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Degree Info

Master of Arts in Human Resources

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Master of Arts in Human Resources                                                     

Earn your human resources graduate degree online at Ottawa University and gain the skills you need to lead HR teams of organizations in every industry reach their goals.

About Ottawa’s Online Master’s in Human Resources Program

Every organization — whether it’s local government … a private corporation … or a non-profit charity — wants to attract the most qualified employees for their job opportunities. At Ottawa University, our online master’s in human resources degree program can help you be the solution. This graduate degree program is designed to help you increase your human resources skills to positively impact the lives of others.


If you’re looking for an online master’s degree program that can help you advance in your career, look no further. Our online master’s degree program in human resources is designed for busy working adults who have limited time for school. We also offer this program on-campus in Arizona, Kansas, and Wisconsin. 

Human Resources Management Career Outlook
If you’re wondering if it’s worth it and asking yourself, “What can I do with a master’s in human resources?” think about this: There are a number of HR career paths and advancement opportunities in just about every of industry imaginable. For example, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number human resources management positions will increase 9% by 2026. And, with a 2017 median annual salary of $110,120, it pays pretty well, too.

Other Human Resources Career Opportunities Include:

Your online master’s degree program can help position you for an HR leadership role in any organization and every industry, from not-for-profit organizations to public and private companies. In addition to HR management roles, you can pursue a career as an:

  • Employment and Placement Specialist
  • Employee Benefits Specialist
  • Occupational Specialist

The program also prepares you to take the exam leading to designation as a SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) or SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP).
 

SHRM-Approved

Both Ottawa University’s Bachelor of Arts in Human Resources and Master of Arts in Human Resources fully align with SHRM’s HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates. Throughout the world, only 252 programs in 201 educational institutions have been acknowledged by SHRM as being in alignment with its suggested guides and templates. The HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates were developed by SHRM to define the minimum HR content areas that should be studied by HR students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. They are part of SHRM’s Academic Initiative, created in 2006 and revalidated in 2010, to help the Society define HR education standards taught in university business schools across the nation and help universities develop degree programs that follow these standards.

For curriculum and course descriptions please download a program overview.

For more information about earning your master’s in human resources online at Ottawa University, contact us today.
 

Master of Arts in Human Resources Required Courses

Managing Human Resources Costs | 
Monitor and assess financial achievements of human resources goals, as well as other financial planning and control mechanisms within the work organization.

Human Resources Planning and Administration | 
Integration of human resources with strategic business functions and planning. Examines issues of structure, staffing, effectiveness, performance and assessment and diversity within organizations.

Wage, Salary, and Benefit Administration | 
Provides comprehensive overview of the elements of compensation, legal ramifications and compensation design and design of benefits programs and their impact on compensation and recruitment.

Recruitment Selection and Placement | 
Examine issues and methods for effective recruitment, employment selection and job placement. Compare various methods and procedures used as related to job requirements.

Training and Development | 
Cover fundamentals, purpose and role of the training and development function in human resources. Includes needs assessment, program development, methods and technologies, management development, evaluation of interventions.

Organizational Behavior and Theory | 
Examines human behavior as it impacts the work organization. Includes theoretical foundations of motivation, group dynamics, leadership, decision-making, satisfaction and performance.

Employment Law | 
Examination of Equal Employment Opportunity, Americans with Disabilities Act, Family Leave Act and other recent and forthcoming legislation. Discuss impact for employee relations and management training for compliance.

Value Systems and Professional Ethics | 
Study of personal and corporate value systems and decision making. Investigation of personal beliefs, purposes and attitudes, and their effects on self and others. Examines the ethical dimensions of organizational structures and practices.

Trends, Issues, and Perspectives in Human Resources | 
Extended overview of the role of human resources in organizations. Existing theory and practice as well as new and emerging topics in the field.

Research: Assessment and Evaluation | 
Develop conceptual and analytical skills and knowledge to assess organizational needs and program effectiveness through the use of research methodologies.

Applied Case Studies in Human Resources | 
Seminar for graduating students in which participants develop a major case study of human resource issues, programs and policies in a current organization, most often their own. Draws from previous courses as issues are identified, analyzed and discussed.


Elective course (choose 1)

  • Organization and Consultation Skills
  • Career Development
  • Managing a Culturally Diverse Workplace
  • SHRM Certification Course
Full Degree Catalog
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