Purdue HR degree adds flexibility and experiential opportunities with greater affordability
Tuesday, January 11, 2022
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The residential master’s degree offering for human resource management at Purdue University is undergoing a transformation to both increase its experiential opportunities and its accessibility to students.
The Krannert School of Management is reducing the number of credit hours in the Master of Science in Human Resource Management (MSHRM) program from 48 to 36 hours. More experienced students may complete the degree in two semesters (10 months). Students in the earlier stages of their careers may complete the requirements in three semesters (16 months), including a summer internship and human capital consulting project, where students work in teams to solve a human capital problem for an organization.
Even with this reduction of credit hours, graduates will continue to enter the workforce with a solid foundation in human resource management to help organizations utilize their people and processes to maximize success. A focus on business acumen will remain a key component of the curriculum. The plan of study for both options will include 50% HRM core courses and 50% electives (a mixture of HRM and business acumen courses) so that students will leave as business-savvy HR graduates ready to contribute to, partner with, and lead organizations.
With the reduction in credit hours, the cost of the program will drop to $30,564 for in-state students and $39,950 for out-of-state and international students. Keeping in line with Purdue’s emphasis on affordability, the reduced price will make the program more accessible to a larger number of prospective students.
Additionally, to give students more flexibility, they will have access to an array of online courses to complement their in-person learning. All courses will be taught by Krannert faculty and will possess the rigor that prepares graduates for a successful career in the HR field.
In addition to classroom learning, the program refresh will add experiential opportunities that provide students with vital extracurricular experiences. The menu of items includes:
- individual mentoring from a mid-to-high-level HR alumnus professional
- attendance at various HR conferences
- preparation for taking the SHRM HR certification exam
- participation and leadership opportunities in our student chapter of SHRM
- an annual HR case competition and conference, and a bi-annual conference on dismantling bias
- micro-internships
- independent studies with highly recognized research faculty
“The changes come as a result of feedback from prospective students about the length and cost of the program, and for their desire to have more flexible options,” says Greg Beaver, executive director of MBA, professional master’s and PhD programs at the Krannert School. “We believe that these changes to the program add tremendous value without sacrificing any of the quality they would expect from our highly ranked MSRHM offering.
“Students will complete the program with the knowledge and experience that companies desire and will be positioned for immediate success in their careers.”
The MSHRM program has earned a No. 1 ranking from Best-Masters.com in six of the last eight years and has been ranked No. 6 by College Choice for the last two years.
The new program will begin in the fall of 2022. For more information, click here or e-mail gokrannert@purdue.edu.