New Dual Degree Program in Human Resource Management

Dennis Garritan, academic program director and clinical associate professor, graduate programs in Human Resource Management.

NYU-SCPS has launched its first dual degree program, involving the Paul McGhee Division and the graduate human resource man­agement program within the Division of Programs in Business. The program awards a B.A. in Social Sciences with a concentra­tion in Organizational Behavior and Communication and an M.S. in Human Resource Management and Development. The program allows qualified students to begin their graduate courses while still undergraduates at McGhee in order to earn the master’s degree more quickly.

Human resource management is among the fastest growing pro­fessions—projected to add more than 32,000 jobs per year in the next 10 years—according to sources such as Money magazine and salary.com.

“Each year, the Human Resources role becomes more critical,” says Dennis Garritan, professor and academic director of the master’s program in Human Resource Management and Development. “In today’s knowledge economy—with its critical emphasis on human capital development—HR professionals must be able to design, develop, and implement strategies for organizational effectiveness and efficiency.”

The SCPS initiative responds to the need for greater credentialing in this emergent field. Nearly 43 percent of human resource managers nationwide have not completed their undergraduate degree, according to federal Bureau of Labor Statistics data. And, recent surveys by the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) reveal that 89 percent of human resource professionals say an undergraduate degree in human resources was insufficient preparation for performing quality organizational effectiveness work. Furthermore, 98 percent indicated a need for credible and academically proven advanced degree programs in their field.

“The new dual degree program thus fills these academic and professional gaps identified by SHRM and other leading human resource professional associations,” says Garritan. “Successful dual degree candidates will graduate with two degrees in an area that is experiencing both a talent shortage and an unprecedented demand for qualified practitioners.”