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About The Program

Human Resource Management (HRM) is a growing career field. Students who wish to work as HRM professionals are encouraged to major or minor in HRM. In addition, all managers and professionals in organizations benefit from an understanding of how to effectively utilize human capital. The Human Resource Management minor provides an understanding of HRM philosophy, trends, policies and practices to equip students in other majors with the necessary knowledge and skills to become effective managers and leaders in business, public and nonprofit organizations. The HRM courses include both theory and practice and focus on the achievement of organizational objectives through effective management of human resources.

This minor is designed for students with majors in diverse areas. It will be relevant to students majoring in business administration, management, marketing, accounting, finance, MIS, and international business, as well as students in criminal justice, nursing, human services administration, nonprofit administration and other related fields.

In addition, having a second area of study on your transcript provides another opportunity for you to differentiate yourself from other job or graduate school applicants.

This program can be completed on campus, online, or by combining on campus and online courses. Program requirements are the same, regardless of the delivery mode.

How to enroll

Current students: Declare this program

Once you’re admitted as an undergraduate student and have met any further admission requirements your chosen program may have, you may declare a major or declare an optional minor.

Future students: Apply now

Apply to Metropolitan State: Start the journey toward your Human Resource Management Minor now. Learn about the steps to enroll or, if you have questions about what Metropolitan State can offer you, request information, visit campus or chat with an admissions counselor.

Get started on your Human Resource Management Minor

Program eligibility requirements

This minor is open to students with any major at Metropolitan State. Students must earn a grade of S or C- or above in courses to be used to meet prerequisites.

Courses and Requirements

SKIP TO COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Human Resource Management Minor Residency Requirement: At least 16 credits in the Minor Required Courses and Minor Elective(s) must be completed at Metropolitan State. See also the CBM policies page for requirements that are common to all programs.

Requirements (20 credits)

+ Required (16 credits)

Consistent with current management thought this course examines the importance of human capital in organizations. Human Resource Management theories, trends, policies and practices are studied from a strategic management, decision-making perspective covering staffing compensation, employee development, employee relations, labor relations and related areas. A case study approach is used and outside research is required.

Full course description for Human Resource Management: A Strategic Framework

Key laws, administrative regulations and selected court cases which impact day-to-day, employee-employer relationships are the focus of this course. Students explore formulation of policies and programs that respond to issues such as equal employment opportunity, wage and salary administration, safety and health, employment at will, immigration, drug testing, and labor/management relations in unionized organizations.

Full course description for Employment Law

+ Electives (4 credits)

Choose one

In this upper-division undergraduate course, students will be expected to understand, value and maximize human capital potential among stakeholders from a variety of cultures and races in order to be successful. Students will explore and reflect on their own beliefs and experiences while learning how to address individual-level and institutional racism in organizations. The ability to create and foster workplace environments that are inclusive, respectful and accepting of racial diversity is important for professional advancement and success in increasingly global environments.

Full course description for Understanding and Addressing Race in the Workplace

This course examines the concepts and methods of human resource forecasting, planning and alternative staffing strategies within an organization. It addresses staffing needs under varying organizational conditions such as mergers, downsizing, and acquisitions. Selected topics include job analysis, recruitment methods, selection techniques, training needs, termination procedures, and the ethical and legal implications of staffing policies.

Full course description for Staffing Organizations

This course, specifically designed for students interested in human resource management or general management, focuses on human resource development in organizations and stresses applications to improve productivity and meet organizational goals. Topics include the evolution of training and development, needs assessment, the learning process, selecting training and development methods, and evaluating training and development.

Full course description for Employee Development and Training

This course examines principles and practices of compensation management to support organizational mission and goals. Topics include job analysis, job evaluation, external market analysis, pay structures, salary administration, motivation theories and legal principles. It covers the concept of total compensation by examining the integrated roles of base pay, employee benefits, and incentive programs within an organization. It is intended for people who will design, develop, implement and/or administer compensation programs.

Full course description for Compensation Management

This course emphasizes the design, administration and communication of employee benefit plans to support organizational mission and goals. Students are taught to set program objectives, understand the dynamic regulatory environment which governs benefits, and learn basic design features for various benefits including medical/dental, life, disability, retirement and flexible benefit plans. The course also examines methods used to communicate and administer benefit programs.

Full course description for Employee Benefits Management

Data analytics is critical to HR and businesses as a part of competitive or business intelligence. In the past, HR professionals typically relied on their understanding of processes and the organization to make decisions and serve their stakeholders. For the last decade, data is increasingly available, and analytics provides a way to demonstrate the linkage between people and business outcomes (Waters et al., 2018). This course is designed to examine the use of data to understand, improve, and optimize the people side of the organization. It focuses on improving students¿ critical evaluation and business acumen, a part of the main core competencies for HR professionals in the Society of Human Resource Management competency model. Students will gain up-to-date knowledge in current evidence about managing people, develop skills necessary to make the most of the available analyses in people decision-making, and become more skilled analysts in incorporating people's data to inform…

Full course description for People Analytics