Human Resources (M.S.)

Program Admission Requirements

In addition to the Graduate School Admission Requirements , the following are the program admission requirements:

Earned an undergraduate degree from a fully accredited university.
Maintained a 3.0 overall GPA.
Application deadlines are April 1 and November 1. Accepted students can begin the program in the Fall, Spring, or Summer terms.
GRE for all those who do not already have a graduate degree, GMAT is acceptable but GRE is preferred.
Three letters of recommendation from work supervisors or professors who can attest to your ability to excel as a graduate student.
Note: Applicants who score slightly below what we seek on the GRE may still be accepted into the program, given strong undergraduate performance and positive recommendations from professional and/or academic references. Applicants who have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.25/4.0 or higher will be considered for conditional admission, which allows them to take classes for one semester while preparing for and taking the GRE

Program Description

WCU’s MSHR program has as its mission to develop the next generation of HR leaders for organizations of all types. The completely online curriculum consists of 7 required courses that all students take and 5 elective courses (see list below). HR 602, HR 605, & HR 610 are taken at the beginning of the program; HR 670 and HR 671 have prerequisites of 18 credit hours and HR 670 must be taken before HR 671; Students with more than 5 years of full-time human resources-related work experience may substitute another WCU HR course for HR 671. HR 698 (capstone seminar) should ideally be taken during a student’s last semester in the program and requires the completion of 21 credits hours.

Required Professional Core (21 hours)

HR 601 - Organization Acumen for HR Leaders Credits: 3
HR 602 - Human Resources Research and Evaluation Methods Credits: 3
HR 605 - Principles and Practice in Human Resources Credits: 3
HR 610 - Human Resource Development Credits: 3
HR 670 - HR Consulting Credits: 3
HR 671 - Advanced HR Consulting Credits: 3
HR 698 - Capstone Seminar in Human Resources Credits: 3

Additional Courses (15 hours)-Electives

15 hours selected from the following course or courses approved by the student’s advisor.

HR 613 - Coaching for Performance Credits: 3
HR 614 - Talent Acquisition and Retention Credits: 3
HR 615 - Organization Development Credits: 3
HR 660 - Talent Development Credits: 3
HR 662 - Total Rewards: Strategy and Plan Design Credits: 3
HR 665 - Responsible HR Leadership: The Regulatory Environment, Ethics, & Social Responsibility Credits: 3
HR 675 - Leadership in Human Resources Credits: 3
HR 693 - Selected Topics in Human Resources Credits: 3, R12