Full-Time Master of Science in Human Resources

• Program Sequence  

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, which is designed to be completed in three 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 three trimester program is designed to be completed in 12 months. Courses are offered at the Malibu-Drescher graduate campus.

The internship can be waived based on HR or other significant work experience.

Admission Requirements for the 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 or university or a foreign institution.

1. A completed online Application for Admission with a specified essay and a $75 payment for the nonrefundable application fee must be submitted electronically to the Graziadio School Admission Office.
2. An official transcript with the baccalaureate degree posted and mailed directly by the registrar from the college or university that granted the undergraduate degree must be sent to the Graziadio School Admission Office. If work toward the undergraduate degree or any graduate work was completed at other colleges or universities, official transcripts from all these institutions must be submitted.
3. No work experience required, but up to 2 years is desirable (For the Full-time MSHR); Work experience of at least 3 years (for the Fully Employed)
4. The Graziadio School reserves the right to require an applicant to attain an acceptable score on either the Miller Analogies Test (MAT), the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
5. 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

Applications to the MSHR program are accepted continuously throughout the year. The Graziadio School 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 the published deadlines for admission.

While acceptance to the program may allow an applicant to enroll for 45 days as an unclassified applicant, admission to Pepperdine University will not be fully considered until the application file is complete. No amount of credit taken while on unclassified status will assure an applicant of admission. Admission will be confirmed by a letter from the associate dean.

Leave of Absence

A leave of absence may be granted during a student’s course of study. A letter or an e-mail from the student’s Pepperdine e-mail account must be submitted to the Program Office indicating the reason for the leave and the projected time of return. Students may be granted a leave of absence for up to three consecutive trimesters. If a student requires a leave of absence longer than three consecutive trimesters, the student must petition the Program Committee. For information regarding the submission of this petition, contact an academic advisor.

Standards and Measurements of Achievement for MSHR Students

Satisfactory completion of 39 units of course work is necessary for graduation. Degree work in the MSHR program must be completed within three calendar years from the date on which the student begins work at Pepperdine University. In rare cases, the associate dean may grant a limited extension of time to complete the degree.

Upon completion of the first session, a student’s progress and potential in the MSHR program are reviewed. The program director, upon recommendation of the Program Committee, may counsel a student to withdraw from the program based on the committee’s assessment that the student’s performance, conduct, and/or potential do not align with the program’s objectives.

Students’ academic records are reviewed at the end of each trimester. If a student’s grade point average falls below 3.0, the student is placed on academic probation. Because students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 to graduate with an MSHR degree, attention to the grade point average is of concern throughout the student’s enrollment. A student is subject to academic dismissal for any of the following deficiencies:

• Failure to earn at least a 3.0 grade point average in the first trimester of enrollment.
• Failure to achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.0.
• Earning a grade of “B-” or lower during a trimester in which a student is on probation.
• Earning a grade lower than “D” in any course.
• Earning a grade lower than “B-” in more than two courses.