Overview

Curriculum

Masters

The master's degree program may be considered a general overview of the field, allowing students to determine an area of interest or specialization. This program of study has its foundation in theory and research, with an emphasis on practical application. Students focus on the following competencies: reflecting on key events; thinking strategically about business problems and solutions; collaborating with people in diverse work situations; understanding the foundational theories of human-performance technology; analyzing work performance, organizational structures, and organizational processes; designing and implementing business solutions; managing people, processes, and projects; and assessing the effectiveness of business interventions. They develop knowledge and capacities in planning, problem-solving, designing and evaluating instruction, and in analyzing and influencing organizational behavior, policy, and change.

School of Education Literacy Test
Taking the School of Education's Literacy Test during the first semester of enrollment is required for all master's students in order to register for subsequent semesters. The Literacy Test exemplifies the School of Education's commitment to a higher standard of academic preparation.

Although a passing score is not required for HRE students, some have viewed the test as an objective assessment of their written communication skills. Often, these students have found they have a great deal to learn, have utilized available developmental workshops, and as a result, may become more effective communicators.

Course Descriptions

The Theory and Practice of Human Resource Education
SED HR 720
The course includes an analysis of the major theories and recent research of human resource education with emphasis on the assessment, design, delivery, and evaluation of workplace learning. The role of learning in organizational change and individual development is a major focus.

Adult Learning Theory and Training
SED HR 722
Focuses on three elements of the training and development role: application of theories of adult learning; design of effective instructional programs; and understanding models of effective platform skills. Students have an opportunity to practice and evaluate various models and theories of adult learning. Special emphasis is placed on bottom-line issues, because, increasingly, managers must know how training relates to business goals, and learning and development departments must determine the return on investment for their initiatives.

Organizational Change
SED HR 752
The goal of this course is to engage students in thinking critically about the challenges of organizational change and in thinking creatively about the formulation of effective strategies, policies, and interventions to assist managers and employees in adapting to a rapidly evolving world of work. Students will study contemporary theories and models currently employed in the understanding of organizational change and apply these theories in examining specific case studies of organizational change and in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of current approaches to leading and managing change. At the end of each course, students should have the capacity to analyze critically the change processes operating in their own or client organizations.

Perspectives on Inquiry
SED RS 600
Emphasizes the conceptualization of research problems based on critical review of the literature. Landmark studies and current articles are used to illustrate applications of quantitative, qualitative, and theoretical approaches to inquiry. The language, logic, major concepts, strengths, and limitations of these approaches are noted. Students develop critical thinking skills for examining research information and its use for both asking questions that extend knowledge and planning studies to address new questions.

Organizational Analysis for HRD
SED HR 510
This course is intended to teach students how to approach several dimensions of analyzing organizational problems and opportunities. These include describing and establishing the importance of particular problems and opportunities; documenting significant indicators of the problems and opportunities; clarifying relationships between facts and values in defining what are called problems and opportunities; using social science theories as conceptual frameworks for analyzing (a) the causes of organizational problems, and (b) the potential hindering and facilitating factors involved in making changes to ameliorate problems and taking advantage of opportunities; formulating and evaluating strategies to resolve problems and utilizing opportunities; tailoring specific action recommendations to important stakeholders based on their interests, commitments, power positions, skills, and resources.

Organizational Consulting
SED HR 750
This course provides an introduction to the concepts, methods, and skills required to be effective as a consultant in an organization or institution, whether acting as an internal or an external consultant. The focus of this course is on consulting in a human resource development (HRD) environment. Therefore, consultants working in an HRD capacity in or to an organization will benefit the most from the course. The objectives of the consultant are to find ways to more effectively meet the needs of the various constituents and stakeholders in an organization while at the same time being focused on organizational performance and productivity. Success depends on the consultant's conceptual, behavioral, and planning skills to design and guide the consultation process.

Instructional Design
SED EM 701
Applying the strategies employed in the systems approach to the design of mediated curricula. Includes selection of educational objectives, needs assessment, taxonomy of educational objectives, and evaluating the results of systemized programs. This course explores the systems approach to creating effective learning solutions used as strategic business tools. Students develop skills in conducting front-end analysis, defining performance requirements and learning outcomes, formulating and implementing learning strategies, and defining and implementing evaluation strategies to assess the effectiveness and business impact of learning solutions. Participants also examine the emerging strategic trends in workplace learning and performance.

Group Problem Solving
SED AP 760
Emphasizes collaborative models for clarifying and solving problems. Simulations, case studies, and field projects are used as sources of information. The aim is to help students diagnose and solve organizational problems they have identified. The course addresses issues basic to the practice of consultant and facilitator: team building and group problem solving.

Seminar: Human Resource Education
SED AP 900
Advanced seminar for students in human resource education. Examines trends, issues, and research methods relating to devising, programming, staffing, and leading private sector learning activities. Through an independent project, students integrate the skills and knowledge they have developed in their programs of study. Participants' professional and academic experiences are shared and developed in the projects, based on real needs of the participants' organizations. Projects involve applied research-for example, in the form of assessing organizational needs, evaluating programs, and describing and documenting ongoing organizational development work. Independent project work culminates in two types of products: oral presentations and written papers describing and documenting the work.

Doctorate

The Human Resource Education doctoral program has been designed to allow for student-directed specialization while maintaining a foundation in education and research. The course requirements focus on content devoted to policy, analysis, and professional practice skills. Additionally, specialized research courses are offered each year in Human Resource Education, enhancing the relevance of the program and ensuring that current issues in the field are addressed. The resulting program appropriately balances required courses emphasizing conceptual or foundational topics and those geared to developing or improving professional practice capabilities. All doctoral candidates must comply with a rigorous set of guidelines which have been developed to ensure only the most determined, motivated, highest-caliber graduates. Although students complete the majority of the program while considered part time, doctoral students are required to take two consecutive semesters with at least 12 credits taken in each semester. This is known as the residency requirement. Beyond this and the course requirements, each doctoral candidate must additionally achieve two critical milestones: pass a comprehensive exam and write and defend a doctoral dissertation.

Students are expected to exhibit a high degree of learner autonomy, setting educational goals, clearly articulating their research interests in collaboration with their advisor. The Human Resource Education program ensures that doctoral students are not alone. In support of these challenges, faculty members match the commitment, enthusiasm, and energy of each student with their own. As a result of this painstaking process, doctoral graduates feel an overwhelming sense of pride in their accomplishment when the program is complete.

Prospective candidates should consider the above as an overview of the requirements for earning a Doctor of Education with a specialization in Human Resource Education. Candidates with a serious interest in this program are encouraged to review the requirements in the Doctoral Student Handbook by the Department of Administration, Training, and Policy Studies, Boston University, School of Education, September 2005. Copies are available upon request from the Department Secretary, 6th floor, Rm. 608, or from the HRE Program Manager.

Then, they are prompted to contact the HRE Program Manager to set up a time and date to meet with the Director of the HRE program.

Course Descriptions

Intellectual History of Education
SED ED 703
Readings in and discussion of The Republic, Emile, Talks With Teachers, and Brave New World-books which have influenced thinking about the purposes of education. Intended to introduce students to the study of education at the doctoral level and to writing about education with conceptual sophistication.

Development Over the Life Span
SED ED 702
Identifies and addresses conceptual, substantive, and historical questions about the effects of research and theories on changing views of learning throughout the life span, and the effects of these views on educational practice. The writings of theorists and researchers who have been influential over the past 100 years are emphasized.

Foundations of Educational Inquiry
SED RS 650
Introduction to foundational questions related to what is important and knowable about educational matters and how different traditions and methods of inquiry-empirical and analytic-respond to such questions. Topics include: relationships among humanistic and scientific disciplines; standards of believability, persuasiveness, and utility in different kinds of inquiry; standards of credibility and persuasiveness in synthesizing and critiquing bodies of scholarly work in the humanistic and social scientific disciplines; and the relationships among theoretical, quantitative, and qualitative methods in the cycle of scientific discovery.

Quantitative Research Methods
SED RS 653
Conceptualization of quantitative research problems. Study the descriptive and inferential statistics most commonly used for analyzing data in educational research including t-tests, ANOVAs, multiple comparisons, correlation, regression, and chi square. Emphasis placed on interpretation. Research project requires identifying a problem, gathering and analyzing data, and writing a report in journal format.

Proposal Development Seminar
SED AP 998
A required group seminar for doctoral students examining the dissertation process and applying principles of research design in developing the doctoral research prospectus.

Organizational Analysis
SED AP 761
Students define and document organizational problems, identify positive and negative stakeholders, analyze possible problem causes using a range of theoretical frameworks, and examine alternative strategies for resolving or ameliorating the problem. Students should come to the first class with a specific organizational problem in mind and with sufficient knowledge of the organization to perform thorough and detailed analyses. Copies of the syllabus are generally available several weeks in advance.

Advanced Policy Seminar
SED AP 771
Students use appropriate theories and methods to examine critically important policy issues in public and private education and in corporate training and development. Includes preparation for departmental comprehensive examination.

Organizational Learning
SED HR 751
This course takes a macro view of learning in an organizational context. The focus of the course is on the processes through which the organization as a system learns, rather than the more typical human resource development (HRD) focus on learning as the development of individual competence within the organization. Inherent in the construct of organizational learning is the assumption that an organization, as a system, is capable of processing and retaining information, as well as changing on the basis of that information. The course focuses on the processes that allow the organization to take in, use, develop, and retain knowledge; or conversely the barriers that prevent the organizational learning from occurring.

Coaching for Performance and Development
SED HR 753
An overview of general perceptions of coaching will be noted. Selected theories and conceptual frameworks will be studied in relation to the coaching process. Practice guidelines will be explored within the context of certain psychological precepts, as well as through practical applications. Coaching as a set of skills will be explored in the context of current applications. The distinctions and relationships between mentoring and coaching will be discussed. Students will develop a competent and integrated coaching style for use in the workplace. Consideration will be given to the future direction of and research on coaching and emerging of new forms of learning and action will be evaluated.

Seminar: Human Resource Education
SED HR 900
Advanced seminar for students in human resource education. Examines trends, issues, and research methods relating to devising, programming, staffing, and leading private sector learning activities.

Dissertation Advisement
SED AP 999