Master of Arts in Human Resource Management Curriculum and Course Descriptions

The online MA in Human Resource Management consists of 39 credit hours, or 13 courses of 3 credit hours each. Of those, 21 credit hours cover topics specific to human resources, 15 cover management skills, and the remaining 3 are electives.

Required Human Resource Management Courses (21 credit hours)

HRM601 Human Resource Management Strategy Prerequisite to all other HRM courses
In this course, students examine human resource management in the context of business policy and competitive strategy, including the core competencies required to become a successful human resource manager. Other topics under discussion include an overview of business policy, the role of human resource planning, strategic human resource management, initiating organizational change, promoting an ethical perspective, and using technology for planning and administering human resource functions.

HRM602 Organizational Measurement and Assessment Issues in Human Resources Prerequisite: HRM601
This course examines research design for organizational measurement and assessment. Students study assessment and evaluation tools and how to use them for hiring, performance management, career development, retention, and termination processes, with an emphasis on creating and implementing a human resource scorecard using predictive analytics.

HRM604 Developing Human Capital Prerequisite: HRM601
This course focuses on the education, skill levels, and problem-solving abilities that make it possible for an individual to be a productive worker in the global economy. Students examine various models of adult learning to help understand the practice of training and development for continuous improvement.

HRM606 Employment Law Prerequisite: HRM601
Students study employment law and its impact on business. Topics under review include employment law practices and trends, the statutory framework, major court cases, how the law of contract and tort apply to employment situations, and anti-discrimination laws.

HRM613 Total Reward Systems Prerequisite: HRM601
This course analyzes theories of total reward systems, including compensation, benefits, retirement, other rewards, and equity theories.  Students examine contemporary issues associated with the design, financing, and legal issues of total reward systems, as well as public policy and legal/regulatory issues affecting compensation, healthcare, and pensions and their impact on employers and employees.

HRM614 Internal Consulting in Human Resources Prerequisite: HRM601
In this course, students examine the concepts and the application of internal consulting in the human resources function of any organization, with the goal to equip them to be strategic business partners. Conflict resolution and alternative dispute resolution methods are also covered.

HRM689 Human Resource Management Capstone Prerequisite: Must be taken in student’s final semester
This course focuses on integrating human resource management knowledge, skills, and tools developed in previous courses. It emphasizes critical analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of the theories and application of human resource management.

Upon completion of the course students are expected to be able to do the following:

1. Create a strategic plan to address an organizational need.
2. Obtain and analyze information from a variety of stakeholders.
3. Evaluate relevant information and its sources.
4. Develop a topic, including relevance, logic, grasp of subject, and depth of discussion.
5. Work as a member of a team in completing a comprehensive project.

Required Management Courses (15 credit hours)

GM623 Academic Research and Writing 
This course focuses on written and oral communications in professional and academic settings with an emphasis on academic writing. Students study theories of interpersonal and organizational communication, appropriate writing style based on audience, academic voice and style, literature searches, writing that incorporates sources materials, the ethical use of source materials, APA style, and effective presentations. It is recommended that this course be taken in the first semester.

GM643 Multicultural Perspectives
Students examine how diversity of all kinds influences both organizational behavior and client outcomes. Coursework explores the place of culture in society, the marketplace, and the workplace; the importance of cultural competence; and the knowledge and skills needed to work with, manage and serve diverse groups of workers and clients.

GM660 Financial Management
This course introduces, discusses, and analyzes financial issues facing profit, not-for-profit and governmental organizations in today's domestic and global business environment. Students gain an ethical financial manager's perspective by examining various financial areas, including types of organizations, sources of capital, investment in the US and in foreign countries, asset management, time value of money, international payments and foreign exchange rates, trade theory and policy, and financial statement analysis.

GM680 Leadership and Strategic Management
Both the theory and application of strategic management tasks—including developing a mission/vision statement, setting objectives, developing and implementing a strategy, and evaluating performance—are examined in this course.

GM675 Managerial Ethics and Issues
Students examine various theories and methods that can be used to resolve organizational dilemmas involving ethical behavior, with an emphasis on the application of philosophical principles and managerial techniques to the ambiguous and ethical issues facing today's organizations domestically and internationally. Students develop skills necessary to identify, analyze, and develop strategies to engage in ethical decision making.

Electives (3 credit hours)

HRM609 Labor Relations Prerequisite: HRM601
This course examines how changes in product and service markets affect the way labor and management relate to each other. The history of collective bargaining, state and federal employment laws, and their impact on labor relations are also discussed.

HRM611 Managing International Human Resources Practices Prerequisite: HRM601
Students study the interplay of various factors associated with evaluating managers, employees, and customers from a different culture. Topics of discussion include the components of expatriate recruitment, selection, orientation, and training strategies, as well as international labor standards, public policy issues associated with trade agreement, and their impact on organizational strategy.

GM630 Quantitative Methods
This course focuses on statistical analysis of data for professional applications or research with an emphasis on quantitative methodologies. Topics include populations, sample selection, descriptive and inferential statistics. Significance, Chi Square, correlations, analysis of variance and simple regression, and concepts of reliability, validity and levels of measurement are also addressed.

Find out more about the curriculum of the online Master of Arts in Human Resource Management at Saint Mary’s University. Call us at 877-308-9954 or request more information today.