MBA with a Human Resources Concentration
“Keller students are constantly challenged to think strategically about what's going to work in the marketplace.”
- Scott Howland, Keller Alumnus
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MBA in Human Resources
If you're pursuing a career in human resources, keeping your competencies and resume up-to-date is important. Our MBA in Human Resources is designed to help you hone your competencies in areas such as planning, staffing, rewarding and developing talent, and cultivating an organization's people and culture. In addition to your focused area of study, you can gain presentation skills and experience in corporate-level communication and learn the management theory and business acumen necessary to rise to the top at any organization.
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Learn on campus, online or a mix of both
At Keller, we've integrated on campus and online learning so you can attend any of our 90+ campus locations, take your graduate classes online or do a combination of both. -
Study at Keller on campus, online or a mix of both
We give you the flexibility to attend classes at any of our 90+ campus locations, take all of your graduate courses online or even do a combination of both.
Explore online learning
At Keller, we offer online graduate classes taught with the same focus on personal attention and academic rigor as classes taught on campus. And because courses are offered online, you can schedule working on your education around working on your career not the other way around.
On campus and online
For those students who need the flexibility of studying online to balance work, school and life, but also want a classroom experience, we offer a mix of both on campus and online learning. Take some courses online and some at a location convenient for you, whichever best fits your schedule.
Tuition, fees and expenses†
MBA with a Human Resources Concentration1See payment options- Total Required Credit Hours: 48
- Number of Standard Three-Semester-Credit Hour Courses: 16
- Tuition per Standard Three-Semester-Credit Hour Course: $2,255
- Textbook and Materials Expense2: $2,800
- Total Program Cost3: $38,930
Note: Tuition for Canadian residents enrolled in U.S.-based programs delivered online is charged in Canadian dollars at rates shown.
† Effective beginning July 2011.
1 Availability varies by location.
2 At average estimated per-course expense for textbooks and materials of $175; average estimated per-course expense does not apply to exam-prep courses, the per-credit-hour cost for which includes textbook and materials expense.
3 At current tuition rates and credit hours shown; includes $50 application fee and average estimated textbook and materials expense.Experience the real value of a graduate education
Not only will you be learning skills that could help you rise to the top of your field, you'll also be gaining a valuable credential that may affect your entire career. A graduate education could change your earning potential, ability to be promoted and more.
Financing options
There are many scholarships and other financial aid options available for qualifying students that may help make your graduate education more affordable. Click one of the links below for more info.
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MBA in Human Resources Graduation Requirements
Total program length varies based on the number of courses taken per 8-week session. That means that if you take 1 class per session, you could complete your degree program in as few as 32 months.
- Total credit hours: 48
- Required program: 30
- Human Resources concentration: 12
- Elective: 6
MBA in Human Resources Coursework
Required program courses (30 credit hours)
We've designed the core program courses in our MBA to provide you with the fundamentals to make an impact in the business world. See MBA Required Program Courses for a list of required coursework.
Human Resources concentration courses (12 credit hours)
The concentration coursework is designed to further focus your MBA curriculum to better prepare you for success in a specific field or industry. To add a concentration to your MBA degree program, you may choose courses totaling 12 credit hours from the following list:
Click on a course name below for its full description.
- Human Resources and Technology (HR530) - 3 credit hours
- This course surveys current trends and best practices in use of technology in the human resources field. Topics include strategic use of human resources information systems, web-based human resources and other technological applications used in various functional areas of human resources. Prerequisites: HR590 or previous human resources experience, and IS535
- Managing Global Diversity (HR582) - 3 credit hours
- This course examines benefits and challenges of managing diversity in the workplace, as well as methods for using diversity to create a competitive advantage. Students analyze ways in which to develop a supportive, nondiscriminatory and productive work environment. Additionally, coursework focuses on specific workplace issues related to differences in gender, race, cultural ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, physical/mental ability, social class and religion. No prerequisite
- Managing International Human Resources (HR584) - 3 credit hours
- This course examines strategy and tactics that make up the global human resources management field. The course provides a broad overview of how global human resources functions differ from those of domestic human resources, helps students develop an understanding of how global human resources strategy is crafted and shows how such strategy is put into effect. Particular emphasis is placed on staffing, compensation, training, performance management, labor relations, communication and regulatory compliance within the global business environment. No prerequisite
- Labor Relations (HR586) - 3 credit hours
- Labor Relations focuses on the interaction of management and labor in the corporation. The course discusses the history of the American labor movement, federal and state labor laws, collective bargaining, mediation and work stoppage. Contract administration and interpretation, and the relationship between management rights and employee discipline are discussed. No prerequisite
- Managing Organizational Change (HR587) - 3 credit hours
- This course addresses concepts and techniques required to successfully implement change across an organization. Coursework focuses on identifying an organization's vision as well as opportunities that can align the vision with the organization's structures, processes, culture and orientation to the environment. Also addressed are opportunities for, and problems in, managing human dynamics in organizations, including intervention techniques, models, principles and values that indicate how to take charge of planned change efforts in order to achieve success. No prerequisite
- Human Resource Management (HR590) - 3 credit hours
- This course surveys contemporary techniques for managing a strategically oriented human resources function. Topics include planning, staffing, rewarding, developing and maintaining organizations, jobs and people. No prerequisite
- Training and Development (HR592) - 3 credit hours
- This course surveys training, employee and organizational development techniques organizations use to build group and individual skills while tying anticipated results to improvements in organizational effectiveness. Topics related to creating such a development strategy include conducting needs analyses, linking identified needs to business objectives, developing an implementation plan, implementing the plan using a variety of modalities and best practices, and assessing results. These aspects are covered for both individual and group enhancement. No prerequisite
- Employment Law (HR593) - 3 credit hours
- Employment Law provides a comprehensive analysis of federal and state laws as they affect the human resource function, including equal employment opportunity, wage/overtime payment, employment agreements and other restrictions on management's rights. Emphasis is placed on applying employment laws to develop programs that enable organizations to be proactive in meeting both company and work force needs, with an eye to resolving workplace disputes, preventing litigation, and implementing and administering personnel policies and practices in compliance with applicable law. No prerequisite
- Strategic Staffing (HR594) - 3 credit hours
- This course develops a strategic framework for providing corporations with the human resources needed to achieve corporate goals. The course focuses on policies and procedures for short- and long-range human resource planning, recruiting and selection. Rightsizing, employee separations and retention are also included. No prerequisite
- Negotiation Skills (HR595) - 3 credit hours
- This course introduces general business negotiation techniques, strategies and tactics. Strategies focus on approaches to negotiation situations; tactics focus on moves effectuated during negotiations. In addition to developing and enhancing students' negotiating proficiency, the course emphasizes processes and methods of conflict resolution. Topics include preparing for negotiations; distributive and integrative bargaining; resolution of impasse; ethics; the roles of power, personality and dispute resolution processes; and communication processes. Students use developed skills in the classroom, electronically and through telephonic negotiation situations. No prerequisite
- Compensation (HR598) - 3 credit hours
- Compensation focuses on how organizations use pay systems as strategic tools for improving organizational effectiveness. Major systems of the design of pay, paying for performance, and administering and applying pay systems are appraised and assessed. No prerequisite
- Benefits (HR599) - 3 credit hours
- This course examines, in-depth, employee benefits including legally required benefits (social security, worker compensation and unemployment compensation), as well as voluntary programs (health, disability, life, retirement, time-off, educational, work/life and others). The strategic importance of using employee benefits as part of the total compensation package is emphasized. In addition, financial, actuarial, administrative and legal implications of benefit plans are discussed. No prerequisite
Elective courses (6 credit hours)
You can take your electives in a variety of career fields. Students may choose any electives for which they meet the prerequisites. Download the Academic Catalog and view "Course Offerings" for a complete list of courses that could satisfy your elective requirements.
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Get Quick Answers to Top Questions
- What's the average total number of credit hours required for a program?
- The total number of credit hours that you'll be required to take varies by program, and our courses average three-semester-credit hours. Our MBA program requires 16 courses, our Specialized Master's Degree Programs require 13 - 15 courses and our Graduate Certificates require 7 - 9 courses.
- What's a concentration?
- Some master's degree programs at Keller (including our MBA degree program) allow you to further focus your degree by taking elective courses in a specific subject area, often applicable to one or several career fields. This area is called a "concentration."
- Do I need to choose a concentration/emphasis for my MBA or Specialized Master's Degree?
- To help you focus your MBA or Specialized Master's Degree, and take coursework that matches your interests and goals, you can choose one of 16 concentrations, but it is not a requirement to graduate. For our Specialized Master's Degree programs that have emphases, you will be required to select one that best aligns with your career goals.
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