NCI Course Details

Sudents of this course can also take advantage of an opportunity to engage in a year-long, accredited work placement between years two and three. This placement is credit-bearing and comprises an extra year in the degree. Access to such placements is limited and highly competitive.

Graduates of this course have a thorough understanding of human resource management, understand the world of business and how HRM integrates with other areas, and boast personal skills in teamwork, communication and research.

CAO Open Day

If you are unable to attend our CAO Open Day event taking place on May 10th, we will be running another event in June where you will also have the opportunity to meet current students and lecturers and get a tour of our campus.

Click on the links below for more information:

• Saturday, June 28th 2025 - 10am-1pm - Register Here

Free Leaving Certificate Revision Sessions

Join our free Leaving Cert Revision Sessions in Honours English and Ordinary Maths, taking place during the Easter Mid-term Break, from April 22nd to 24th.

Sign up via the link below:

• Tuesday 22nd April - Thursday 24th April - 9:30am - 1:30pm - Register Here

If you want an interesting and varied business career, with an understanding of business strategy and human resource management, this degree will appeal to you.

The course is for school leavers, mature students and graduates of QQI level 5/6 programmes who wish to embark on a course of full-time study.

Year 1

This stage of study introduces learners to the core knowledge and skills necessary for human resource management practitioners.

• HR in a Corporate Framework
• Organisational Behaviour
• Academic Management Skills
• Business Law
• Management Theory and Practice
• Resourcing and Talent Planning
• Ethics and Corporate Governance
• Employee Relations

Year 2

This stage of study introduces learners to broader Human Resource Management modules and some more technical modules, with a focus on practical application and interpretation of theories and concepts.

• Finance and Accounting for the HR Professional
• Performance and Reward Management
• Employment Law 1
• Professional Development Skills
• HR Analytics and Quantitative Methods
• Learning and Development
• Employment Law 2
• Career Management Skills

Year 3

This stage of study incorporates a more strategic focus in terms of modules and their contribution to the organisation. At this stage, learners may also choose electives based on personal preferences, subject to availability and class size.

• Strategic Human Resource Management
• Contemporary Issues in Human Resource Management
• Sustainability
• Change and Organisation Development
• Contemporary Issues in Industrial Relations
• Additional HRM elective modules
• Plus, two electives

Elective Modules

• Capstone (Research) Project Preparation
• Capstone Project
• Health and Safety
• International HRM
• Economic and Social Policy
• HR and Professional Practice
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Electives may include prerequisites, are subject to change, and availability is subject to class sizes.

For more information on the elective modules, please download the BA (Honours) in Human Resource Management brochure.

For information on the modules taught on this course view our module descriptors.

This undergraduate course is a three-year honours degree (four years with the option of a placement*). The main course is run over six semesters with continuous assessment held throughout the course and examinations at the end of each semester.

In each year of the degree, any student with an overall average of 70+ will win a Dean’s Award. On completion, you will receive a QQI BA (Honours) Degree in HRM at level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications.

*Students are eligible (subject to availability) to complete a work placement on year three of the programme and graduate after four years with 240 ECTS credits.

Flexible Choices for High-Achieving Students

Work placements are highly regarded by graduate recruiters and offer many advantages to students. Advantages include the opportunity to make contact in industry, networking experience, work-based practical skills and experience, assisting in developing personal and professional confidence, and an opportunity to boost your employability prospects when you graduate.

In years two and three, there are extra choices available for high achieving students (averaging 60% plus).

• Between year two and three – a year-long work placement
• In your final year - a capstone project in the HRM field

For over 70 years, NCI has built an enviable reputation for excellence in HR education. Recent graduates are employed in human resources, recruitment, industrial relations and training roles in organisations including Google, Comfort Keepers, IBEC, Hertz, PwC, IBM, Arvato, Ergo, Ryanair, NTMA and CPL.

Read more about the career pathways of NCI human resource management students.

Upon successful completion of the BA (Honours) Degree in Human Resource Management, graduates who have acquired the appropriate entry requirements can progress to postgraduate courses at level 9 on the National Framework of Qualifications such as the Postgraduate Diploma or MA in HRM, or the MSc in Management, all available at NCI.

This course is an excellent foundation towards Membership of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and/or the Irish Institute of Training and Development (IITD).

Minimum entry requirements are a grade H5 and above in two higher level subjects together with a minimum of O6/H7 in four other subjects. A minimum of grade O6/H7 must be obtained in English. A grade O6/H7 must be obtained in Mathematics.

For applicants whose first language is not English, please note the English language entry requirements.

For international students, please visit NCI's Your Country section to view the specific entry requirements for your region.

Mature applicants, applicants with a disability or those applying through the DARE or HEAR access schemes can find out more information on the application process.

Please note that exams can be scheduled during the morning, afternoon or evening Monday to Saturday.

NCI strongly advises that all students should have access to a suitable laptop for their course. A student Laptop Loan Scheme may be available for certain eligible students.

The College recommends the following laptop requirements for students joining this course:

Processor:

Intel 7th (or higher) generation processors (Core i-3, i-5, i-7,i-9-7x)
or AMD Ryzen 3rd generation processors, running at 2.0GHz and above (Intel Atom/Celeron or AMD Athlon/Sempron Processors may cost less, but may not meet your requirements)

Random Access Memory (RAM):
8 GB minimum

Solid State Drive (SSD) Capacity:
256 GB minimum

Wireless Card:
802.11 a/b/g/n compliant with Bluetooth Capability (incompatibilities have been noted with the Qualcomm Atheros Wireless Adapters and software device drivers)

Graphics Card:
Direct X9 or later

Supported Operating Systems:
Windows 10 Home/Pro

Did you know you can apply for a Sports Scholarship at NCI?

Watch this video to hear from our current sports scholars Stephen Achukwu (basketball) and Adam Leonard (football):

This course qualifies under the Free Fees Initiative and Student Grant Scheme.

2024 CAO Points Guide :* 300

*For each course we have given a guideline based on our points over the past 3 years. This is a guide only, points vary each year.

The CAO course code is NC005.

 

Students must obtain a minimum of 3 distinctions and a full award and meet the CAO points requirements to apply for this Level 8 course. 

Visit our QQI Applicants page for further information.

The fee for this course for international students is €10,000 per year. For more information on international fees, please visit International Fees & Funding and International Scholarships.

Learn more about studying at NCI as an international student.

For domestic students applying through the CAO, this course applies under the free fees initiative. For further information, please see Free Fees Initiative.