Bachelor of Human Resource Management

The Bachelor of Human Resource Management at the University of Notre Dame Australia is a three-year degree for students who want to work with people inside organisations, hiring, developing, managing and supporting staff. You study how workplaces actually run, from recruitment and selection through to performance management, employment law, pay and rewards, and organisational behaviour. Because it's a bachelor degree, it's built on the Australian Qualifications Framework: three years full-time, made up of units of study, each with a set credit point value. You'll typically complete 24 units across six semesters, though Notre Dame also runs trimesters at some campuses, so you can spread or speed up your study depending on what suits you.

What you actually study

Core units cover the fundamentals of managing people: staffing and recruitment, industrial relations, workplace health and safety, training and development, and the legal framework that governs employment in Australia. You'll also take business foundation units, accounting, marketing, management, business law, so you understand the context HR sits in. Later in the degree you choose electives that let you specialise, whether that's in organisational change, international HR, or workplace negotiation. The final year usually includes a capstone unit where you apply everything to a real or simulated organisational problem.

How it's structured

Notre Dame runs this degree across its campuses, and the structure follows the standard Australian pattern: full-time study over three years, part-time options available. Assessment is a mix of exams, essays, group projects, presentations and practical tasks. Many units include work-integrated learning, placements or industry projects with employers in Perth, Sydney or Fremantle, so you spend time in an actual HR office before you graduate. The university has strong links with Australian employers in mining, health, education, government and not-for-profit sectors, and these connections feed into placement and guest speaker opportunities.

Who it suits

This degree suits school leavers who like working with people and want a business career with a human focus. It also suits mature-age students already working in admin, operations or team leadership who want to formalise their experience and move into HR roles. If you're organised, a good communicator, and comfortable with both people and policy, this is a practical path. Graduates often go on to further study, a master's in HR or an MBA, after a few years in the workforce. International students should note the English requirement: IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall is the common standard for undergraduate courses, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the university's own English programmes accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the Student visa itself, so check both. While studying, you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight. After graduating, you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream, which lets you stay and work in Australia. Tuition fees are published on the CRICOS register, confirm current amounts and intake dates on the official course page.

• HR Officer or HR Advisor, generalist roles in Australian organisations across mining, healthcare, retail, government and professional services.
• Recruitment Consultant or Talent Acquisition Specialist, working for recruitment agencies or in-house talent teams.
• Training and Development Coordinator, designing and delivering staff training programmes in corporate, government or not-for-profit settings.
• Workplace Relations Advisor, advising on employment law, enterprise agreements and Fair Work matters.
• Payroll and Benefits Officer, managing pay, superannuation and employee benefits.
• HR Analyst, using workforce data to inform hiring, retention and productivity decisions.
• People and Culture Manager (after experience), leading HR functions in small to medium enterprises.

Australian industries that hire HR graduates include government departments, hospitals and aged care providers, universities, mining and resources companies, banks and insurance firms, and community services organisations. The degree also prepares you for further study such as a Master of Human Resource Management or an MBA.