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MHRLR Curriculum

The Integral Role of Human Resources and Labor Relations to Business Success

Critical to one's professional success is learning to effectively lead and manage the most valuable and most complex resource of any organization, its human resources.

Paramount to achieving and sustaining competitive advantage, is the alignment of Human Resources and Labor Relations (HR and LR) strategies with business and operational strategies.

Working closely with our distinguished external Advisory Board, our curriculum is designed to provide students with the comprehensive knowledge and essential analytic business skills and acumen to become business leaders with expertise in HR and LR.

Emphasized within our curriculum, therefore, is a rich understanding of the integral role HR and LR plays in achieving business and organizational goals in an international environment.

A Flexible and Comprehensive Curriculum

The MSU Master of Human Resources & Labor Relations program is based on a 12-course, 36 credit-hour curriculum. To ensure graduates receive a comprehensive professional education, students take one or more courses across each of 8 core ‘knowledge areas.’ In addition to completing 5 required courses, students have the flexibility to develop expertise in selected subjects by choosing 7 elective courses. Described next are the 8 core knowledge areas comprising our master's degree, along with the courses included under each area.

For example, students can focus on Strategic Change and Leadership in HR by completing both courses under our Strategy and Firm Performance core knowledge area (HRLR 871 and HRLR 872), plus Leadership (HRLR 818) and Organizational Development & Planned Change (HRLR 816) courses listed under our Organizational Change Leadership core knowledge area.

Listed under each core knowledge area below are both required courses and elective courses.


Courses Number

Courses Title

Credits

Human Resource Management

HRLR 820

HR Practices & Decisions (Fall/Spring) - required

3

HRLR 821

Talent Acquisition & Deployment (Summer)

3

HRLR 822

Training & Development (Spring)

3

HRLR 825

Compensation (Fall)

3

Strategy and Firm Performance

HRLR 871

HR & Firm Performance (Spring)

3

HRLR 872

HR Strategy (Fall/Spring)

3

International HR & LR

HRLR 854

Comparative Employment Relations (HRLR 858/863, Spring)

3

HRLR 855

International HR (HRLR 820, Fall)

3

HRLR 859

Study Abroad to South Korea (contact instructor, Spring Break)

3

Organizational Change Leadership

HRLR 813

Organizational Behavior for HR & LR (Fall/Spring) - required

3

HRLR 816

Organizational Development & Change (HRLR 813, Spring)

3

HRLR 818

Leadership (Fall)

3

HRLR 819

Negotiations & Conflict Resolution (HRLR 813, Spring)

3

Workplace Law & Policy

HRLR 863

Labor Law (Fall)

3

HRLR 868

Employment Law (Fall/Spring)

3

Labor Relations

HRLR 858

Collective Bargaining (Fall/Spring) - required

3

Analytical Skills for HR & LR

HRLR 809

Economics of HR (Fall/Spring) - required

3

HRLR 832

Quantitative Methods for HR Analyses (Fall/Spring) - required

3

HRLR 891

HR Analytics (HRLR 832, Special Topics)

3

Independent Study in HR/LR or Approved non-HRLR Courses from offering department

HRLR 890

Independent Study in HR/LR

1-6

CEP 864

Career Counseling (Summer) **

3

EAD 861

Adult Learning (Fall) **

3

EAD 864

Adult Career Development (Spring) **

3

MGT 804

International Management (Fall/Spring/Summer) **

1-3

MBA 816

Managerial Communication Strategy & Tactics (Fall) **

1.5

MBA 817

Designing and Delivering Impactful Business Presentations (Spring) **

1.5

* Completion of a minimum of 15 credits required to register for this course
** With approval from offering department