MHR Program Earns Realignment from Society for Human Resource Management

Rollins’ Master of Human Resources (MHR) program has recently earned realignment with the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) HR curriculum, an achievement shared with only 200 other programs in the nation. With over 300,000 HR and business executive members in 165 countries, SHRM is the preeminent expert and thought leader on human resource issues whose focus is to respect and maximize human potential.

Understanding that the role of HR professionals has transitioned from transactional, technical, and administrative to strategic for the development and accomplishment of goals, the SHRM guidebook and templates are part of the organization’s academic initiative to define HR education standards taught in university business schools and help them develop degree programs that follow these best practices and standards.

“We’re proud to realign our MHR program with SHRM because SHRM is the gold standard for HR professional organizations,” says business professor and MHR program director Kip Kiefer. “SHRM’s certifications, seminars, and conferences are always world-class, and our alignment with the organization speaks to the quality of our program, faculty, and students.”

This is Rollins’ second SHRM realignment since the program’s initial alignment in 2013 and first realignment in 2017. This prestigious educational standard defines the minimum content areas that should be studied by HR students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. It is based on real-world scenarios and current industry research, ensuring students receive the knowledge and skills needed in today’s HR environment.

Throughout the world, only 500 programs in 425 educational institutions (and only 200 in the U.S.) have been acknowledged by SHRM as being in alignment with its recommended guides and templates, making Rollins one of only a handful of colleges whose curriculum and content are up to date and mirror the industry’s best practices and standards.

Rollins’ MHR faculty are committed to providing an appropriate balance of theory and practice, focusing on experiential learning that provides students with real-world opportunities. Graduates of Rollins’ MHR program become high-level leaders with a strategic perspective on contemporary organizational challenges no matter the organization or economic sector, adding significant value to their workplace, their interpersonal relationships, and their community.

“I chose the Rollins MHR program to broaden my depth of knowledge in the HR and people-strategy fields, but I left the program with much more,” says Holly McGiboney ’12MHR, vice president for human resources at DEKRA. “The MHR cohort included a diverse group of professionals from various industries, levels, and backgrounds that created a culture of innovation and creativity. The balance between the professors and the cohort provided me with an education and experience I still leverage today.”

Beyond relevance, quality, and credibility, SHRM alignment also creates opportunities for eligible Rollins students to take the SHRM-CP certification earlier than students from non-aligned programs. Rollins MHR students can earn their credentials before graduating, which provides them a competitive advantage when entering the job market.