About the Program

A central component of Georgetown University’s educational mission is to equip people with the knowledge necessary to achieve by motivating others to strive for excellence. For centuries, the school has been noted as a national and international meeting place where the most gifted scholars, students, professionals, and thought leaders meet to exchange ideas and promote intellectual discovery. The Master of Professional Studies in Human Resources Management curriculum focuses on optimizing human resources theories and practices, as well as innovation, corporate social responsibility, technology, and globalization. In the process, students explore how ethics relates to both the field and to themselves. Woven into the MPS in Human Resources Mangement curriculum are opportunities for you to put what you learn into practice, culminating in a capstone experience that challenges you to test your ideas in professional situations and have them evaluated by instructors and executives who are helping to drive change in the human resources field.

All students will take a required core course in applied ethics and a capstone course, in addition to courses needed to graduate with a concentration in their chosen track.

Core Course- Applied Ethics (3 credits) All Students
This three-credit core course will be required for all Master of Professional Studies candidates. It will emphasize core values endemic to the professional world, cutting across several disciplines but with a particular focus on the connections between applied ethics and human resources and diversity. Professionals in various fields, such as human resources, diversity, business, and government, will guest lecture and present the students with real-world case studies which gives them the opportunity to apply ethical principles to their work.

Common Experience Curriculum (6 credits) All Students
This will include two classes and is required of all Human Resources students in the Master of Professional Studies program. One of the strengths of our program is that we bring students together with a variety of backgrounds, skills and experience. The Common Experience Curriculum provides a common set of learning expectations and outcomes for all students regardless of concentration. The Georgetown Common Experience integrates each student's learning in a concentration of study with learning expectations that broaden the student's understanding of the study and practice of Human Resources and Diversity.

Capstone (3 credits) All Students
This three-credit course will be the culmination of the student’s academic and professional experience in the MPS program. Over the course of the semester, students will work with an organization to help address a real life problem in the organization. The problems will be based on the concentrations of International Human Resources Management, Diversity and Inclusion or Strategic Human Capital Management. Working with their advisor, students will present the resolution to an issue to the sponsoring organization in a reasoned, systemic way. In an effort to ensure a high quality project, the capstone will also include research methods which will provide a foundation in research methods for students for their capstone. Students will learn how to design a research proposal, how to define with specificity and particularity, objectives of research, how to conduct literature reviews and how to assess and implement appropriate research methods based on the needs of the project. The course covers both qualitative methods such as case studies, questionnaires, surveys and interview techniques and an introduction to quantitative methods and data analysis. The faculty advisor will work closely with the student and the sponsoring organization to ensure that the project comprehensively addresses the issue and demonstrates the depth of competency the student gained through the Master of Professional Studies program.

Advanced Professional Certificate

• The APC is designed for students who do not wish to pursue the Master's Degree but who are interested in a Graduate Certificate. Students may choose to pursue an APC in any of the following areas: Diversity and Inclusion Management, Strategic Human Capital or International Human Resources Management.
• Admissions standards are the same for students pursuing either the MPS or the APC.
• In order to earn the APC, students are required to complete 15 credits hours (5 courses).
• The only required course for APC students is Ethics. Students then choose courses with the approval of the program Dean.
• If students wish to transfer credits to the MPS later, all 5 courses are transferable.