The Master of Science in Human Resources (MSHR) degree provides a graduate academic learning experience designed to prepare and advance students toward professional careers in Human Resource Management. The degree program combines the theoretical foundations of human behavior with the key technical aspects of human talent management deployment. The program places special emphasis on core business principles in order to position graduates to serve as strategic business partners with the rest of the organization. The strategic management of human capital presents one of the great challenges and opportunities to 21st century organizations. To meet this, the next generation of forward thinking HR professionals will need an expanding portfolio of awareness and skills. This degree program aims to fulfill these needs and is designed to meet all of the official curriculum requirements outlined by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
Five learning objectives are central to the MSHR curriculum:
- Develop strong working knowledge of core human resource management principles and practices
- Develop a foundation of knowledge of the basic business disciplines
- Develop competency in managing people and teams
- Increase self-awareness and personal understanding.
- Increase multicultural competencies.
This 39-unit program, designed to be completed in five trimesters, originates from a rich tradition of applied behavioral science, integrated with targeted core business principles in order to expand HR theory and practice. Concepts from behavioral sciences include enhanced self-awareness, group dynamics, change management and organizational development. Additionally, students receive exposure to business principles like financial accounting and economic concepts. Students will gain mastery of a full range of human capital management approaches through courses on job design, compensation, talent and performance management, and HR-specific classes on strategy law, analytics and digital-information platforms.
Emphasis is placed on the application of these concepts to current and future issues facing HR managers, such as increasing the relative influence of the HR function, developing and sustaining strategic alignment with the overall business, and the development/implementation of processes that demonstrate empirical results in individual, team, and overall organizational performance.
The first session is a three-day intensive leadership and development workshop that helps socialize incoming students to our unique collaborative learning environment. Through the experiential nature of the workshop students build a cohesive learning team for the class group and explore the dynamics of interpersonal communication, personal ethics and values, and team development. The workshop is a residential experience, and participants are required to stay at the facility overnight. Each participant is responsible for the cost of room and board. This course is graded on a credit or no credit basis.
Courses are offered through evening, weekend, integrative workshops, and short residential modes that provide a highly interactive learning environment. This five trimester program is designed to be completed in 20 months. Courses are offered at the West Los Angeles graduate campus.
Admission Requirements for the Master of Science in Human Resources (MSHR)
The MSHR application process is intended to ensure a good fit between the program’s objectives and the applicant’s experience, qualifications, and potential. Each applicant is assessed in a holistic way; no single criterion controls the admission decision.
To be considered eligible for admission to the MSHR program, an applicant must have an undergraduate degree with an acceptable grade point average from a regionally accredited four-year college, university or foreign institution. International academic institutions must be accredited by the ministry of education or like accrediting bodies from their respective countries.
- A completed online Application for Admission with a specified essay and a nonrefundable $75 application fee must be submitted electronically to the Graziadio School Admission Office.
- You must provide an official transcript with your posted baccalaureate degree. All transcripts reflecting in-progress and/or completed coursework toward your undergraduate degree(s) must be submitted to the Graziadio School Admission Office. The official transcript(s) must be issued by the school Registrar(s) and provided in a sealed envelope prior to your enrollment. If you have not completed your baccalaureate degree at the time of application, submit a current transcript.
- Applicants either must be currently employed or must have a minimum of two years of work experience or its equivalent.
- Applicants who are not United States citizens or permanent residents or applicants who completed coursework outside of the United States must also meet the appropriate requirements for the Admission of International Students listed in the Admission Information section of the catalog.
Notification of Admission
The Admission Office will inform the applicant of the status of the application, but it is the applicant’s responsibility to be certain that all necessary documents are on file by published deadlines for admission.
While acceptance to the program may allow a student to enroll for 45 days as an unclassified student, admission to Pepperdine University will not be considered final until the application file is complete. Students will not be allowed to continue beyond the first term until all official documents have been received. Credits earned while on Unclassified Status do not assure a student of admission. Admission will be confirmed by a letter from the associate dean.
Leave of Absence
A leave of absence (LOA) may be granted during a student’s course of study. A letter or e-mail from the student’s Pepperdine e-mail account must be submitted to the Fully Employed Program Office, indicating the reason for the leave and the expected term in which the student will return. An LOA may be granted for no more than two consecutive trimesters. If the LOA is expected to exceed two consecutive trimesters, the student must submit a petition for review by the FEMBA Program Committee. Inquiries pertaining to LOA’s may be directed to a program advisor in the Fully Employed Program Office.
Standards and Measurements of Achievement for MSHR Students
Standards of achievement and methods of assessing student performance in each course are delineated in each course syllabus at the outset of the academic term. Through the duration of the MSHR Program, a minimum overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 is required to maintain satisfactory academic standing. Each course in the program curriculum must be passed with a grade of “C-” or better. Any course in which a grade lower than “C-” is earned must be retaken and completed with a passing grade. A course may only be repeated once; both the original and new grades will remain on the student’s transcript and be factored into the cumulative GPA.
Student academic performance is monitored by the Fully Employed Program Office at the end of each term, and any student falling below the 3.0 GPA minimum is subject to academic probation. Students placed on academic probation will be notified in writing and informed of the conditions applicable to the probationary status. Among these conditions is a reduction in academic unit load, limiting enrollment to four (4) units per trimester for the duration of the probationary period. A student’s probation status will not be cleared until he/she has regained the minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA.
While on probation, or at any other time, students may be subject to academic dismissal due to any of the following:
- Failure to earn a minimum 3.0 GPA in the first trimester of enrollment
- Cumulative GPA falling below 3.0 at any point in the Program
- Earning a grade of “B-” or lower during a trimester in which a student is on probation
- Earning grades of “B-” or lower in 2 or more courses within the Program
- Earning a grade lower than “D” in any course
Return to: