Online Course Schedule for Spring 2023

Employment Relations and the Law

Employment-related litigation, settlements and fines are on the rise in the U.S., causing considerable financial and reputational damage to organizations. HR professionals can help to minimize employment risks and reduce costs by ensuring that HR practices and policies align and comply with laws and regulations. Beyond employment law, HR professionals are expected to develop employee relations strategies and programs that foster positive employee-manager and unions-management relations. This course provides an overview of U.S. laws that govern the employer-employee relationship — including laws that prohibit discrimination, and labor laws that protect employees’ rights and set forth employers’ obligations and responsibilities. You will also explore employee relations strategies and best practices for driving employee engagement and managing workplace conflicts. Through real-world cases and problem-based learning, you will gain the practical skills and knowledge required to advise managers on dealing with legal and contemporary issues throughout the HR lifecycle, from hiring and promotion, to compensation and benefits, discipline and termination.

Note: This course is completed asynchronously online.

Foundations of HR

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.

Note: This course is completed asynchronously online.

Global Human Resources Management

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.

Note: This course is completed asynchronously online.

MPS HR Capstone

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.

Note: This course is completed asynchronously online. This course is a core requirement for the MPS degree. A grade of “B” or higher is needed to pass this course.

MPS HR Capstone

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.

Note: This course is completed asynchronously online. This course is a core requirement for the MPS degree. A grade of “B” or higher is needed to pass this course

Human Capital Analytics

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.

Note: This course is completed asynchronously online. Students are advised to take this course after completing MPHR 502: Research Methods & Data Analysis for HR.

Managing Technology

The Management of Technology course provides theoretical and practical experience in using information technology to support organizational decision-making processes. You will examine the requirements of an organization to optimize its competitive strategy and core competencies. You will learn different tactical, strategic, and organizational factors relative to various information systems, as well as how to gauge the effectiveness of an organization’s information system. The course addresses some of the unique issues in managing different types of IT professionals, from senior-level architects to junior-level infrastructure support personnel. You will explore tools and techniques related to hiring, developing, assessing, and retaining staff—as well as theories/methods of managing remote workers and virtual teams.

Note: Registration requires department approval. This course is completed asynchronously online.

Research Process and Methodology

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.

Note: This course is completed asynchronously online.

Strategic Planning & HR Strat.

Significant attention is now placed on the role of the HR as a Strategic Partner, as HR practitioners are expected to collaborate with business leaders in strategy formulation and execution. To succeed in this role, HR professionals need to have foundational knowledge of the strategic management process, and understand how the economic, social and political environments in which their organizations operate impacts business results. This course provides a roadmap of the strategic planning process. You will learn how to develop a strategic plan that aligns with an organization’s purpose and mission, reflects long-term goals, and creates value for organizational stakeholders. Through real-world case studies, application exercises and group projects, the course provides practical tips on how to ensure strategic alignment between HR strategy and programs, and an organization’s strategic direction. You will also gain insights on how to incorporate a social dimension to strategy by creating shared value, and the key issues and challenges in translating HR strategy into action.

Note: This course is completed asynchronously online.

Talent Acquisition & Mgmt.

As competition for talent intensifies around the world, organizations are facing unprecedented challenges in acquiring, retaining, and engaging the talent they need to meet the demands of their customers and stakeholders. These problems are accentuated by shifting demographics, unpredictable market conditions, and disruptive technologies. Organizations expect HR to help them respond effectively to these trends, creating and delivering a strategy to meet their current and future talent needs. Exploring the fundamentals of talent acquisition and management, this course covers the key concepts, methods, techniques, and tools in recruitment, selection, workforce planning, employer branding, and staffing system evaluation and technology. You will learn evidence-based approaches and best practices for acquiring and managing talent, with particular attention paid to ethical, legal and diversity considerations. Through real-world case studies, application exercises and team-based learning, you will gain the knowledge and skills needed to improve hiring processes and outcomes, create a positive candidate experience, retain key talent, and plan for future workforce needs.

Note: This course is completed asynchronously online.

Workplace Ethics

Note: This course is completed asynchronously online.