Human resources within an organization provide value added dimensions to the organization, which in turn influence the larger society within which the organization exists. The management of those human resources is a critical function within any organization. The goal of the human resource management (HRM) department is to attract qualified employees, manage systems that meet their needs and establish policies and protocols to retain and promote employee engagement. This effort develops a workforce that can meet the organizational strategic goals for growth and continued relevance in the world of work. This course provides an overview of HRM and the context within which HRM functions in organizations.

A total rewards program within an organization develops and aligns a reward strategy for employees to reinforce the behavior and performance required to support the organizations overall strategy. This course identifies what rewards are, both tangible and intangible, including compensation and benefits. Using the information a rewards program is built reflecting existing business conditions and cost constraints. This program is used as an organizational strategy to satisfy personal and financial needs of the current and future workforce.

Employment law and regulations govern how the workforce functions. Adherence to the law can raise questions due to context of the situation and applicability of the law to a variety of situations. This course will explain employment laws and regulations as they apply to a variety of workplaces and interpret how these laws and regulations require compliance through the practice of human resource management.

This course introduces students to the concepts that are the foundation of HRD and how these concepts are applied in a real-world environment. Human resource development is a distinct and unique area of practice that focuses on aligning employee learning and development with the strategic direction of an organization. This course provides an orientation to the profession and explores historical perspectives, theoretical foundations, and the practice of HRD.

This course teaches the systematic application of social research procedures to evaluate the conceptualization, design, implementation, and utility of human resource development programs.

The goal of this course is to develop knowledge of Human Resource Development and Management practices for the purpose of analyzing, communicating, evaluating, and leading the development of strategic human resource initiatives that react to emerging organizational concerns. This course is a foundation course for those seeking a leadership opportunity in Human Resources in which students will demonstrate their ability to analyze and lead the alignment of strategic organizational goals into HR functions.

As strategic partners in global workforce development, human resource development professionals guide organizations to build and maintain a diverse workforce. Diversity and inclusion exploit the natural synergies of a multicultural workforce. This course will examine dimensions of diversity beyond race, ethnicity, and gender and create opportunities to develop an understanding about how these dimensions intersect and play out in the workplace. The purpose of this course is to provide HRD professionals the knowledge required to manage these dynamics in an organizational setting and lead initiatives that will create and maintain an inclusive workplace. Project work will allow for the in-depth ability to assess the current state of diversity within a defined organization, conduct research and benchmarking to build a diverse workforce, and develop a diversity strategic plan with an on-going evaluation component to assess the success of diversity initiatives.

A written comprehensive exam is one of the non-thesis methodologies for completion of the MS degree. Students will demonstrate a fundamental knowledge of the theories and foundation principles. This course will include a review of the main concepts of each of the core subjects. Completion of all HRDE core and required courses required. Students must receive a passing grade of at least 80 percent to be successful. Students will have one additional opportunity to pass this examination if their initial attempt results in a failing grade.

This course applies concepts of ethics to business at the macro level and at the micro level. At the macro level the course examines competing business ideologies exploring the ethical concerns of capitalism as well as the role of business in society. At the micro level the course examines the role of the manager in establishing an ethical climate with an emphasis on the development of ethical leadership in business organizations. The following topics are typically discussed: the stakeholder theory of the firm, corporate governance, marketing and advertising ethics, the rights and responsibilities of employees, product safety, ethical reasoning, business's responsibility to the environment, moving from a culture of compliance to a culture of integrity, and ethical leadership.