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 four 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.
Immersion Experience
The program has two residency immersions where students will come together in-person for an integrative experience.The first session is a weekend 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. Students will return for a second in-person session during their final trimester in the program as part of the Strategy capstone course.
Attendance
Students are responsible for all synchronous or asynchronous instruction. Live (synchronous) sessions are required instructional elements of every online class, and real-time attendance and engagement is expected of students on a consistent basis. To ensure the fulfillment of all course objectives and deliverables, faculty may require attendance at certain live sessions without exception. In cases where an absence from a session has been approved by the instructor, the student will be assigned work to demonstrate mastery of the required content. Failure to complete this work will impact a student’s grade.
Access to On-Ground Courses
Online students who wish to enroll in an on-ground course may submit a request for consideration on a space-available basis. Prior to the formal submission of the request, students should consult with their advisor to understand the potential impact of taking the desired on-ground course on their overall program completion plan and timeline. Requests are individually reviewed by the Program Office, and approval is not guaranteed.
Change in Program Modality
Students are generally expected to complete their program coursework in the same modality they had chosen upon program entrance. Under compelling and verifiable circumstances, a student may formally petition for a permanent change in program modality (i.e., from online to on-ground). Petitions should be directed to the Program Office, detailing the nature of the circumstances and providing relevant documentation.
Pathways to MSHR
Graduates of the BSM Program who meet the eligibility criteria outlined below can complete the MSHR degree with as few as 35 units.
Up to 4 units of MSHR coursework may be waived for students who have completed the BSM degree with a minimum Program GPA of 3.0 and earned a grade of “B” or higher in the following BSM courses: