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Fields of Study
Master's degrees in Human Resource Education are offered with concentrations in the following fields of study:
- Human Resource Development (HRD) (on-campus or online)
- Community College Teaching and Learning (online only)
- E-Learning (online only)
Within our online Human Resource Development master's concentration, we offer an optional emphasis in the following field:
- Health Profession Education (online only)
Doctoral degrees are available with a concentration in Human Resource Development. Within this emphasis, optional emphases are available in:
Human Resource Development
The greatest asset of this nation is its human resources. Public education alone cannot be expected to prepare and maintain a labor force that can meet the needs of employers. Consequently, employers and other organizations have become the largest provider of adult education in the United States. Workplace human resource development initiatives provide management training, technical skills instruction, general education, basic skills remediation, organization development, and interventions to improve performance. The HRE Department educates those working or aspiring to work in corporations, educational institutions, government agencies, healthcare organizations, the military, non-profit organizations, and community-based groups through this field of study.
Doctoral Programs (on-campus)
Master's Program (on-campus)
Master's Program (online)
Community College Teaching and Learning
Today more than 1,000 community, junior, and technical colleges dot the nation's landscape. The majority of students in higher education enter through one of these schools. Typically, the students are more highly diverse than their counterparts entering four-year colleges. Most community colleges consider themselves comprehensive institutions because they offer transfer, occupational, developmental, and continuing education. Among these areas, community colleges are particularly well recognized as one of our nation's primary providers of occupational education, an area expected to grow even more in the future. The Community College Teaching and Learning program increases the teaching effectiveness of community college faculty and builds the instructional leadership of community college supervisory personnel. This curriculum is focused on the effective design and implementation of quality instruction, contemporary instructional technologies, and other instruction using innovations such as peer-based collaboration and active learning strategies.
Master's Program (online)
Certificate Program (online)
E-learning
A growing portion of higher education and workplace educational programming is being delivered via the Internet because of widespread access and the potential for high quality, interactive pedagogy. Online education is a constantly evolving field, and educators and instructional designers need to stay on top of innovations in online learning. The program in E-learning targets individuals across disciplines and organizational sectors to provide a solid foundational knowledge and capabilities to reflect, consistently improve, and innovate e-learning practices. The program focuses on design, development, and management of e-learning and attracts students from higher education, businesses, non-profits, the military, and other organizational settings.
Master's Program (online)
Certificate Program - Foundations of E-Learning (online)
Certificate Program - Management of E-Learning (online)
Health Profession Education
The healthcare delivery system serves a vital role in this nation, continues to expand in size, and requires a rapidly advancing knowledge and skill base. Innovative and effective education is required for providing initial professional qualifications and providing continuing professional development. Additionally, leaders in the health professions need the ability to manage organizational change and navigate organizational challenges. The program in Health Profession Education (HPE) provides the education necessary for HRD professionals and other education specialists in healthcare settings. Specifically, the program serves nurses, administrators, medical residents, education/training personnel, and other healthcare professionals with an interest in continuing education and organization development. This innovative master's specialization is offered in collaboration with Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield .
Training and Development
The Training and Development doctoral specialization is designed for students who are interested in research and practice related to instructional design, training, and curriculum design in a variety organizational settings. This specialization provides a research-based exploration of theories of learning, models of instructional design, and effective training techniques. Students gain a conceptual understanding of how knowledge and skills are acquired and then develop skills in the design, implementation, management, and evaluation of instruction. Students in this specialization take courses that address fundamental theories of learning that cut across behavioral, cognitive, and social boundaries. Building on these perspectives of learning, students gain skills in the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation of instruction.
Learning Technologies
The Learning Technologies doctoral specialization is designed to prepare leaders for research and practice who are knowledgeable about learning technologies. Students in this specialization gain a conceptual, theoretical, and practical understanding of the unique characteristics of a wide range of technologies that support and enhance instruction. Students also acquire the ability to select, develop, and effectively use appropriate instructional technologies to enhance learning. Core courses build heavily on theories of learning, instructional design, and instructional methods. Students become adept in selecting, designing, using, and evaluating learning technologies that range from traditional instructional media to cutting-edge forms of online instruction.
Organization Development
This Organization Development (OD) doctoral specialization focuses on the application of social science knowledge to improve performance in work organizations at the individual, team, organizational, and inter-organizational levels. OD is an area of professional practice that is important for public and private organizations and institutions. The specialization is designed for current and future HRD researchers and practitioners interested in organizational/institutional change and transformation, moving organizations and institutions toward high performance, and building learning organizations. Leadership Development is often seen as a subset of OD and is conceptualized broadly. Leadership is not restricted to the executive level alone; and leaders can be found and developed at all levels of an organization or institution. The focus in this specialization is on the empirical research and professional practice of identifying, developing, and promoting leadership behavior in a variety of settings.