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.
A one (1) page essay outlining your reasons for pursuing a career in Human Resources and explaining how the WCU MSHR program mission and curriculum focus will further your career goals.
GRE waiver for applicants with a GPA of 3.0 or better, 3+ years of full-time HR work experience, or a previously earned graduate degree.
Three letters of recommendation from work supervisors or professors who can attest to your ability to excel as a graduate student.
Application deadlines are April 1 and October 1. Accepted students can begin the program in the Fall, Spring, or Summer terms.

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 below 3.0 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). HR 601, HR 602, HR 605, & HR 610 are taken at the beginning of the program; HR 687 and HR 688 have prerequisites of 18 credit hours, and HR 687 must be taken before HR 688; Students with more than 5 years of full-time human resources-related work experience may substitute another WCU HR course for HR 688. HR 698 (capstone seminar) should ideally be taken during a student’s last semester in the program and requires the completion of 21 credit 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 687 - HR Consulting Credits: 3
HR 688 - Advanced HR Consulting Credits: 3
HR 698 - Capstone Seminar in Human Resources Credits: 3

Electives (15 hours)

15 hours selected from the following courses:

HR 614 - Talent Acquisition and Retention Credits: 3
HR 615 - Organization Development Credits: 3
HR 630 - Career Development Credits: 3
HR 660 - Talent Performance & 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 669 - Introduction to Human Resources Consulting Theory and Practice Credits: 3
HR 675 - Leadership in Human Resources Credits: 3
HR 677 - Digital Human Resources and People Analytics Credits: 3
HR 693 - Selected Topics in Human Resources Credits: 3, R12