An HR (Human Resource) professional serves as the link between the management and employees. They also plan and coordinate an organization’s administrative functions. However, most HR personnel find themselves hitting a glass ceiling after some years of work experience. If you feel that you are one of them, an MBA in HR will help you upskill and break the ceiling and move ahead in your career.

In this blog, we will discuss all the necessary information that you would require to make an informed decision about pursuing an MBA in HR.

Here are the questions that we will discuss:

1. What are the responsibilities of an HR professional?

2. Why should you pursue an MBA in HR?

3. What is the scope of an MBA in HR?

4. What are the top Indian B-Schools that offer an MBA in HR?

5. What are the top International B-Schools that offer an MBA in HR?

First, let us look into the different functions of HR personnel.

1. What are the responsibilities of an HR professional?

As an HR representative of your company, you will be responsible for the following:

•  Aligning the workforce to the company’s goals: As an HR personnel, you will serve as strategic partners to your organization. In other words, you will participate in identifying, developing, and implementing the corporate objectives. You will achieve these goals by working closely with the workforce and helping them align their goals with the company’s target.
• Helping employees grow professionally: As an HR personnel, you will be responsible for conducting regular staff evaluations to measure their skills. You will then help the employees identify their weak areas and improve upon them. You will also interact with them regularly to ensure they stay motivated towards working for the organization.
• Standing up for the employees: The HR department of any organization is directly concerned with the employees. As such, you will play a vital role by ensuring that every employee is heard and their grievances are answered. It will help improve the working environment and create an atmosphere of cooperation and inspiration. This will also directly affect the growth of your organization as happy employees make a successful company.
• Finding the right people for the organization: The right team can be the difference between a company and a successful company. That is where you, as an HR professional, will play a key role. You will not just be responsible for posting jobs and interviewing candidates, but you will play a key role in bringing like-minded people aligned to the brand and the philosophy.

Now that you have understood the critical roles of HR personnel within the company, let us look at how an MBA will help you perform your duties more effectively and help you progress in your career.

2. Why should you pursue an MBA in HR?

An MBA in HR will help you in the following ways:

• Developing Organizational Behaviour: Since HRs have to guide organizations with the help of the management, an MBA in HR will teach you about financial motivation, gaining the right attitude towards problems, and effectively communicating with the management and the employees. These aspects are of vital significance, which separates a good HR from an exceptional one.

• More Job Exposure: With an MBA in HR management, you can stand out in the aspirant pool as it will strengthen your profile and help you take the next step from the HR generalist position. Simply put, an MBA in HR would help you scale up as an HR Manager, HR Director, or VP of Operations.

• Gaining More Insight: An MBA in HR will also contribute to personal and professional growth. You will be exposed to a more focused education to learn new business acumen, regulations, and procedures. You will also learn problem-solving ideas, which you can then implement in the real world. Also, your knowledge about workplace learning and organizational psychology will play a key role post your MBA.

• Comprehending an Organization’s Psychology: An MBA in HR will help you understand the needs of the employees and the requirements of the executives and act as the bridge. With an MBA, you will get insight into your company’s purpose and objective and gain a deeper understanding of the various verticals of the organization. This understanding will be a decisive factor which will help your company reach their goals.

• Improved Salaries: An MBA in HR will also mean a higher package, considering you secure an MBA from a leading B-School with good scores. MBA students are offered more pay packages worldwide based on their merit and the transferable skills they will bring to the table.

We hope that the points mentioned above will help you choose an MBA in HR program suited to your needs. It is essential to do thorough research about the business schools and their programs to understand if it will help you in your post-MBA dream and help you upskill yourself.

In the next section, we will discuss the scope of an MBA in HR to help you understand how you can leverage your education to reach your career aspirations.

3. What is the scope of an MBA in HR?

It is not a hidden fact that an MBA is a high standard in business education and a great choice for HR professionals looking to build their careers. An MBA in HR will help you prepare for senior positions like Director of Human Resources or HR Manager.

Once you complete your MBA in HR management from a reputed B-School, you will be exposed to various jobs, both in India and abroad, with higher salary packages. These MBA programs are either specialized MBA programs or a part of the B-School’s general master’s degree program, which combines HR with business studies.

Now, once you have completed your MBA in HR, you will be eligible for these job profiles:

• HR manager
• Senior HR manager
• Technical Recruiter
• Compensation Manager
• Employee Relations Manager
• Director of HR Training and Development

If we look at these profiles, you will realize that it is a significant jump in terms of job role and responsibility, and that is possible with an MBA.

Now that we have discussed the scope of an MBA in HR, let us look at the top Indian B-Schools that provide an HR degree.

Also read: MBA – Full Form, Cost, Duration, Salary & Everything You Need to Know

4. What are the top Indian B-Schools that offer an MBA in HR?

Before you consider an MBA in HR from any B-School, you need to understand that several parameters make a B-School ‘ideal’ for you. You must consider factors like course, recognition of the degree, fees, placements, ROI, etc.

Also read: What is the ROI of an Executive MBA?

Keeping these parameters in mind, we present you with a list of top Indian B-Schools that offer an MBA in HR.

I. Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI)
II. Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ranchi
III. Management Development Institute
VI. Xavier Institute of Social Service, Ranchi
V. SVKMs NMIMS (Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies)
VI. University Business School (UBS), Punjab University
VII. Indian Institute of Management, Indore
VIII. University Business School (UBS)
XI. International School of Business and Media
X. Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management

Credit: Shiksha.com

Before we begin, let us share with you these B-Schools on a table along with their fees and exam score requirement.

Credit: Shiksha.com

Also read: MBA through GMAT in 2020- All you need to know

Let us now discuss these institutes in detail below.

I. Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI): XLRI offers a two-year full-time Programme in Human Resource Management or PGDM (HRM). It is also ranked as the best program in India and the Asia-Pacific region. This program aims to help students by teaching them the required knowledge and skills for handling HR responsibilities.

Along with these key areas, this MBA in HR program also includes several courses in the functional area of management. Students get to choose a mix of elective courses according to their preferences.

Once graduated, students are placed in executive positions in:

• Human Resources Development,
• Personnel Management,
• Industrial Relations,
• Labour Welfare and other related areas.

II. Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ranchi: The Post Graduate Programme in Human Resource Management [MBA-HR] is a two-year full-time residential program. IIM boasts of being a preferred choice for prominent HR recruiters across the country. They also provide their students with classroom interactions with veterans from various domains. Students also discuss and work on real-life case studies along with interacting and attending lectures of eminent faculties.

You can find the complete information regarding the MBA-HR program here.

III. Management Development Institute: The PGP-HRM is designed to help students graduate into HR professionals with a holistic business perspective. This program has six terms, each of three months duration.

In the first four terms, students are taught the various core courses that include several managerial functions. These are essential information that every HR manager should know to develop into future business partners. The remaining two terms emphasize electives from HRM/OB/Strategy/Finance areas.

Apart from the extensive curriculum, students are also exposed to various industry professionals which provides them a lot of networking opportunities.

Find all the information about PGP-HRM here.

IV. Xavier Institute of Social Service, Ranchi: This MBA in HR program is a two-year diploma that aims at creating future HR leaders. This program helps students understand the fundamental theoretical inputs in Human Resource Management, Industrial Relations, and Human Resource Development. Along with these, this program also imparts practical knowledge and the requisite skills to be effective.

Regarding the course objective, XISS wishes to make a positive social change through their students. They do this by helping students develop a broader perspective and supporting them to create a more significant impact beyond their careers.

Find all the information about the PGDM here.

V. SVKMs NMIMS (Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies): This institute offers a wide range of management programs at both the PG and doctoral levels. These programs are:

A. MBA: They offer Human Resource or HR management as a specialization.
B. E-MBA,
C. PGDM,
D. Ph.D.

Find all the relevant information about the MBA program here.

VI. University Business School (UBS), Punjab University: This is a two-year MBA in HR program that offers students a holistic perspective of business and the responsibilities of an HR professional. Also, this B-School has been recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) for the following areas:

• Supply Chain Management,
• Accounting
• Business Finance- Social Responsibility and
• Human Resources Accounting (HRA)
• Investment Decision Making and Innovative Financing

Find out more about the MBA in HR program here.

VII. Indian Institute of Management, Indore:The PGP-HRM is a cutting-edge MBA in HR program committed to nurturing HR professionals who can bring real value to their industry. This is a two-year full-time MBA program which aims to bring together HR and business issues in an emerging environment.

Here, students will apply an understanding of behavioral rules to bring value into their organization and apply an analytical orientation to help students create sustainable frameworks.

Find out more about the PGP-HRM here.

VIII. University Business School (UBS): This B-school is affiliated with Punjab University, and they accept CAT scores for admission. Along with the CAT, those students who have appeared and passed these exams can also apply for this program:

• Institute of Chartered Accountants of India or England
• Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India or England
• Institute of Company Secretaries of India
• AMIE Examination

Know more about the MBA(HR) program here.

IX. International School of Business and Media: This institute offers the MBA in HR program called PGDMHRM. This program is designed to teach students the fundamentals of HR management. It also helps students reach their potential according to their strengths and weaknesses. They also put a lot of emphasis on extra-curricular activities, managerial skills, and developing leadership.

This institute also boasts of more than 75 top-ranked executives and HR leaders teaching their students.

Know more about the syllabus of the PGDMHRM here.

X. Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management, Kolkata: This institute’s MBA in HR program is called MHRM. It has been aligned with the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), which is at par with several universities of the USA.

This program is created to present a “liberal business education and prepare students for careers in managing human resources in the industry.” Here, they emphasize a holistic understanding of business, socio-economic relationships, and its philosophy.

The courses are designed to help students understand and develop their managerial skills and understand managerial tools for better decision-making. They also have short training courses where experts from different fields come and teach the students.

Know more about the MHRM here.

We hope that the information regarding the MBA in HR Indian institutes was useful for you. In the next section, we will discuss the top international B-Schools which provide an MBA in HR. Be sure to stick with us.

5. What are the top International B-Schools that offer an MBA in HR?

These top B-School rankings are done considering student to faculty ratio and the B-School’s ROI. These pointers are essential to consider because every B-School is an investment in regards to time and money. Before we discuss each institute and their MBA in HR program, let us look at the tabular view of these top B-Schools along with their fees and ROI.

Courtesy: Human Resource MBA

Now, let us look at the top ten international B-Schools for an MBA in HR.

I.Texas A&M University-Central Texas
II. Brigham Young University
III. Vanderbilt University
IV. University of North Texas
V. University of Wisconsin – Madison
VI. University at Albany – SUNY
VII. Oregon State University
VIII. George Washington University
IX. Michigan State University
X. Nova Southeastern University

We will discuss them in detail below.

I. Texas A&M University-Central Texas: This B-School offers one of the best MBA in HR with their ACBSP accredited MBA program. Let us inform you that this program is available online, making it easier for working professionals to balance their work and their MBA.

Some of the courses included in this MBA program are:

• Managing Human Resource Development
• Organizational Behavior
• Workforce Planning and Employment

Students are also exposed to several professional development opportunities via student organizations. Apart from these activities, students here have the flexibility to finish their program either in 24 months or 16 months.

II. Brigham Young University: The Brigham Young University Marriott School of Business features a high-quality MBA for HR professionals with hands-on learning opportunities. Students are also encouraged to complete their internships between their first and second year.

Here, students will be exposed to studying key HR areas like change management and organizational design. Some of the courses included here are:

• Operations Management
• Strategic HR Management
• Business Strategy

The teaching faculty are established personnel in their respective fields, and they teach a small class to help give focused attention to individuals and the teams.

Also read: MBA Admissions Committee & Venture Capitalists: 5 Aspects They Look For in Their Prospects

III. Vanderbilt University: This full-time program focuses on early professionals and takes 21 months to complete their program. This university has a highly customizable MBA for HR program that is career-focused for individual and organizational performance. The courses covered in this MBA for HR program are designed by industry experts, keeping up with the latest trends and focusing on areas like:

• Managerial and Organizational Effectiveness
• Leading Change
• Strategic Human Resource Management

IV. University of North Texas: The G. Brint Ryan College of Business at the University of North Texas offers a pocket-friendly MBA in HR and Organizational Behavior. The courses taught here are also available online to attract working professionals. Here, the students will study business behavior, structure, and processes and learn about key HR functions like selection and placement and organizational change.

• The courses included in this program are:
• Managing Organizational Design and Change
• Organizational Behavior and Analysis
• Leveraging IT for Business

V. University of Wisconsin – Madison: The University of Wisconsin School of Business offers one of the finest MBAs in strategic HR management. With this two-year MBA in HR program, students will learn and understand about becoming a strategic business partner. They also focus a lot on hands-on experience where students work with executives at leading companies to solve their HR challenges. This B-School also utilizes different case studies to give students an experience of real-world scenarios.

This program focuses on some of these courses, which includes:

• Labor Management Relations
• Personnel Staffing and Evaluation
• Integrated Company Analysis

VI. University at Albany – SUNY: This university offers an innovative MBA in HR that focuses on human resource information systems. Let us inform you that this MBA in HR program is the only HR information systems program holding dual accreditation with the AACSB and the SHRM. This university also encourages internships with a local, national, or international organization to gain professional experience.

The courses covered here include:

• Enterprise resource planning
• Cloud computing
• Human resource information systems

VII. Oregon State University: This university offers a comprehensive and cutting-edge MBA in HR program, which helps students understand how to create a fair and safe workplace, hire top talent, and help employees adapt to change. This university also utilizes courses drawn from evidence-based, data-driven practices that are proven to create a positive impact on any organization.

The courses included here are:

• Data Analytics for Competitive Advantage
• Compensation Management
• Negotiations

VIII. George Washington University: George Washington University offers a top dual MBA in HR for their full and part-time students. Located in the heart of Washington, DC, the George Washington School of Business provides its students with an in-depth and insightful view of business and HR from a unique vantage point.

The courses offered here include:

• Leadership and Executive Development
• Critical Thinking Skills for Executive Leadership
• Performance Management and Development

IX. Michigan State University: The Michigan State University offers a pocket-friendly MBA in HR management, which utilizes a team-based learning approach to educate their students. This helps the students develop both hard and soft skills that would go a long way in assisting them to become impactful HR professionals.

This university also provides their MBA in HR students with elective courses from the School of Human Resources and Labor Relations for those interested in labor markets and collective bargaining.

The courses covered here are:

• Managing the Learning Organization
• Social Issues in Management
• International Management

X. Nova Southeastern University: The Nova Southeastern University offers a lucrative MBA in HR for those students who wish to build a strong business foundation while gaining specialized skills in human resources. They also offer morning and evening courses along with an online option for working professionals. Also, they offer flexibility with five starting dates spread throughout the year for students to find their best fit, according to their convenience.

The courses include here are:

• Managing Total Rewards
• Employee Relations
• Talent Management

We hope this list of international B-Schools providing the best MBA in HR has been helpful for you. If you wish to gain some clarity on how working as an HR professional at a start-up helps you switch careers after completing your MBA, then you can watch the video below.

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