Why Study / Key Benefits

The Master of Human Resource Management specialising in Social Impact at Swinburne University of Technology combines advanced human-resource-management knowledge with social-impact study. The programme is designed for students who want to develop the ability to lead people and organisations while understanding the needs of for-purpose organisations seeking to grow, remain sustainable, compete effectively and attract employees.

Key benefits include:

• Development of advanced human resource management and people-leadership skills.
• Practical understanding of employee relations, workplace diversity and inclusion, strategic HR management and workforce analytics.
• Social-impact knowledge covering corporate responsibility, social innovation, philanthropy and impact measurement.
• Industry-connected learning. Swinburne states that the Master of Human Resource Management is co-designed and delivered with industry partners including Siemens and Medibank, with case studies and guest presenters intended to provide industry-relevant experience.
• Professional accreditation/recognition through AACSB and AHRI.
• Opportunities for advanced standing, potentially reducing the standard two-year duration for students with relevant previous study or experience. 

Programme Structure and Subjects / Topics

The full 200-credit-point master's consists of foundation, core and specialisation/elective study.

Foundation units:

• Behaviour in Organisations — HRM60016
• Management Analysis and Problem Solving — MGT60040
• Business Sustainability and Social Impact — MGT60042
• Future Management Skills — MGT60043

Core units:

• Opportunity Discovery, Creativity and Design — ENT60009
• Employee Relations — HRM60013
• Human Resource Fundamentals — HRM60018
• Managing Workplace Diversity and Inclusion — HRM70012
• Strategic Human Resource Management — HRM70013
• Strategic Workforce Analytics — HRM80015
• Leading Change — HRM80018
• Human Resource Consultancy Project — HRM80019

Social Impact specialisation:

• Corporate Responsibility and Accountability — SIP60001
• Social Impact: Entrepreneurs and Social Innovation — SIP60003
• Social Investment and Philanthropy — SIP60004
• Evaluation and Impact Measurement — SIP70014

Disciplines / Specialisations

The selected specialisation is:

• Social Impact

The wider Master of Human Resource Management provides multiple specialisation choices, including:

• Accounting
• Business Analytics
• Business Information Systems
• Digital Marketing
• Entrepreneurship
• Finance
• Financial Technologies
• International Business
• Project Management
• Research
• Supply Chain Innovation
• Social Impact 

Programme Highlights

• Postgraduate master's qualification.
• Course code: MA-HRM1.
• CRICOS: 102651E.
• 200 credit points.
• Standard 2-year full-time duration.
• Potential 1-year or 1.5-year advanced-standing routes.
• Hawthorn campus in Melbourne.
• Social Impact specialisation.
• Industry co-designed and co-delivered course.
• Industry connections including Siemens, Medibank and Workday.
• AACSB accreditation and AHRI recognition.
• Dedicated Human Resource Consultancy Project.
• Social-impact study covering corporate responsibility, social innovation, philanthropy and impact measurement.

Career Outcomes

Swinburne identifies potential career directions for graduates including:

• Middle manager to top manager
• Manager in manufacturing or service organisations
• Manager in private or public-sector organisations
• Intrapreneur
• Entrepreneur
• Expatriate manager

The HRM curriculum can also support roles involving:

• Human resource management
• Employee relations
• Workplace diversity and inclusion
• Strategic workforce planning
• Workforce analytics
• Change management
• HR consulting
• People and organisational development

Latest Updates / Special Requirements

• Current course code: MA-HRM1.
• Current CRICOS code: 102651E.
• Current standard duration: 2 years full-time.
• Current 2027 starts: 1 March 2027 and 2 August 2027.
• Current 2027 application deadlines: 24 February 2027 and 28 July 2027 respectively.
• International Student visa holders studying in Australia must study full-time and on campus.
• Relevant work experience can be used for certain advanced-standing routes, subject to Swinburne's assessment.
• Applicants relying on professional/managerial experience must provide a CV and supporting evidence.
• Credit/RPL is assessed case-by-case.
• No separate Social Impact-specific academic or English requirement is published beyond the Master of Human Resource Management requirements.
• No separate professional licence requirement is stated for this programme.

International Student Visa Requirements

International students intending to study this programme in Australia generally require a Student visa (subclass 500), subject to their individual circumstances.

Key requirements include:

• Enrolment in an eligible course in Australia.
• Valid Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE).
• Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), unless exempt.
• Genuine Student requirement.
• Financial-capacity evidence where required by the Department.
• Health and character requirements where applicable.
• Valid passport and other documents specified by the Department's current Document Checklist Tool.

Current Student visa work conditions:

• The student can generally work up to 48 hours per fortnight while the course is in session.
• Students can generally work unlimited hours when the course is not in session.
• The exemption from the 48-hour limit for master's-by-research and doctoral students does not apply to this coursework master's programme.