Program application deadlines are April 1 for Summer/Fall and November 1 for Spring.
Admission to the program involves a few simple steps.
- All applicants must submit three (3) references (from former professors or job supervisors
strongly recommended). These are set up and collected through the online graduate
application.
- A one (1) page essay describing why you are pursuing a career in Human Resources on
why you believe you are a "good fit" with the mission and curriculum focus of the
WCU MSHR program.
- An earned bachelor's degree from a fully accredited university is required.
- All official transcripts should be sent directly to the graduate school.
- The GRE (General Record Exam) is not required for applicants with an overall GPA of
3.0 or higher.
Applicants with overall GPAs below 3.0 may still be admitted into the program if one
of the two additional conditions are met:
- A minimum of three (3) years of full-time HR work experience OR
- *GRE scores of at least 150 on verbal reasoning, a score of 141 on quantitative reasoning
and an analytical writing score of 3.5.
* If extenuating circumstances prevent GRE testing, an applicant may be
admitted conditionally, requiring GRE scores to be submitted within one semester.
Applicants who already have earned a graduate degree do not have to submit GRE scores.
Please Note: International applicants must also take the TOEFL exam and complete additional forms. They should also contact WCU's International Programs & Services Office.
The MSHR program is a 36-credit hour program, in which the curriculum consists of
7 required courses that all students take and 5 elective courses, all 3 credit courses.
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 is usually taken during a
student's last semester in the program.
All courses have been designed to align with the MSHR program competency model; therefore, our courses develop competencies
within the program’s four Leadership Competency domains: 1) Relational HR Leadership;
2) Strategic HR Leadership; 3) Operational HR Leadership; and 4) Ethical & Socially
Responsible HR Leadership.
Required Core Courses
- HR 601: "Organization Acumen for HR Leaders"
- HR 602: "Human Resources Research & Evaluation Methods"
- HR 605: "Principles & Practice in Human Resources"
- HR 610: "Human Resource Development"
- HR 670: "HR Consulting"
- HR 671: "Advanced HR Consulting"
- HR 698: "Capstone Seminar in Human Resources”
Popular Electives Courses
- HR 613: "Coaching for Performance"
- HR 614: "Talent Acquisition and Retention"
- HR 615: "Organization Development"
- HR 660: "Talent Development"
- HR 662: "Total Rewards: Strategy and Plan Design"
- HR 665: "Responsible HR Leadership: The Regulatory Environment, Ethics, & Social Responsibility"
- HR 675: "Leadership in Human Resources"
- HR 693: "Selected Topics in Human Resources"
Course scheduling is subject to change. For a list of courses available each semester,
view our Course Availability page.
Tuition and fees vary year to year and program to program.
The Masters of Science in Human Resources is an online program. You can explore detailed information about tuition for online and distance programs HERE
The Master of Science in Human Resources (MSHR) program at Western Carolina University
prepares socially-responsible strategic human resources leaders to serve effectively
in diverse organizations including corporate, non-profit, and government settings.
Using an organizational values-based, and human development-focused perspective, our
faculty educates students from a variety of education and work experience backgrounds.
Our curriculum is based on strategic, operational, relational, and ethical and socially
responsible human resources competencies in addition to academic scholarship that
informs the field of human resources and comprises the foundation of the MSHR program.
It is our goal to cultivate the next generation of HR leaders who are organizational
change agents committed to the productive engagement and development of all organizational
members.
The MSHR Program Competency Model highlights the leadership emphasis of our program.
Therefore, our courses develop competencies within each of the MSHR Program’s four
Leadership Competency domains:
- Relational HR Leadership
- Strategic HR Leadership
- Operational HR Leadership
- Ethical & Socially Responsible HR Leadership.
See a visualization of Our Model Here
