Graduate School - Organizational and Human Resource Development

Introduction

The Department of Communication offers the Master of Science (MS) degree in organizational and human resource development (OHRD). The MS in OHRD is a 36-hour degree program that is interdisciplinary and includes courses from communication, psychology, and management sciences.

The central objective of the degree program is to provide an advanced degree that synthesizes knowledge from diverse fields into a focused, yet flexible plan of study that is useful to leaders in all forms of organizations. The program is committed to applying the study of individual, group and cultural issues to meet the special needs of military officers, administrators, managers, trainers, government leaders and others in the professional community. The program is offered at Dyess Air Force Base with courses available on the ACU campus as well.

Distinctive features of the program are breadth in understanding human behavior, development of leadership skills with multiple applications, adaptation of models to diverse organizational settings, and maximization of career mobility for holders of the degree.

Admission Requirements
For admission criteria, please refer to the Graduate School Admission Requirements section of this catalog. In addition to the general Graduate School requirements, applicants to the MS in organizational and human resource development must submit a two-page, typed purpose statement describing career goals, professional interests and reasons for wanting to enter the OHRD program.

ORGANIZATIONAL AND HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (MS)

Major Code: OHRD

The Master of Science degree in organizational and human resource development is a 36-hour program that requires at least half the total hours be taken at the 600 level. Students must have completed a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution. The OHRD degree is not a business, communication, or psychology degree. Because the degree is interdisciplinary in nature, no specific undergraduate major is required.

Requirements for the OHRD are:

          1. Core, 9 hours:
              COMS 585 Organizational Communication
              COMS 620 Communication Research Methods or
                   PSYC 611 Introduction to Research
              PSYC 688 Teams and Team Leadership

          2. Business, 6 hours:
              IS 524 Management Information Systems
              MGMT 532 Human Resource Management
              MGMT 636 Organizational Behavior
              Note: No more than 9 hours in the degree plan may be taken from business courses. 

          3. Communication, 6 hours:
              COMS 508 Corporate and Legal Communication
              COMS 521 Leadership and Communication
              COMS 536 Nonverbal Communication
              COMS 543 Business and Professional Communication
              COMS 545 Intercultural Communication
              COMS 583 Communication in Multinational Organizations
              COMS 586 Training and Development
              COMS 641 Theories in Interpersonal Communication
              COMS 642 Seminar in Communication
              COMS 675 Seminar in Persuasion and Social Change
              COMS 683 Cultural Case Studies
              COMS 686 Communication Consulting and Assessment
              CONR 601 Conflict Theory and Communication*
              CONR 610 Conflict in the Workplace*

          4. Psychology, 6 hours:
              CONR 603 Negotiation: Principals and Practices*
              CONR 604 Mediation: Principals and Practices*
              PSYC 643 Personnel Assessment
              PSYC 681 Mental Health in the Work Place

          5. Selections, 9 hours
              Courses not previously taken from lists in items 2, 3, 4 above.
              CONR 630 Advanced Mediation: Marital Disputes*
              SOCW 744 Management and Funding of Nonprofit Organizations

          6. Comprehensive Exam.

*Conflict Resolution Courses – The 15-hour certificate in conflict resolution courses may be included in the OHRD degree plan. See theConflict Resolutionsection of this catalog for more information.

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