Curriculum & Courses

The world of work is changing at an unprecedented pace and scale. As organizations struggle to cope with the challenges posed by rapid technological advancements, workforce demographic shifts, the transformation of work and employment relationships, and other disruptive trends, HR has been propelled to center stage. Technical HR knowledge is not enough for HR professionals partnering with business leaders to navigate these complexities. They need well-honed consulting skills to get the job done. This course provides a structured approach to delivering high-impact consulting services — from evaluating business challenges, to designing HR solutions, implementing and supporting HR solutions, leading change, and building client relationships. Through case studies and experiential exercises, you will explore field-tested tools and learn techniques for effective internal and external consulting. The course ends with specially designed consulting scenarios that will help you apply newly acquired knowledge and skills, challenge your thinking, and develop your confidence as a human capital consultant.

Enrollment in this course includes participation in four live online sessions.

The HRM Capstone is the culminating experience of the Georgetown Master’s in HRM program. It represents a crowning achievement as a capstone does in architecture, and provides students with an opportunity to apply the HR knowledge, skills and competencies gained from all their coursework to complex real-world organizational challenges. Through the culminating experience, students complete unique and original projects that make a creative contribution that advances an organization or the HR profession. This contribution may take the form of a consulting engagement with a partner organization or an applied research project. Depending on the nature of your project, you may work individually or on a small team — under the guidance of an expert advisor. Your semester-long project may be broad-based or focused on a specialized area of HR, and requires you to demonstrate mastery of the seven program learning outcomes: creative & critical thinking, global competence, ethical reasoning and values, applied problem solving, information literacy, technological competence, and communication. Note: This course is a core requirement for the MPS degree. A grade of “B” or higher is needed to pass this course.

This course is completed online asynchronously. The program team must register you for this course - please contact your academic advisor for help registering!

In today’s complex and rapidly evolving workplace, employees need leaders who embrace a coaching culture — leaders who empower individuals and teams to set goals, create action plans, pursue growth and development opportunities, and stay accountable. This course equips you with essential coaching competencies, including active listening and presence, powerful questioning, trust and rapport building, goal-setting, and action planning, enhancing your effectiveness as a people manager. Blending theory with practical application, the course helps you integrate evidence-based coaching approaches into your leadership style. Grounded in behavioral science, it offers insights into human behavior and motivation, enabling you to cultivate sustainable coaching practices that balance empathy with business needs. Through real-world case studies, role-plays, and reflective exercises, you will learn to apply coaching methods and techniques to navigate complexity and change, foster innovation and engagement, build high-performing teams, and support career development. You will also craft a personal leadership coaching philosophy and develop a plan to continuously refine your coaching skills.

This course will meet 6 times synchronously via Zoom.This course has 6 required synchronous Zoom sessions on May 19, Jun 9, Jun 23, Jul 7, Jul 21, and Aug 11.

In a world defined by constant change, there has never been a more urgent need for strategic leaders who can inspire people, unify teams, and drive meaningful impact across organizations. Rising to this challenge requires self-awareness, resilience, and the ability to turn vision into action. This course examines the theory and practice of leadership, guiding students from personal growth to organizational influence. Structured around three core themes—leadership foundations, leading and building high-performing teams, and leadership for growth and change—the course equips students with evidence-based tools to strengthen collaboration, manage conflict, coach and mentor others, and communicate with impact. You will discover your personal leadership brand, improve your emotional intelligence, and enhance your ability to lead diverse teams. Through case studies, applied exercises, and individualized leadership projects, students will learn to drive innovation, lead change, and foster cross-functional collaboration. By the end of the course, you will be prepared to navigate complexity, build resilient teams, and make a lasting impact within organizations and beyond.

This is a cross-disciplinary course for HR, IMC, and PM students. This course is asynchronous with no meeting times.

Understanding and making differences matter has become a strategic imperative with rapidly changing workforce demographics and increasing global interconnectedness. As a result, the study and practice of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), which are based on the social and normative construction of differences, have taken on heightened importance. This course explores contemporary and emerging DEI trends and challenges, and the theoretical underpinnings of the field of DEI in the American and global historical context. It provides foundational theories, models, and concepts required to develop effective diversity and inclusion strategies and programs. Practitioner values, ethics, agency and competencies are closely examined throughout the course, to help you understand the critical role of diversity and HR professionals in building a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. Through case studies, portfolio coaching, and a variety of experiential exercises, you will learn the fundamentals of DEI and develop the knowledge and skills required to help organizations leverage diversity for competitive advantage.

This course meets via Zoom on the day and times listed.Students are advised to take this as their first DEI course before taking MPHR 7350.

Workplace conflict and misconduct — from discrimination to harassment, bullying, retaliation, conflict of interest, and other inappropriate behavior — are on the rise. These pose serious legal, social, reputational, and financial risks to employers and can negatively impact employee morale and performance. HR professionals can help organizations navigate this challenge by effectively responding to and investigating complaints involving potential violations of law or company policy. This course explores procedures and best practices for managing workplace investigations end-to-end, from complaints intake to investigation planning, interviewing witnesses, gathering and evaluating evidence, and preparing an investigative report. Beyond investigations, you will learn strategies and techniques for resolving conflict, including arbitration, mediation, negotiation, and facilitation, as well as how to institutionalize measures to prevent a recurrence of misconduct. Through case study analyses, practice-based exercises, simulations, and expert feedback, you will gain the practical knowledge and skills required to conduct prompt, thorough, and fair investigations and manage conflict appropriately.

This course meets online via Zoom on the listed day and time. Students are advised to complete MPHR 7500-Employment Relations and Law before this class. There will be 6 required live Zoom class sessions held on May 27, Jun 3, Jul 1 & 15, Aug 5 & 12

This comprehensive course explores the rapidly evolving AI-driven business landscape. It combines essential leadership strategies with in-depth market analysis to prepare students for the challenges and opportunities presented by technological advancements. The course covers the impact of AI on leadership, emphasizing adaptable leadership styles for tech environments. It teaches managing diverse workforces, leading digital transformation, and developing problem-solving and decision-making skills for the tech industry. It also includes analyzing AI market trends, interpreting industry reports, and conducting competitive analysis to understand the strategies and dynamics of different market players. The program is tailored for Human Resources professionals tasked with leading workforce transformation in AI-driven organizations. It provides practical frameworks for talent strategy, reskilling and upskilling initiatives, workforce planning, and role and competency redesign as AI reshapes the nature of work. HR leaders will develop the strategic fluency needed to partner with executive teams on AI adoption, anticipate evolving talent needs, and champion change management across the enterprise.

This is an in-person course that meets weekly on the listed day and time.

The demand for ethical leadership is at an all-time high in today’s dynamic and challenging environment. Leaders face immense pressure to deliver results while navigating moral dilemmas with far-reaching consequences. Ethical intelligence is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity. This interdisciplinary course equips professionals with tools to navigate the ethical challenges of leadership across a range of fields — from higher education to human resources and beyond. You will explore ethical theories, frameworks, and models and how to align individual and organizational values to foster ethical decision making. Applying theory to practice, this course embraces Ignatian pedagogy and is rooted in social justice and engaged reflection. Through experiential exercises, real-world case studies, and scenario analyses, you will gain the knowledge and skills required to make ethical decisions, lead with integrity, and embed a culture of ethics and accountability within your organization.

This course meets in person at the day and time listed at the Capitol Campus Building. This course is a core requirement of the degree and requires a grade of "B" or better for successful completion.

The demand for ethical leadership is at an all-time high in today’s dynamic and challenging environment. Leaders face immense pressure to deliver results while navigating moral dilemmas with far-reaching consequences. Ethical intelligence is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity. This interdisciplinary course equips professionals with tools to navigate the ethical challenges of leadership across a range of fields — from higher education to human resources and beyond. You will explore ethical theories, frameworks, and models and how to align individual and organizational values to foster ethical decision making. Applying theory to practice, this course embraces Ignatian pedagogy and is rooted in social justice and engaged reflection. Through experiential exercises, real-world case studies, and scenario analyses, you will gain the knowledge and skills required to make ethical decisions, lead with integrity, and embed a culture of ethics and accountability within your organization.

This course is completed asynchronously online. This course is a core requirement of the degree and requires a grade of "B" or better for successful completion.

People management really matters. In the twenty-first century talent economy, the evidence consistently and overwhelmingly shows that effective HR practices promote employee well-being and drive organizational performance. Forward-thinking organizations and managers must therefore put people at the center of strategy execution, and manage them carefully and purposefully in every stage of the HR life cycle — from recruitment, to onboarding, talent development, retention and off-boarding. Blending theory and practice, this course examines the latest trends and best practices in the key functional areas of HR: talent acquisition and management, learning and development, total rewards management, and employment relations and the law. You will explore the roles and responsibilities of HR professionals and line managers in implementing HR policies and practices that align with business outcomes and meet employees’ changing needs. Through real-world case studies, application exercises and group projects, you will acquire the foundational HR knowledge and skills for building competitive advantage through people.

This course is completed asynchronously online. This course is a core requirement for the MPS degree.

The highly interconnected global economy poses immense opportunities as well as challenges for organizations around the world. For multinationals striving to compete in complex and turbulent business environments, one serious challenge they face is leveraging talent for competitive advantage. Human Resources (HR) professionals are expected to play a critical role in this area, developing talent strategies to support their organization’s strategic plans across borders and cultures. This course will equip you with the knowledge and skills required to effectively manage people in a global environment. You will explore how the global contexts in which multinationals operate influence their people strategies at home and abroad, and how to develop HR practices to unleash their global workforce. Combining theory and practice, and using real-world case studies, the course covers all the key functional areas of global HR — from strategic HR, to talent acquisition and mobility, performance and rewards, talent and organization development, and employment relations and risk management.

This course is completed asynchronously online.

HR professionals partnering with organizational leaders in increasingly complex and dynamic business environments need to develop their business acumen and strategic thinking skills to enable them to deliver results. This course explores the fundamentals of business acumen, from understanding an organization’s competitive advantage, to using business tools to analyze HR initiatives, and ensuring alignment between HR strategy and the organization’s strategic direction. An overarching goal of the course is to develop your fluency in speaking the language of business – accounting. You will learn how to identify the key drivers of performance and profitability, analyze financial statements and other business documents, use financial data to inform strategic decision making, allocate scarce resources, and justify HR budgets. Through real-world case studies, simulations and team-based projects, you will enhance your business and financial intelligence, and gain the confidence to navigate complex people and business challenges, adding value to your organization.

This course meets in person at the day and time listed.

The HRM Capstone is the culminating experience of the Georgetown Master’s in HRM program. It represents a crowning achievement as a capstone does in architecture, and provides students with an opportunity to apply the HR knowledge, skills and competencies gained from all their coursework to complex real-world organizational challenges. Through the culminating experience, students complete unique and original projects that make a creative contribution that advances an organization or the HR profession. This contribution may take the form of a consulting engagement with a partner organization or an applied research project. Depending on the nature of your project, you may work individually or on a small team — under the guidance of an expert advisor. Your semester-long project may be broad-based or focused on a specialized area of HR, and requires you to demonstrate mastery of the seven program learning outcomes: creative & critical thinking, global competence, ethical reasoning and values, applied problem solving, information literacy, technological competence, and communication. Note: This course is a core requirement for the MPS degree. A grade of “B” or higher is needed to pass this course.

This course is a core requirement of the degree and requires a grade of "B" or better for successful completion. You must contact the program to be registered for this course - students cannot register themselves for this course.

The twenty-first century has ushered in a new era of data and analytics. This presents a unique opportunity for HR professionals to establish themselves as credible business partners, helping organizations to leverage analytics to make smarter talent and strategic decisions. This course will equip you with the knowledge and skills to unlock the power of people data. From basic data reporting, statistical analysis, and benchmarking (descriptive analytics) to advanced quantitative analysis and modeling (predictive analytics), you will learn tools and techniques for data analysis. The course provides practical tips to help you translate your analytical findings into impactful HR solutions, and communicate your findings through persuasive visualization and storytelling. Ethical and legal issues that may arise from using analytics to make HR decisions will also be explored. Using real-world case studies, application exercises and group projects, you will learn how to develop a data-driven decision-making mindset, to improve the way organizations recruit, deploy, develop, assess, reward and retain talent.

This course is completed asynchronously online. Students are advised to take this course before taking MPHR 5300: Human Capital Analytics.

In today’s increasingly dynamic, volatile and complex world, change is inevitable. From private enterprises to public sector and nonprofit organizations, change initiatives have become more frequent and widespread, as organizations strive to cope with rapidly shifting environmental conditions, new technologies, demanding customers and stakeholders, and dynamic markets. But despite the necessity and frequency of change, several studies continue to cite a high failure rate of change initiatives. This presents serious challenges—and opportunities—for HR professionals, as they are uniquely positioned to promote employee buy-in and drive change forward. This course will prepare you to be a successful change agent. We will examine how Organization Development and Change concepts and methods can be used to effectively design and implement change initiatives. Through insightful readings, peer learning and dialogue, and a semester-long real-world application project, you will explore the OD process in depth: from the entry and contracting phase, to data gathering, diagnosis and feedback, conducting interventions, and evaluating and ending an engagement.

This course has no meeting times and is completed asynchronously.

As scientific research output on human resources management continues to grow rapidly, there is wide acceptance of the need for HR professionals to embrace evidence-based practice. This requires using the best available scientific evidence, as well as systematically gathering organizational facts, data, indicators, and metrics. Exploring the fundamentals of research methods and data analysis, this course is designed to help you become a more sophisticated consumer and producer of research. As a consumer, the course will equip you with the skills to make informed, critical, and cautious use of published research. A central focus of the course is preparing you to produce high-quality research. You will learn how to formulate research questions, design research projects, and collect, analyze and interpret data using qualitative and quantitative methods. Employing a learning-by-doing approach, you will develop your research and analytical skills, and gain the foundational knowledge and skills to leverage HR research and analytics for effective problem-solving and decision-making.

This course is completed asynchronously. Students are advised to take this course before taking MPHR 5300: Human Capital Analytics.

As scientific research output on human resources management continues to grow rapidly, there is wide acceptance of the need for HR professionals to embrace evidence-based practice. This requires using the best available scientific evidence, as well as systematically gathering organizational facts, data, indicators, and metrics. Exploring the fundamentals of research methods and data analysis, this course is designed to help you become a more sophisticated consumer and producer of research. As a consumer, the course will equip you with the skills to make informed, critical, and cautious use of published research. A central focus of the course is preparing you to produce high-quality research. You will learn how to formulate research questions, design research projects, and collect, analyze and interpret data using qualitative and quantitative methods. Employing a learning-by-doing approach, you will develop your research and analytical skills, and gain the foundational knowledge and skills to leverage HR research and analytics for effective problem-solving and decision-making.

This course meets in person at the day and time listed. Students are advised to take this course before taking MPHR 5300: Human Capital Analytics.

As organizations strive to create value and deliver results in today’s increasingly complex and dynamic environment, leveraging HR practices for competitive advantage has taken on a heightened importance. The ability to attract, motivate, retain and engage a talented workforce are critical to successful strategy execution, but continues to be an Achilles’ heel for many organizations. HR professionals have a strategic role to play here. They are responsible for designing and implementing a competitive mix of total rewards – compensation, benefits, work-life effectiveness, performance management, recognition, and talent development – while keeping the compensation budget (one of largest controllable expenses) under control. This course will prepare you to deal with these tensions, and help you to strike the right balance between the competing imperatives of internal equity, market competitiveness and individual performance. You will learn how to align total rewards strategies with organizational culture, HR goals and business strategy, and develop the skills needed to measure and improve compensation ROI.

This course is completed asynchronously online.