Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Point Park University are partnering to provide students an opportunity to receive a BS in Human Resources Management and an MA in Human Resources and Employee Relations in five years.
“Point Park, as always, is focused on programs that prepare students for the real world,” said Steve Tanzilli, dean of the Rowland School of Business at Point Park. “We're excited to team up with IUP, as this provides an amazing opportunity for students looking to get into and advance quickly in the field of human resources.”
The 4+1 program allows students to apply for early admission to the MA in Human Resources and Employee Relations program at IUP once they complete their 90th credit in the Human Resources Management bachelor's degree program at Point Park. If accepted into the program, students take up to 12 credits of graduate classes during their senior year at Point Park, then take the remaining 24 graduate credits at IUP to complete the MA degree.
“While most people understand the critical role a human resources department plays in a successful business, that understanding has been greatly magnified by the ongoing pandemic,” said Sandra Mervosh, director of the Human Resources Management Program at Point Park. “HR has been on the front lines for months as companies have had to furlough employees, and the ones still working deal with a myriad of safety and health issues.”
Point Park's Human Resources Management program prepares students to become strategic business leaders who enable organizations to succeed through HR functions and competencies with solid background in business. The program is heavily based on experiential learning and professional networking. It is aligned with the Society for Human Resources Management, and provides unique opportunities through the HR Partner Program and the Student Human Resources Association.
IUP's Master of Arts in Human Resources and Employment Relations is a multidisciplinary, graduate degree program designed to prepare professional practitioners in the field of employment and labor relations and human resources in public and private management, unions, government agencies, and neutral and service organizations. Students can complete the program in one year through multiple learning modalities. The program can be taken through face-to-face instruction, online instruction, and distance education using Zoom technology that allows students to remotely attend class.
The partnership between IUP and Point Park allows students to enter the IUP graduate program through early admission, which permits students to start taking graduate classes while they are still in their undergraduate program. This also provides the opportunity for students to get both undergraduate and graduate credit for the courses they take at IUP (subject to faculty adviser approval).
The new program is a great opportunity for Point Park University students to not only challenge themselves by starting graduate school early, but it also rewards their performance by having the graduate courses they take during their senior year at Point Park count for both their undergraduate program and their master's in human resources and employment relations.
By doing this, students can complete both their undergraduate and graduate coursework in five years instead of the traditional six years. The program can be taken both fully on-ground and fully online.
“For the past three years, we have collaborated with Point Park University on a number of initiatives, including our annual IUP/ELR Disney Leadership Retreat,” said David Piper, chair of IUP's Department of Employment and Labor Relations. “I have found the students and faculty at Point Park to be most engaging and wonderful learners. We are excited about granting these students a streamlined process into our graduate program and look forward to building upon the excellent foundation provided to them by Point Park University."
To qualify, students must maintain at 3.25 GPA in undergraduate coursework, and have completed at least 15 credits in the academic major. Learn more about the 4+1 BS/MA Human Resources Dual Degrees program.