Master of Business Administration (MBA): Concentration in Human Resource Management

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree intended for those who aspire to increasing levels of responsibility in business and industry. Colorado Technical University’s MBA degree program with a concentration in Human Resource Management gives students the opportunity to learn core business skills with practical HR principals.

CTU was ranked as a 2012 top 10 online MBA program by the International Graduate Forum.

Colorado Technical University announced on August 1, 2012 that the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has acknowledged that its Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resource Management fully aligns with SHRM’s HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates. As of this date throughout the world, 287 programs in 222 educational institutions have been acknowledged by SHRM as being in alignment with its suggested guides and templates. The HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates were developed by SHRM to define the minimum HR content areas that should be studied by HR students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The guidelines, created in 2006 and revalidated in 2010, are part of SHRM’s Academic Initiative to define HR education standards taught in university business schools and help universities develop degree programs that follow these standards.

As organizations strive to become more competitive, they are streamlining traditional functions. Human Resources responsibilities are often taken under the purview of line management. Managers in every area must be aware of HR regulations and be able to apply its concepts in decision-making, training and issue resolution.

Taught by instructors, many who are familiar with the federal regulations that govern human resources and labor relations, the MBA with a concentration in Human Resource Management is designed to help the students learn how to integrate human resource functions into an organization’s strategic plan.

In this industry-current curriculum, our project-based Professional Learning Model™ can challenge you to understand the critical and creative thinking process required to effectively manage HR issues. The CTU PLM™ is designed to place you in the active role of collaborative problem-solver as you acquire an understanding of various principles and functions of human resource management, including models of compensation and benefits.

CTU's MBA with a concentration in Human Resource Management is designed to help students prepare to integrate human resource functions into an organization’s strategic plan. In this students can learn how to:
  • Develop change-agent skills, especially related to critical and creative thinking regarding human resource management issues.
  • Discuss the importance of strategic human resource planning and be able to participate in futuristic forecasting, and strategic planning processes.
  • Apply knowledge of the legal and ethical principles to human resource management decision-making and policy development.
  • Resolve operational problems using knowledge and understanding principles and various functions of human resource management, including models of compensation and benefits, selection, recruitment, succession planning, equal employment opportunity, employment rights, training, employee and organizational development.
  • Explain the impact of current trends in legal decisions on organizational policies and human resources.
  • Apply the management, legal and ethical issues of diversity, affirmative action, employee and labor relations to the design of organizational decision models and policies.

Core courses in this program can allow students the opportunity to build management skills by understanding how to construct effective teams and cross-train staff, reducing business costs while enhancing worker talent and satisfaction. Courses include:

  • Applied Managerial Accounting
  • Applied Managerial Economics
  • Strategic Management in Dynamic Environments
  • Applied Managerial Finance
  • Leadership and Ethical Decision-Making
  • Applied Managerial Decision-Making
  • Graduate Research Methods
  • Applied Managerial Marketing

In the concentration courses, students can have the opportunity to learn compensation and benefits models, federal regulations and labor relations requirements. For example:

  • In Operational Human Resource Management, the course can examine the importance of developing effective operational policies and the role of organizational decision-making in that process. The course also reviews the ramifications of current laws, ethical considerations, the conflicts around decision-making styles and various aspects of organizational behavior that influence operational policy.
  • In Current Legal Issues in Human Resource Management, students can study current personnel legal issues impacting the design and development of Human Resource Policy and the impact of these laws on the organization’s bottom line.
  • In Managing Organizational Development and Change, the course can provide the foundationfor managers and human resource professionals that addresses organizational change, HRM policies and procedures from a process consultation perspective.
  • In the Management Capstone, students can demonstrate the application of content, concepts, and knowledge developed in previous core and concentration courses in their specific academic program. The course requires the completion of comprehensive research, analysis, and study in either a selected area of interest or a current business issue impacting the learner’s organization or company. Students can complete an in-depth project utilizing discipline-specific strategies. Research methodologies are used to prepare a formal report.

This program is available at the following campuses* and/or online:

* Students may be required to complete some or all coursework for the program via Virtual Campus delivery

To learn about CTU, our MBA program and concentrations or hot to apply for admission, please complete and submit the form below.