Master recruitment, employment law, and people strategy fast
Online only
Human resources sits at the intersection of law, psychology, and business strategy. This graduate certificate delivers practical HR skills — job design, inclusive recruitment, performance conversations, and grievance procedures — with UK employment law foundations. Ideal for line managers taking HR responsibilities or career switchers entering people operations. Credits stack toward the AFU MBA or MA Applied Psychology. Graduate Certificate in Human Resources is taught as one award, not a list of unrelated modules. The published length is 9 months, and the credit total is 15. Students move from HR Strategy & Employee Lifecycle through HR Strategy & Employee Lifecycle; Talent Acquisition & Onboarding; Performance & Engagement; UK Employment Law Essentials; HR Capstone Project, and finish on HR Capstone Project. Each course has a question, a method, and a submission. In this field, students apply the method of the subject to a defined problem and defend the result. Reading is a core text, a case or dataset, and a critique. The artefact a marker expects is a submission that shows the method, the evidence, and the limit of the claim. The award is built so that a graduate can do the following in practice: Design inclusive recruitment and onboarding processes Conduct performance reviews using evidence-based frameworks Apply UK employment law to common workplace scenarios Teaching assumes the student can read a source, attempt a problem before the seminar, and revise after feedback. Attendance at live seminars is part of the design. The capstone or final course must use the methods of the earlier courses; a project that ignores them does not pass. The pages for each course name the topics that are examined. Those topics are the syllabus. A brochure line is not a substitute for them.
Faculty spotlight
CIPD-qualified Professor Daniel Osei teaches employment relations; Dr. Emma Laurent covers inclusive recruitment and bias mitigation.
Interactive modules, weekly readings, recorded and live seminars, and collaborative discussions with peers worldwide.
Module assignments, proctored examinations, and capstone projects designed to demonstrate mastery of the field.
Modules are assessed through a published mix of coursework, applied projects, and examinations. Exam windows are announced in advance so students in other time zones are not forced into overnight sittings. Alternative arrangements are available where documented.
The published duration is 9 months. Teaching language: English. Actual time-to-complete depends on mode and any recognised prior learning.
This is a fully online award. You study from your country. No student visa and no campus relocation are required.
Degree tuition for this award is published as £0 / tuition-free on the online pathway. Examination or administrative fees may apply at checkout — never an annual tuition invoice. Check the Fees page for any extras.
Requirements are grouped on this page (academic, English, documents). Equivalent qualifications are considered. English may be waived after prior English-medium study.
Assessment is typically a mix of coursework, projects, and examinations. Doctoral awards include a thesis or dissertation and an oral examination. Details sit in the programme specification and module outlines.
Recognition of the award for local employment, professional licence, or ministry attestation is decided by your employer or regulator. Durham University publishes verification pages for certificates. We do not claim automatic equivalence in every country.
Start an application on this website. Progress is saved from the first step. Admissions: admissions@durhm.co.uk.
Study online
Online tuition is free. Online examinations are free. There is no exam fee for online study. Collegiate campus tuition and campus examinations are charged separately.
Accreditation & recognition
