices link together to increase business performance, and external fit, which address how and why huma... | ||
| HRMG545 | Employment Relations | This paper will not be taught in 2018. |
| This paper will not be taught in 2018. | ||
| HRMG574 | Women and Organisations | 18B (Hamilton) |
| In this paper we examine the contribution of feminist research to our understanding of women and management. Two themes pervade the paper. We examine the management of women (by women or men). This entails a critical analysis of the experiences of women both in and out of employment. We also examine the experiences of women who asp... | ||
| LBST531 | Advanced Employment Relations 1: The Employment Relations Framework | 18A (Hamilton) |
| Students will be expected to analyse and to discuss the Employment Relations Act in its social and economic context and also to focus on specific issues such as good faith bargaining. | ||
| LBST532 | Advanced Employment Relations 2: Current Policies and Practices | 18B (Hamilton) |
| The paper is concerned with a number of topics of contemporary relevance to New Zealand employment relations, and in particular issues of labour market flexibility, employment equity, employee participation, employee health and safety and workplace privacy. | ||
| LBST541 | Labour, Education and Training 1: Issues and Policies | 18A (Hamilton) |
| This paper explores issues related to the restructuring of tertiary education in New Zealand. Students will gain a thorough understanding of current issues in adult education and training and become familiar with a wide range of contemporary policy documents. | ||
| LBST542 | Labour, Education and Training 2: Applied Research Project | This paper will not be taught in 2018. |
| This paper will not be taught in 2018. | ||
| LBST591 | Dissertation | 18C (Hamilton) |
| A report on the findings of a theoretical or empirical investigation. | ||
| LBST592 | Dissertation | 18C (Hamilton) |
| A report on the findings of a theoretical or empirical investigation. | ||
| PCSS530 | Issues in Adult and Tertiary Education | 18B (Hamilton) |
| This paper will investigate issues in current theory, policy and practices in adult and tertiary education locally and internationally. In the course of this enquiry, students will be expected to critique multiple perspectives, develop a coherent philosophical base and a research design to address a specific issue. | ||
| PSYC571 | Psychology of Careers | 18B (Hamilton) |
| This paper introduces students to vocational psychology including the theory and practice of psychology applied to the analysis, assessment and practice of career development and management. Students will apply career development theory and practice to the development of their own career portfolio. | ||
| PSYC572 | Personnel Selection | 18A (Hamilton) |
| This paper blends personnel selection theory, research and practice, including job analysis and the most prevalent selection methods: interviews, references, application blanks, paper and pencil tests, assessment centres and work samples. This course is particularly relevant for students interested in organisational psychology, and... | ||
| PSYC573 | Training and Development | 18A (Hamilton) |
| This paper focuses on the development, implementation and evaluation of training programmes. This paper is particularly relevant for student interested in organisational psychology, as well as those interested in developing training or workshop-based interventions to improve professionals' knowledge, skills or work behaviour. | ||
| PSYC579 | Advances in Organisational Psychology | 18B (Hamilton) |
| This paper examines theoretical and empirical issues concerning the psychology of work behaviour in organisations. Students evaluate the application of psychological theory and research to behaviour in organizations and develop a critical awareness of psychological contributions to the study of organisations. | ||
| PSYC585 | Leading Organisation Development | 18B (Hamilton) |
| This paper focuses on the processes and outcomes of organisational change management, and the knowledge and skills required of organisational psychologists who function as organisational consultants. | ||
Subject links
Subject Requirements
IR&HRM is available as a major for the BSocSc. IR&HRM may also be taken as a second major or as a supporting subject within other undergraduate degrees, subject to academic approval of the Faculty or School of Studies in which the student is enrolled.
To complete a major in IR&HRM, students must gain 120 points above 100 level in IR&HRM, comprising HRMG241, LBST201, PCSS231, HRMG342, LBST331, and one of HRMG343, HRMG374, LBST301, PCSS330 or PSYC317. It is recommended that students intending to major in IR&HRM include LBST101, SOCY101 and STMG191 in the first year of their programme of study in order to meet prerequisites for study at 200 and 300 levels. It is also recommended that students complete a supporting subject in Education Studies, Labour Studies or Psychology, or a second major in another social science subject.
To complete a supporting subject in IR&HRM, students must include LBST201 and HRMG342.
Documents
Contacts
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences:
Phone: 0800 800 145 or +64 7 838 4138
General and Undergraduate Email Enquiries: indr-fass@waikato.ac.nz