Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU)

BA (Hons) in Human Resource Management

Program outline

This program is specifically designed to provide students with:

• An understanding of the context, nature, role, and significance of management activities undertaken by managers of Human Resource Management (HRM) in a range of organizations.
• An opportunity to develop well-researched, logical, and integrated solutions to multi-faceted problems in uncertain and dynamic contexts.
• Vocationally relevant exposure enabling you to become operationally effective in human resource management.
• A wide range of employment skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving and interpretive skills, effective written and oral communication, using IT and business applications, and the ability to conduct research into human resource management issues.

Degree level 1

Students will gain a basic understanding of the context within which businesses operate - Management, Law, Accounting, Economics, Entrepreneurship, and Marketing. We will also expose them to business & communication skills, computing & IT skills and quantitative skills, independent learning. All Business Management programs have a common first year so that they will get a solid grounding in business management theories and practices.

Common modules

• Introduction to Management
• Accounting Skills
• Business and Communications Skills
• Business Economics
• Business Law
• Digital Thinking and Innovation
• Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship
• Marketing
• People Management
• Quantitative Skills

Degree level 2

Students will be exposed to a more advanced level of the curriculum including behavioral science, business ethics & governance, critical thinking in management, and international culture & communications. An in-depth understanding of the discipline and core practices of human resource management will be developed as well. They will gain further understanding of core business processes through the industry-leading software supported by SAP. We will further nurture their independent learning to prepare them for the workplace and for further researches.

Common modules

• Behavioural Science in Organisation
• Business Ethics and Governance
• Business Research Methods
• Delivering Customer Value
• Social Psychology

Specialized modules

• Employee Development
• Employee Relations
• Employment Law
• International Culture and Communications
• Occupational Safety and Health

Elective modules (choose 2)

• Managing Finance OR Financial Management
• Critical Thinking in Management OR Introduction to Taxation

Internship (16 weeks)

Students will undertake an Internship/Industrial Training for a minimum period of 16 weeks to prepare them for a smooth transition from the classroom to the working environment.

Degree level 3

Students will make use of their previous studies and industrial experience to extend their familiarity in tackling more practical and modern issues of human resource management, through modules that facilitate the application of job-related skills and knowledge in the field of human resource management. Leadership and strategic management skills will be taught, with aims to groom them as global business leaders. A final year project requires them to explore a topic individually - they will demonstrate the academic and practical aspects of their ability in the chosen area of study.

Common modules

• Strategic Management

Specialized modules

• Human Resource Management Project
• International Human Resource Management
• Investigations in Human Resource Management
• Leadership Theory and Practice
• Managing People and Performance
• HR Analytics
• Contemporary Issues in HRM
• Strategic Human Resource Management

Elective modules (choose 2)

• Managing Change OR Building Customer Relationship
• Human Factors Psychology OR Corporate Restructuring

MQA compulsory subjects*

• Ethnic Relations (M’sian Students)
• Islamic & Asian Civilisation (M’sian Students)
• Malaysian Studies (Int’l Students)
• Malay Communication Language (Int’l Students)
• Workplace Professional Communication Skills
• Employee & Employment Trends
• Co-Curriculum

(*All students are required to successfully complete these modules as stipulated by the Malaysian Qualification Agency.)

Career options

• Compensation & Benefit Manager
• Employee Relations Manager
• HR Manager
• Performance Management Manager
• Public Relations Manager
• Recruitment Manager
• Training & Development Manager
• HR Analyst
• HR Consultant
• HR Director
• Employment Manager
• Talent Champion
• HR Data Analyst
• Compensation Analyst

Professional recognition

Upon completion of BA (Hons) Human Resource Management, students are eligible for exemptions in the below Professional Recognition of APU Degree Programmes.

• The Malaysian Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (MAISCA) (9 papers exemptions out of 16 papers)
• Malaysian Association of Company Secretaries (MACS) (10 papers exemptions out of 16 papers)

APU - Leading digital transformation in business, management, and marketing

The Future is Technology - Every Business needs Future-Ready Digital Talents for the Digital Economy

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As the global pandemic disrupted the world, internet shopping platforms became the dominant channel for consumers to shop for essential goods and services. It is forecasted that e-business and e-commerce will sustain this upward trend and continue to grow. As future e-business professionals, you will be trained to manage business beyond traditional borders, shaping you into professionals who are able to meet future business challenges.