Students in the Master of Science in Strategic Human Resource Management program will come to understand core human resource concepts such as job analysis, recruitment and selection, training and development, performance evaluation and compensation. Students will also gain an understanding of global, multicultural environments and challenges businesses face in a global economy, with an emphasis on managing diversity and legal rights and responsibilities related to a diverse workforce.
The Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) has recognized the Master of Science in Strategic Human Resource Management Program for having a curriculum aligned with SHRM’s graduate education guidelines.
With a curriculum aligned with the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), the online HR master’s program at Saint Joseph’s University covers all aspects of management within the human resource division of organizations. Taught within the Erivan K. Haub School of Business, coursework is rigorous while offering convenient part-time scheduling.
The program consists of 11 classes (33 credit hours).
Human Resource Management Courses
MHC 554 Ethical Practices in Business
3 credits. This online course will consider the ethical responsibilities of managers and corporations. It is designed to raise ethical consciousness and sensitivity to the ethical dimensions of business decisions, on an individual, institution and systemic level. It will be highly interactive, introducing the student to factors which incentivize ethical and unethical behavior, and to dilemmas which arise in business. It will provide plausible decision procedures and frameworks for dealing with ethical matters and methods for rationally adjudicating ethical disputes. It is also designed to reveal common patterns of success and failure in managing ethical conflicts. It will attempt to engage students in a critical evaluation of managerial and corporate ethics and encourage each student to develop a justifiable perspective on the role of ethics in business and their responsibility to various stakeholders.
MHC 560 Introduction to Strategic Human Capital and Talent Management
3 credits. This course examines the integration of human resource management strategy within the broader context of an organization’s business strategy. Students will gain an understanding of major approaches to business strategy, and the corresponding implications for human resource management in varied strategic circumstances. Implications of a firm’s strategy for functional areas within human resource management will also be examined. The course will introduce emerging trends in theory, research, and the practice of human resource management.
MHC 561 Human Capital Research, Measurement, & Metrics
3 credits. This course is designed to introduce students to the processes involved in measuring the effectiveness of human resource programs, and to provide a thorough grounding in survey methodology, from survey design through data collection and data analysis. Students will build their skills in survey design and construction, scale selection, survey administration, and data analysis and evaluation. Students will be required to conduct a research study during which they will act as project managers/lead researchers responsible for envisioning, executing, analyzing, interpreting, and reporting the results of the study to an external client. The overarching goal of the course is to prepare human resource professionals to effectively lead a survey project and to interpret the results of research conducted by others.
MHC 562 Employment and Labor Law
3 credits. This course will provide an overview of the major laws that govern employer/employee relations in both union and non-union workplaces. Labor topics include, inter alia, the historical development of labor law, union organizing, unfair labor practices, 521 concerted activities by unions and dispute settlement. Employment law topics include, inter alia, employment discrimination, testing, evaluation and privacy, and laws that govern wage and salary, health and safety, income security, benefits continuation, and family and medical emergencies.
MHC 563 Human Resource Technology
3 credits. The course examines how technology has enabled and transformed the modern human resource function within large enterprises. A variety of HR applications will be covered including Employee and Manager Self Service, Talent Acquisition, Performance Management, e-Learning, Compensation Planning and HR Analytics. The processes required justify, select, deliver and support HR technology solutions will be analyzed. Finally, special topics such as HR data privacy, HR Shared Service Centers, HR Outsourcing and the evolution and future of HR Technology will be covered.
MHC 564 Finance & Accounting for Managers
3 credits. This course develops students’ practical skills in the interpretation and use of financial and accounting information for managerial decision-making. Students will learn how to (1) understand and analyze financial statements, (2) evaluate relevant costs for decision-making, (3) perform present value analyses, and (4) make sound capital budget decisions.
MHC 565 Managing Workforce Flow
3 credits. This course focuses on efficient and effective flow of the workforce through an organization. Particular attention will be given to the relationship between business strategy and workforce planning, including the influence of internal and external labor markets, demographic trends, and diversity, and the challenges of technological changes. The course will provide an in-depth look at the theories, principles, and legal issues surrounding organizational workforce planning in a global economy.
MHC 662 Total Rewards
3 credits. The focus of this course is on strategic compensation systems needed in a dynamic business environment. Both basic and advanced concepts are reviewed, including job evaluation, wage and salary structures, gain-sharing, and other pay-forperformance systems.
MHC 663 Talent Selection and Retention
3 credits. An examination of traditional staffing functions (recruitment, selection, orientation) is undertaken so that the process by which organizations and individuals are matched may be better understood. Always mindful of the legal issues that permeate these processes, this unique course will examine the staffing function at an advanced level. Issues such as labor supply and demand, HR strategy and planning, the regulatory environment, validity and reliability, job analysis, realistic job previews, assessment centers, honesty and ability testing, and state of the art recruitment and selection techniques will be explored in depth.
MHC 667 Human Resource Fundamentals
3 credits. This course will provide the student with the fundamental knowledge essential to all practicing HR professionals. Critical HR functions will be explored in depth to provide a solid understanding of the many issues confronting the HR professional. Topic areas will include (but not be limited to) Strategic Management, Workforce Planning and Employment, Human Resource Development, Total Rewards, Employee and Labor Relations, and Risk Management. In all topic areas, the legal impact of human resources decision making will be considered. This course is appropriate for early HR careerists, those interested in entering the HR field, and students interested in how HR practices further organizational performance.
MHC 797 Managing Human Capital: Strategy & Application -– Capstone Course
3 credits. This course requires the student to apply their knowledge of business strategy and human resource management in the development of a Strategic Human Resource Management Project. This project will build on previous course work in the MSHRM Program and allow students to choose a particular area of interest in which to further enhance their knowledge and expertise. Students may choose either a field-based project or choose to conduct an in-depth exploration into a particular HR discipline. Throughout this course, each student will demonstrate their ability to fulfill the four strategic human resource management roles serving as a strategic business partner, a change agent, an employee advocate, and an efficient administrator. Prerequisites: Completion of all required foundation and core MSSHRM courses. Open to MSSHRM students only.
NOTE: Courses are in alpha-numeric order, not necessarily the order in which they are taken, and are subject to change. Please speak with an Program Manager for a course map.
To learn more, please request information below, or call us at (215) 473-2695. You’ll speak with one of our Program Managers, who can answer any questions you might have about the Master of Science in Strategic Human Resource Management.
