MS in Human Resource Management

Whether you are just entering the field of human resources or moving into an executive position in HR, earning your master’s in human resource management online can help you reach your professional goals.

Walden’s online human resource master’s degree program can help you gain the strategic, organizational, management, and analytical skills that today’s employers are seeking. With three optional specializations, students can deepen their knowledge in a specific area of human resources to achieve their individual career goals.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) acknowledges that Walden’s online Master of Science (MS) in Human Resource Management program fully aligns with the SHRM’s HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates, which helps define HR education standards and helps business schools develop degree programs that follow these standards. Walden’s human resource master’s program provides practical experiences to help you develop the skills needed to become a functional specialist or a strategic HR leader supporting small and large organizations.

Learning Outcomes

This online MS in Human Resource Management degree program aims to prepare graduates to:

1. Apply the theoretical and practical aspects of human resource management to formulate strategies that will enable organizations to achieve both operational and strategic goals related to the organization’s human capital.
2. Deploy appropriate human resource management (HRM) metrics and other HRM analytics to make informed decisions that enhance the effectiveness of the recruitment, training, development, and retention of human resources and align the HRM strategy with the overall organizational strategy and purpose.
3. Appraise and apply talent management techniques that can be used to facilitate effective position planning, talent selection, placement, compensation, rewards, and retention.
4. Propose mediation or negotiation strategies that lead to positive, ethical outcomes and demonstrate scrupulous consideration of perceived points of conflict; differences in values, beliefs, and cultures; or divergence of goals.
5. Assess opportunities to improve and sustain organizational performance through strategic thinking and management, the development of human capital, and the allocation of physical and financial resources.
6. Exhibit the ability to make reasoned, ethical decisions based on professional standards and practices for ethical conduct, legal requirements, and regulatory guidelines in human resource management that are in the best interest of the individual, the organization, the environment, and society as a whole.
7. Propose systematic, systemic, and sustainable solutions to complex business problems related to human capital and human resource needs and issues by applying critical-thinking and analytical skills.

Career Impact

The need for human resource (HR) management professionals is on the rise. In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the HR profession will grow 21% by 2020, faster than the average for all occupations.*

With Walden’s MS in Human Resource Management, you will be competitively positioned for a variety of opportunities in the field. Potential career options include: 

*Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, “Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012–13 Edition, Human Resources Specialists,” on the Internet at www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/human-resources-specialists.htm (viewed online April 12, 2013). National long-term projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions and do not guarantee actual job growth.

Career options may require additional experience, training, or other factors beyond the successful completion of this degree program.

Highlights

Capstone
Apply the theory, knowledge, and skills gained in the program to real-world challenges as you develop an evidence- and research-based human resource plan for an organization or nonprofit of your choice.

Graduate Certificate
Earn your Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management after completing specified courses within the master’s degree program. Gain a valued credential that can help advance your career while still completing your master’s degree. For more information on this program or the transfer of credit policy for this program, please contact an enrollment advisor at 1-866-492-5336.

SHRM Virtual Student Chapter
Join Walden’s virtual student chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Gain access to a wide network of human resource professionals and stay current on the best practices in the field.

SHRM Alignment
Benefit from coursework that meets the suggested guidelines of SHRM.

Conferences and Real-World Insights
Learn from today’s most innovative authors, business executives, and thought leaders in our “Inspiring Today’s Leaders” webinar series.

Accelerated Path to a Doctoral Degree
When you complete your online Masters in Human Resource Management degree, you may be able to receive credit for four courses when enrolling in the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program and for two courses when enrolling in the PhD in Management program, which can save you time and money. Call an enrollment advisor at 1-866-492-5336 to determine eligibility and learn more.

Find detailed information for the general specialization of this program, or all other specializations of this program, including possible occupations, completion rate, program costs, and median student loan debt. At the master’s level, Walden University’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) and MS in Accounting are the only programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). The MS in Human Resource Management is not accredited by the ACBSP. Please visit our accreditation page to see the list of Walden accreditations.