Master of Science (MSc) in Human Resources

What is a master's in human resources?

A master's in human resources is a Bac+5-level degree that trains you to manage an organisation's human capital. At Excelia Business School, it takes the form of a Master of Science (MSc), State-accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education and leading to the Grade de Master, a recognition that directly answers a common question: the value of the degree.

Excelia Business School's Master of Science (MSc) programmes are also listed on the RNCP (France's National Register of Professional Certifications) at level 7; you can consult our degrees listed on the RNCP for details of this recognition. Excelia Business School also has a quadruple accreditation (EQUIS, AACSB, AMBA and EFMD Master), a combination that fewer than 1% of business schools worldwide can claim.

This master's is part of the full range of Excelia Business School's Master of Science (MSc) programmes, which apply this Bac+5-level expertise across several fields of management.

What you learn: employment law, recruitment, skills development

The foundation of the human resources field combines four skills:

• negotiation
• employment law
• human resources consulting
• recruitment

What distinguishes this master's from a personnel administration degree is the dimension that Excelia Business School adds to it: the transformation of organisations, that is, the ability to understand how a company evolves and to support teams through this change, rather than merely recording its effects.

Managing these challenges also means mastering the human resources information system (HRIS), the tool that now centralises administrative management, payroll and the tracking of career paths in most organisations. Students who take this master's therefore learn to combine legal and social expertise with a strategic reading of company transformations.

The human resources careers accessible after an MSc

A human resources MSc at Excelia Business School trains you for management and decision-making roles, accessible from the first years of a career. These careers fall into four main families:

• Recruitment and talent management, which involves attracting the right profiles and managing their career path within the organisation: human resources manager, talent manager, recruitment consultant, international mobility officer
• Training and skills development, which involves upskilling teams throughout their careers: training and skills development manager
• Remuneration and employee relations, which involves building salary policies and maintaining social dialogue: remuneration and benefits manager
• Human resources information systems, which involves managing the tools that centralise administrative management, payroll and the tracking of career paths: HRIS project manager

Depending on the organisation, these functions also appear under the titles of human resources manager, administrator, coordinator or officer: the variety of titles reflects the diversity of careers in the field, which you can explore more widely through management careers.

Are you also wondering about the international dimension of these careers? See the international dimension of our programmes.

Entry level, work-study and application

The human resources MSc is completed in 12 or 24 months depending on your entry level: a first year of the master's cycle if you are coming from a Bac+3, direct entry into the second year if you are coming from a Bac+4. In both cases, admission is based on a review of the application file and a motivation interview; if you are ready to apply, you can track your application file on the XL Connect portal.

Work-study is available on some of Excelia Business School's Master of Science (MSc) programmes, and the training fees are then covered by the employer as soon as the professionalisation or apprenticeship contract is signed. You can consult work-study at Excelia Business School to find out how it works.

Once enrolled in the MSc in Human Resources Strategy & Development, you benefit throughout the programme from the Talent Centre's support towards employment: one-to-one coaching, interview preparation, work on applications.

What entry level do you need for a human resources MSc?

The human resources MSc is open to holders of a Bac+3, who join the first year of the master's cycle, as well as to holders of a Bac+4, who go straight into the second year. In both cases, admission is based on a review of the application file and a motivation interview.

Is the human resources MSc available on a work-study basis?

Some of Excelia Business School's Master of Science (MSc) programmes are available on a work-study basis; in this case, all of the training fees are covered by the employer as soon as the contract is signed. You can consult work-study at Excelia Business School to find out how it works.

What careers are open after a human resources MSc?

A human resources MSc opens up management roles such as human resources manager, talent manager, recruitment consultant or HRIS project manager.

Do you need a legal background to work in human resources?

No. Employment law is one of the skills taught in the human resources MSc: the programme trains you in these issues, without requiring a prior legal grounding.

Is human resources limited to recruitment?

No, even though recruitment is part of it. The field also covers negotiation, employment law, skills development, employee relations and the transformation of organisations, a scope far broader than administrative management alone.