All students in the MS in Human Resource Development program must pass a comprehensive examination in order to complete their degree requirements: either a qualifying HR certification exam, or the departmental written comprehensive exam. Certifications must be active at the time of graduation.
Qualifying HR Certification Exams
ELIGIBILITY
There are several exams that will satisfy the comprehensive examination degree requirement, which are listed below. Click the exam to view its eligibility information.
- PHR (Professional in Human Resources)
- SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources)
- GPHR (Global Professional in Human Resources)
- *SHRM-CP (SHRM-Certified Professional)
- SHRM-SCP (SHRM-Senior Certified Professional)
If you are unsure which exam is the right fit for you, please speak to your faculty advisor.
*If you are interested in taking the SHRM-CP exam under the student eligibility criteria, please see our FAQ page for more details.
Submitting HR Certification Exam Results
Preliminary score sheets or official certificates will be accepted for the HR certification exams. In the event that preliminary scores cannot be provided the day of the exam, please note that we will need to receive your official certificate by the appropriate date. Official certificates can take 4-8 weeks from the close of the testing window to process and be delivered to you.
Students who choose to take a certification exam after completing their coursework should be sure to register for graduation during the semester they are sitting for the exam. Additional information can be found here.
Certifications must be active at the time of graduation.
Submit a scanned copy of your preliminary score sheet OR official certificate and email to: gradhrdoffice@villanova.edu so your exam can be posted to your academic record. This will indicate that this degree requirement has been met.
*PLEASE NOTE: Villanova does NOT automatically receive copies of your certification exam results - you must submit them to the HRD department via the instructions above.
Registering for Departmental Written Comprehensive Exam: Fall 2017
Registration Due Date: September 13, 2017
Exam Date: Saturday, November 18, 2017 from 11:30am-3:30pm EST
Eligible students (those who have earned 24+ credits in the HRD program and who have above a 3.0 GPA) may apply to take the departmental written comprehensive exam.
The exam will be held online on Saturday, November 18th from 11:30am to 3:30pm EST. The exam will be administered online through Villanova’s Blackboard program using its test security features. You will need access to a computer that has an internet connection. Additional details will be sent to those approved to take the exam.
Application for Departmental Written Comprehensive Exam
*PLEASE NOTE: Students are permitted to take the written comprehensive exam a maximum of two (2) times. If a student does not pass after the second attempt, they are not permitted to take the written comprehensive exam again. See Graduate Studies policy details here.
