Online MS in Human Resources Curriculum

This course, which is for students with no previous study in accounting, presents accounting principles and concepts that provide the foundation for the measurement and communication of financial data. Specific topics include valuation of resources, accounting for debt and equities, income determinants, and analysis of cash flow.

Students learn to apply the behavior sciences to organizational, cultural, and leadership issues through the integration of conceptual and experiential approaches to self-awareness and leadership, influence and persuasion, work motivation, group and team behavior, organizational culture, diversity and inclusion, ethical decision-making, and career planning. Emphasis is placed on how these concepts relate to the organizational function of human resources. Development of oral and written communication skills is stressed in this course. In addition to regular class sessions, a required personal and leadership development workshop, BSCI 650, assists students in attaining an accurate understanding of their patterns of communicating and relating to others. Students must complete the workshop in order to continue in this course.

This course will provide a foundation for the art of value clarification and responsible leadership within organizations and society. Students will learn the roots and values of ethical expression as a lifestyle. By experiencing and working through scenarios and case studies, learners will isolate the ethical issues, both pro and con, and propose viable alternatives consistent with ethical and moral values.

This workshop serves as an orientation toward the experiential and team-based models of learning used at Graziadio. Students engage in exercises and reflection that are meant to enhance communication, ethical decision-making, career development, and other relevant skills for interpersonal effectiveness in business. This course is graded credit or no credit.

Digital technologies such as social media, mobile devices, high bandwidth connectivity, cloud-based storage, and an endless portfolio of personal and enterprise software applications are combining to provide organizations with powerful digital platforms to support HR recruitment, development, and retention processes, enhance employee engagement, and enable comprehensive analytics to provide rich insights for HR decision-making. This course introduces students to the range of contemporary digital technologies available to support the various processes along the HR value chain, and how these individual technologies must integrate into a coherent digital platform. In addition, the course provides an understanding of the importance of information as a resource for HR decision-making, and the essential attributes of an effective enterprise HR system. Students will learn how to conceptualize the information needs for the HR function and how to capture, analyze, and interpret data to satisfy those needs. Finally, students will also become familiar with behavioral and organizational issues associated with the effective adoption and use of digital technologies and enterprise HR systems.

The purpose of this class is not only to introduce the student to a more detailed study of employment law but also to demonstrate how the rule of law in the United States works. This course lays the legal foundation for studying American employment law by identifying and exploring the basic structure of the American legal and regulatory system at the federal, state, and local levels. The course briefly covers the substantive law in the following areas that broadly apply to the American private sector workplace: tort law, criminal law, contract law, agency law, business organizations, and intellectual property law. The course also promotes an understanding of civil law and its legal process involved in common workplace lawsuits and litigation. Lastly, this course identifies and explores the fundamental regulatory requirements and the complex interplay of federal, state, and local rules that apply to human resources, primarily in the U.S. private sector.

Central to this course are modern approaches to total rewards, most specifically employee compensation and benefits, and the implications of these practices relative to motivation, engagement, and productivity in the workplace. Students will explore key issues and challenges facing compensation managers as they strive to attract, motivate, retain, develop, and engage high-performance talent in today's global economy, including concepts, models, strategies, and practices within the compensation discipline. In addition, students will gain an understanding of employee benefits through an overview of statutory and voluntary benefits, health and welfare benefits, ERISA and other major benefits legislation, and elements of administration.

This course explores the management of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) at work and how the human resources management function can contribute to leveraging diversity as a competitive advantage. Using a multilevel approach, the course identifies how individuals, work relationships, teams, and organizations employ DEIB principles. Designed to better prepare HR professionals to meet the challenge of diversity in organizations, the course is taught from an HR practitioner's point of view using case studies, textbooks, external readings and videos, and current media. The application of DEIB principles to actionable HR topics is studied during interactive class sessions, employing discussion, experiential exercises, presentations, case analyses, and team projects. By the end of this course, students will have a holistic appreciation of the HR tools necessary to implement effective DEIB management practices.

Human resources has a history of being regarded as a necessary cost, but not necessarily as a function that adds value to an organization. This course will demonstrate the numerous ways that the human resources function can—and does—add value. Central to the course is the difference between administrative or operational functions vs. strategic contributions. Included in the course is the use of human resources analytics to quantify and demonstrate the value that human resources adds to the business.

As a capstone to the Master of Science in Human Resources program, students will participate in a simulation, which gives them the opportunity to manage a human resources department. Students will apply what they have learned in the program to make decisions about managing and budgeting a human resources department, setting policy, and dealing with situations that are part of the daily operations of the human resources function.

The pace, volume, and complexity of the business world have significantly increased. Indeed, the very environment in which businesses compete changes on a rapid basis, and the pace of change in the business world will accelerate over time. This is especially true in the human resources realm, where human resources professionals are tasked with understanding and implementing change on a variety of subjects ranging from corporate policies, employee compensation procedures, the legal ramifications of doing business, and more. Many HR professionals serve as internal consultants in their own organizations or become outside consultants for other organizations. This course is designed to educate the students on the realities of change management in the workforce, provide practical application of change management strategies, engage in theoretical discussions on the subject, and provide a clearer understanding of the consultancy process as it relates to human resources management.

Talent is commonly characterized as one of the few sources of competitive advantage that remains very difficult for rival firms to duplicate. As a field of professional practice, talent management has become an overarching strategic lens and a set of functions that can drive the management of human capital and create sustained competitive advantage for organizations. As such, a critical role of human resource professionals is ensuring strong strategic alignment of a wide range of talent management functions, including workforce planning, talent acquisition, learning and development, performance management, employee engagement, and retention.

The role of HR as a strategic partner in creating customer and economic value is central to organizational success. Students learn to formulate and execute a business-focused HR strategy that drives value for an organization; implementing strategic plans in global environments is especially emphasized. The course offers practical tools and frameworks to enable students to link HR strategy with business strategy–topics that include the social, ethical, and legal environment of an organization, diversity in the workplace, organizational culture, and business strategy. By understanding the strategic competitive environment of the organization, students gain a deeper understanding of the role human resources plays in achieving the organization's goals.

This course explores cultural influences on organizations and the people working within them. Emphasis is placed on learning how to "learn culture" using methods for scanning the cultural assumptions of groups; bringing personally held cultural assumptions to consciousness; gaining exposure to the cultures of a variety of different regions, nations, and groups, and considering their organizational and managerial implications; and facilitating communication and cooperation across cultures. Personal and managerial skills are developed to enhance performance in multicultural environments and on transpatriate assignments.

Hosted by partner schools abroad, Global Business Intensive focuses on critical aspects of doing business in the global economy. The course consists of lectures by distinguished faculty members of the partner schools and recognized experts from companies and research centers on a variety of contemporary business issues. The course involves a series of seminars covering such topics as international economics, culture, marketing, finance, and political and legal contexts. Some programs also include field visits to internationally recognized companies or organizations in the region for a hands-on look at business opportunities and management strategies. Also included is a study tour of important historical sites. The tour provides an important backdrop of culture and history that flavors the nation's experience.