by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2023 ranking, College Factual looked at 220 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for human resource management students pursuing a master's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 9,750 master's degrees in human resource management during the 2020-2021 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The HR master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for human resource management students working on their master's degree.
The HR school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Human Resource Management Master's Degree Schools.
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
MBA in Human Resource Management
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MS in Human Resource Management
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Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in human resource management. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Cornell University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in human resource management. Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in human resource management from Cornell University
Any student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in human resource management has to look into Northwestern University. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in human resource management from Northwestern University
University of Pennsylvania is a wonderful decision for students interested in a master's degree in human resource management. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.
Human Resource Management master's degree recipients from University of Pennsylvania receive an earnings boost of around $35,065 above the average income of human resource management majors.
More information about a master’s in human resource management from University of Pennsylvania
It's difficult to beat Villanova University if you want to pursue a master's degree in human resource management. Villanova is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Villanova.
Human Resource Management master's degree recipients from Villanova University earn a boost of about $27,757 over the average income of human resource management majors.
More information about a master’s in human resource management from Villanova University
Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.
Human Resource Management master's degree recipients from Vanderbilt University get an earnings boost of about $51,877 above the average earnings of human resource management majors.
More information about a master’s in human resource management from Vanderbilt University
Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Master's recipients from the human resource management major at George Washington University get $9,319 more than the standard graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a master’s in human resource management from George Washington University
Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in human resource management from University of Southern California
Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a master’s in human resource management from Columbia University in the City of New York
UMN Twin Cities is a very large public university located in the city of Minneapolis.
Human Resource Management master's degree recipients from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities get an earnings boost of approximately $19,663 over the average earnings of human resource management majors.
More information about a master’s in human resource management from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
UIUC is a very large public university located in the city of Champaign.
Master's recipients from the human resource management major at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign get $31,097 above the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a master’s in human resource management from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Michigan State is a fairly large public university located in the city of East Lansing.
Human Resource Management master's degree recipients from Michigan State University earn a boost of approximately $33,487 above the typical income of human resource management majors.
More information about a master’s in human resource management from Michigan State University
NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.
Human Resource Management master's degree recipients from New York University earn a boost of about $17,791 over the typical income of human resource management majors.
More information about a master’s in human resource management from New York University
Georgetown is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington.
Master's recipients from the human resource management degree program at Georgetown University earn $17,146 more than the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a master’s in human resource management from Georgetown University
Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public university located in the city of College Station.
Master's recipients from the human resource management major at Texas A&M University - College Station make $33,435 above the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a master’s in human resource management from Texas A&M University - College Station
Located in the city of New Brunswick, Rutgers New Brunswick is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Students who graduate with their master's from the HR program state that they receive average early career income of $58,526.
More information about a master’s in human resource management from Rutgers University - New Brunswick
USFCA is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of San Francisco.
Those human resource management students who get their master's degree from University of San Francisco make $47,018 more than the average HR graduate.
More information about a master’s in human resource management from University of San Francisco
Colorado State University - Global Campus is a fairly large public university located in the city of Greenwood Village.
Master's recipients from the human resource management major at Colorado State University - Global Campus get $6,654 more than the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a master’s in human resource management from Colorado State University - Global Campus
Located in the midsize city of University of Richmond, URichmond is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
Students who graduate with their master's from the HR program report average early career wages of $54,362.
More information about a master’s in human resource management from University of Richmond
Located in the city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in human resource management from Harvard University
Pepperdine is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Malibu.
Human Resource Management master's degree recipients from Pepperdine University earn a boost of approximately $35,394 over the typical earnings of human resource management majors.
More information about a master’s in human resource management from Pepperdine University
University of Oklahoma is a very large public university located in the midsize suburb of Norman.
Master's graduates who receive their degree from the HR program earn about $48,272 for their early career.
More information about a master’s in human resource management from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
Located in the small city of Scranton, University of Scranton is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
After graduation, HR master's recipients generally earn about $54,770 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a master’s in human resource management from University of Scranton
Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.More information about a master’s in human resource management from Loyola University Chicago
Located in the large city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Human Resource Management master's degree recipients from Ohio State University - Main Campus receive an earnings boost of around $16,289 above the typical income of human resource management graduates.
More information about a master’s in human resource management from Ohio State University - Main Campus
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Human Resource Management Master's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 34 | Quinnipiac University | Hamden, CT |
| 35 | University of Phoenix - Arizona | Tempe, AZ |
| 36 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | Baton Rouge, LA |
| 37 | University of Denver | Denver, CO |
| 38 | Bellevue University | Bellevue, NE |
| 39 | Benedictine University | Lisle, IL |
| 40 | Central Michigan University | Mount Pleasant, MI |
| 41 | Florida International University | Miami, FL |
| 42 | University of Massachusetts Amherst | Amherst, MA |
| 43 | University of Connecticut | Storrs, CT |
| 44 | Stony Brook University | Stony Brook, NY |
View the Best Human Resource Management Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
One of 21 majors within the Business, Management & Marketing area of study, Human Resource Management has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration | 6,010 |
| Organizational Behavior Studies | 1,186 |
| Human Resources Development | 1,079 |
| Other Human Resources Management and Services | 805 |
| Labor & Industrial Relations | 606 |
| Labor Studies | 52 |
| Executive/Career Coaching | 12 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Business Administration & Management | 122,843 |
| Management Sciences & Quantitative Methods | 29,299 |
| Accounting | 18,187 |
| General Business/Commerce | 8,488 |
| Finance & Financial Management | 4,544 |
| Marketing | 3,301 |
| Management Information Systems | 2,381 |
| International Business | 1,723 |
| Taxation | 1,297 |
| Real Estate | 1,106 |
