MASTER OF SCIENCE IN STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE & TALENT MANAGEMENT

Human Resources is the major source of competitive advantage among companies. The most successful leaders in the field balance their passion for business with compassion for people. Our program helps working professionals achieve this balance, as they learn the advanced skills that lead to more rapid career advancement.

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Make a greater impact on your organization

Upon taking over as CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella said: “We must all stop trying to become a ‘know-it-all’ and aim to be a “learn-it-all culture.”

Professionals who aspire to higher-level human resource leadership roles need to take that advice to heart. Those willing to engage in advanced education in this dynamic field will learn far more than they could by simply working within their current positions in HRM.

With the advanced knowledge gained through a master’s degree come major benefits: heightened respect for your perspective, a greater impact within the organization, and, of course, a higher salary than with a bachelor’s degree alone.

Our M.S. in Strategic Human Resource & Talent Management program is an advanced professional learning experience, designed to enable working professionals to rise to challenging and complex workplace situations in human resources and talent management.

Students examine each of the major areas of human resources:

  • Recruitment and selection (talent acquisition and staffing)
  • Compensation and benefits
  • Performance motivation and management
  • Employee relations
  • Retention and turnover
  • Workforce analysis and organizational design
  • Leading and managing change
  • Training, learning, and development (talent development)
  • Strategic Human Resource thinking, planning and influencing

 

The Career-Enhancing Features of Our M.S. Program

Here are the program advantages that will amp up your professional expertise and marketability:

  • The greater depth of human resources knowledge and skills needed to be an effective leader
  • A focus on the new set of competencies and skills needed today: raising employee engagement, innovation, globalization, diversity and inclusion, corporate social responsibility, and strategic leadership
  • High-impact practice at the “strategy discussion table,” so that you will become experienced in actively contributing instead of passively observing
  • The building of strategic thinking skills required for leadership roles and which are essential in achieving the end goals of a firm’s competitive strategy
  • Stronger, more compelling oral and written communication skills

 

The Concentrations That Carve Out Your Future Career Path

Our M.S. in Strategic Human Resource & Talent Management program offers aspiring leaders three areas of concentration:

  • Talent Management. You will create plans to recruit, hire, train, retain, and motivate a diverse and global workforce.
  • Organizational Leadership. You will develop advanced interaction skills in working effectively with others as well the change management skills that will make you an influential leader.
  • Employee Relations (STEM-certified). You will use and apply conflict intervention and negotiation strategies in the management and resolution of workplace disputes.

“Gone are the simplistic notions that Human Resources is there to just manage employee relations — that is, keep people happy and operate payroll. Organizations compete in very complex environments. Some succeed. Some do not. The different human resource management approaches chosen need to fit and reinforce the organization’s business strategies.”

- Professor Maurice "Mo" Cayer, Ph.D. Coordinator, M.S. in Strategic Human Resource & Talent Management program

 

Another way to go: MBA with Human Resources Concentration

You'll combine broad knowledge and skills in business administration with an additional focus on human resources.

MBA Program Info

 

 

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Career Opportunities with a master's degree in Strategic Human Resource & Talent Management

$140K

Human Resources Managers

5% Growth 2024-2034

$127K

Training and Development Managers

5.8% Growth 2024-2034

$78K

Compliance Officers

3% Growth 2024-2034

The info provided is designed to show just a few of the many possible careers you could pursue with a master's degree in Strategic Human Resource & Talent Management. The data includes median national salaries and industry growth projections*. *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates (September 2025). Salary data fluctuates frequently.

 

Selected Courses and Programs

Build your know-how and skills around HR processes and cutting-edge practices to be a leader in the management of human resources in your organization. Learn how to link your business strategy to talent strategy, conduct workforce planning, design effective talent recruitment, and select top talent in addition to training, compensation, retention, HR technology, and contemporary issues in HR. 
Analytics is the new “electrical current” of business today. HR leaders are increasingly expected to be literate in the basics of business analytics.  This course reviews statistical concepts, with an emphasis on real-world data analytics and visualizations, descriptive statistics, regression, pivot tables, and other Excel and R programming analytical tools.
All organizations need to attract, hire, motivate, and retain superior talent — both individual performers and teams.  HR leaders are on the frontlines in the design and management of attractive compensation (wages, base pay, incentives, total rewards, etc.) and benefits (health care insurance, personal time off, retirement, EAP, etc.).  Learn about the plans that are essential to talent management and competitive advantage. 
Learn about this rapidly developing field of HR practice — diversity in the workplace and the impact of changing workforce demographics (race, ethnicity, religion, sexual-orientation, culture, education, etc.) on current and future productivity and competitiveness of organizations. Learn about the various forms of bias and methods for overcoming negative impact as well as the implementation of diversity programs.
HR leaders need to develop an understanding of the various state and federal statutes governing the employment relationship. Topics learned in this course include: discrimination in the workplace, disability issues, the investigation of sexual harassment claims, workplace safety and health compliance, employee privacy issues, employee discharge and discipline procedures, and the nature of employee rights. 
HR leaders can have enormous impact on their organizations with deep knowledge from research on the psychology of individuals, groups/teams, organization structure, and culture.  This course covers the psychological aspects of organizations, including employee attitudes, personality, motivation, team dynamics, engagement, work design, incentives, leader behaviors, interpersonal communication, influence, conflict, change/OD, and transforming organizations.
Candidates for completion of the M.S. in Strategic Human Resource & Talent Management degree will complete an independent project demonstrating their conceptual, analytical, research, and practical HR management skills. This capstone project — usually focused on their own work organization — is a rigorous experience resulting in both a practical report/plan and oral presentation that demonstrates the student’s ability to synthesize and use the skills and knowledge gained in previous courses in the M.S. in Strategic Human Resource & Talent Management program.
 The essence of leadership is being able to influence followers.  But how? You’ll learn the impact of key approaches and research findings relevant to leadership and team building in organizations. In this course, the role of the leader and teams in organizations is experienced, the knowledge and skills required for successful leadership and team building are analyzed, and an assessment of your own leadership and team- building capabilities is completed.
Organizations must innovate, change, or die. HR plays a leadership role and draws on the intersection between business strategy, organizational leadership, and organizational change. Building on the disciplines of business strategy, human resources management, organizational development, and leadership, this upper-level course engages learners from the corporate executive’s perspective.
HR professionals and leaders are looked upon to help mediate and resolve inevitable interpersonal conflict in their organizations.  You will learn about the constructive management of conflict at the individual, group, and organizational levels.  Research on the origin of conflict, as well as various conflict resolution models, will be examined.  You will experience how the role of communication, emotions, power, identity, and culture in the constructive resolution of conflict can lead to productive results.

The University of New Haven offers a wide variety of in-depth courses that create a transformational educational experience for our students. To view the complete list of courses you'll take while pursuing a M.S. in Strategic Human Resource & Talent Management, check out the Academic Catalog:

Strategic Human Resource & Talent Management, M.S. - General Concentration (STEM)
Strategic Human Resource & Talent Management, M.S. - Employee Relations and People Culture Concentration (STEM)
Human Resources Management Certificate

 

Flexible Courses Help You Meet Your Goals

Courses are delivered in a mix of modes: many are in-person classes, some are hybrid (part in-person, part on-line), and some are fully online. Whatever the delivery mode, you will interact and connect with faculty and class peers in challenging and engaged dialogue. This will lead to deeper learning and help you distinguish yourself in the world of HR.

Learn from professors who are dedicated to your success.

Our faculty are leaders and innovators in their fields, bringing both deep professional experience and academic rigor to the classroom.

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Accreditation

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Our Pompea College of Business is Among the Top 6% Worldwide

AACSB accreditation means that our Pompea College of Business has passed a rigorous set of standards. The faculty, students, programs and research have been closely examined and judged to be of exceptionally high standards.

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News

Kiana (White) Tremulot ’23, ’24, M.S. and Vincent Tremulot-Blanchard ’25, ’26 MBA were married earlier this year.

Newlyweds Share Their Charger Love Story

Kiana (White) Tremulot ’23, ’24, M.S. and Vincent Tremulot-Blanchard ’25, ’26 MBA met on campus at the University of New Haven nearly four years ago. They are now celebrating their first Valentine’s Day since they were married earlier this year.
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Next Steps

An advanced degree from the University of New Haven will help you take your career to the next level. Each program offers convenient scheduling, personalized attention, and state-of-the-art facilities.

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The University of New Haven Graduate School is an excellent value with reasonable tuition. Of course, you will still have bills to pay and the Financial Aid office can help.

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