Human Resource Development

The 36 credit hours required for the Master of Arts (M.A.) or the 48 credit hours required for the Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) must include the following courses for a major/emphasis in Human Resources Development:

  • HRDV 5000 Introduction to Human Resources Development (Requisite)
  • MNGT 5590 Organizational Behavior
  • HRDV 5610 Training and Development
  • HRDV 5560 Group Development and Change
  • HRDV 5630 Organization Development and Change
  • HRDV 5700 Career Management
  • HRDV 5750 Research & Assessment Methods in Human Resources Development
  • HRDV 6000 Integrated Studies in Human Resources Development

In addition, the student chooses elective courses offered in this major and/or from the program curricula of other School of Business and Technology majors.

If the requisite course is waived, the student must choose an elective course from this major or from the program curriculum of another School of Business and Technology major. Students pursuing dual majors who have the requisite course(s) waived will complete only the remaining required courses for the dual majors.

HRDV Course Descriptions

HRDV 5000 Introduction to Human Resources Development (Requisite Course) (3) This course introduces the area of human resources development. The objective of the course is to expose students to the breadth of human resources development topics. The primary topics are training and development, career management, and organizational development and change. A wide variety of secondary topics may also be covered in this course, including learning principles, evaluation of human resources development interventions, employee orientation and socialization, performance management and coaching, diversity, and employee counseling.

MNGT 5590 Organizational Behavior (3) This course introduces students to many of the basic principles of human behavior that effective managers use when managing individuals and groups in organizations. These include theories relating to individual differences in abilities and attitudes, attribution, motivation, group dynamics, power and politics, leadership, conflict resolution, organizational culture, and organizational structure and design.

HRDV 5500 Professional Seminars (1-3) Students participate in seminars designed to examine contemporary issues in human resources development. The professional seminar supplements the core and graduate elective courses in the area of human resources development by focusing on issues of current and special interest. Course may be repeated for credit if content differs. Graduate students may apply a maximum of 3 credit hours of these seminars as electives to meet the credit-hour requirements for graduation. This course may not be completed by directed study.

HRDV 5560 Group Development and Change (3) Effective groups and teams are critical in modern organizations, yet there are often dysfunctional dynamics and processes within the group. This course teaches the fundamental concepts relating to group dynamics, group decision making, and interpersonal conflict. The course also introduces students to different types of group-level interventions designed to improve group performance. The course also applies this conceptual knowledge to common group problems.

HRDV 5570 Planning Organization Development Programs and Interventions (3) This is an elective, advanced course in organization development in which students will learn to design and implement programs and interventions used in organization development. The course builds professional skills by having students learn a variety of conceptual models and intervention methods used in organization development, and then applying that knowledge by analyzing organizational problems and proposing effective OD programs. Students must complete HRDV 5630 prior to taking this course.

HRDV 5610 Training and Development (3) Rapid changes in technology and job design, along with the increasing importance of learning- and knowledge-based organizations, make training and development an increasingly important topic in human resources development. In this course, the student will learn how to 1) identify training and development needs through needs assessments, 2) analyze jobs and tasks to determine training and development objectives, 3) create appropriate training objectives, 4) design effective training and development programs using different techniques or methods, 5) implement a variety of different training and development activities, and 6) evaluate training and development programs.

HRDV 5620 Interpersonal and Organizational Communications (3) Students in this course investigate the phenomenon of communication. Students learn the dynamics of the process of communication; the skills required to achieve successful communication; the importance of effective communication in work situations; methods of evaluating communication problems in the workplace; and methods for increasing productive communication in the workplace. The course affords students opportunities to explore a variety of personal and organizational methods of enhancing communication.

HRDV 5630 Organization Development and Change (3) Organization development (OD) is the process of planning and implementing interventions to create interpersonal, group, inter-group, or organization-wide change. This course presents the theoretical foundations of organization development as an applied behavioral science. Students will also be introduced to many types of interpersonal, intra-group, inter-group, and organizational interventions that are used to effect comprehensive and lasting changes.

HRDV 5650 Personal Development and Effectiveness in Organizations (3) The course focuses on developing personal effectiveness within organizations. The application of cognitive, affective, and behavioral theories to enhance personal growth and development and to maximize individual performance is examined. Various sources of pressures for people in a rapidly changing world are studied, and strategies for making positive changes in self and facilitating changes in others are considered.

HRDV 5660 Issues in Human Resources Development (3) Current and significant issues in human resources development are examined. The course focuses on existing theories and practices with emphasis given to new and emerging topics in the field. Course may be repeated for credit if content differs.

HRDV 5670 Behavior Change Dynamics in Human Resources Development (3) Students examine the basic process of behavior change. The counseling and psychological theories of human behavior serve as a foundation for this course. Students review how these theories view behavioral change and explore some specific intervention methods. The dynamics of change are discussed in relation to the modification of human communication (listening skills), human attitudes and value systems, developing self-esteem, stress reduction, assertive behavior, modification of management style, conflict, crisis intervention methods, etc. Students investigate methods of assessing behavioral change needs in the workplace. The current status of EAP and the variety of functions performed by the EAP professional are reviewed. Students can gain insight into the academic, certification, and licensure requirements in the helping professional fields.

HRDV 5680 Ethics, Values, and Legal Issues in Human Resources Development (3) This course introduces the student to the various theories concerning values and human acquisition of values. Students explore personal value systems and how these systems influence their behavior and the behavior of others. Students examine ethical standards that can relate to human resources development and how these standards can affect actual workplace situations. This course investigates selected legal issues and situations that relate to the practice of human resources development.

HRDV 5700 Career Management (3) Career management is the process through which individuals and organizations jointly plan, guide, direct, and influence people's careers to meet the individual's and the organization's future needs. This course introduces students to current ideas about how organizations and individuals are trying to manage the problems created by the new rules of the workplace through career management.

HRDV 5710 Diversity in the Workplace (3) This course provides the student with foundational information concerning our multicultural society. Students explore the importance of learning to understand cultural similarities and differences and how this information relates to the workplace. The major subcultures are investigated in a workshop format. The second half of this course provides a specific investigation of social issues that are of current importance to the workplace.

HRDV 5740 Human Resources Development Consulting and Educational Services (3) The role of the HRDV professional as consultant and educator is the focus of this course. Students learn about the field of internal and external consulting and explore a variety of consultant providers and the services offered by the consultant. Students also learn some of the methods used to develop consulting services and skills required of the professional consultant. The second major emphasis of this course is on the understanding and utilization of instructional design, instructional strategies, information systems, and technology used in providing educational experiences to employees (either from HRDV personnel within or from outside the organization). The future of the consulting industry is also examined in this course.

HRDV 5750 Research and Assessment Methods in Human Resources Development (3) This course introduces students to basic descriptive and inferential statistics, research principles, sampling designs, survey methodologies, and simple experimental and quasi-experimental designs. The course also introduces students to other assessment methods used in human resources development, such as learning assessments, performance evaluations, and program evaluation.

HRDV 6000 Integrated Studies in Human Resources Development (3) The student is expected to synthesize and integrate the learning experiences acquired in human resources development and to evaluate the research and current topics relative to this major. Techniques used to accomplish these goals may vary. Prerequisite: completion of all other required courses in this major.