Design the program you need for the career you want
Stony Brook's 30-credit HRM master's program offers a broad-based foundation of essential courses plus a selection of key electives
you can choose to customize your program to meet your unique career goals. Our curriculum aligns with the latest standards established by the Society of Human Resource
Management, assuring that it is comprehensive, up-to-date, and reflects the competencies
needed to be an HR leader.
To help you plan out your academic program, we've included course descriptions and
sample degree plans below. If you have any question about which electives are best
suited for you, please don't hesitate to contact an advisor.
Learn the foundations of human resource management, labor relations, business acumen
and diversity.
4
Electives
Dive deeper into your areas of interest by choosing from 8 specialty electives.
1
Capstone Course
Research an HR topic that matters most to you (or your organization)
70
Combinations
Develop a degree program that is unique to your specific needs.
Course Descriptions
Core Courses
All 5 courses are required.
HRM 532 Foundations of Human Resources This required course explores the basic elements of personnel administration that
includes an overview of human resource functions; recruitment, selection, staffing,
and placement; job classification and wage and benefit systems; employee supervision,
performance management, workplace health, safety and security, counseling, discipline,
and grievance. The legal framework of human resource administration, workplace diversity,
and approaches specific to union and nonunion environments is also covered. HRM 533 Employee Relations and Labor Management The focal point of this foundation course is the historical development of labor unions
in the United States, the evolution of the legal framework governing labor relations
today, and the major elements of collective bargaining and dispute resolution techniques
used in the private and public sectors. A discussion of the future of organized labor
concludes the course.
HRM 545 Employment Law and Policy This course is designed to give business and HR professionals insight into and practical
knowledge of the various legal issues that inform today's employer-employee relationships.
Topics will include workplace safety and health, ethics, managing diversity and hiring
practices, formation of the employment contract, laws governing the work relationship,
investigation protocols and risk-reduction techniques, viewed against a backdrop of
emerging employment trends. Prerequisite: HRM 533 Employee Relations and Labor Management.
HRM 548 Diversity and Global Issues in the Workplace This course examines contemporary practices and trends in the global marketplace.
Topics include both the similarities and differences among people, organizations,
and management across sectoral and national boundaries that must be a part of the
knowledge base of tomorrow's human resource manager. Human resources from a global
perspective, including issues for expatriates and repatriation, the European Union,
health and safety, business ethics, employee benefits and unions will be covered.
Additional emphasis will be placed on understanding how differences among multi –national
corporations, governmental regulatory agencies, public authorities, strategic alliances,
political and cultural environments impact the management of human resources. Prerequisite: HRM 532 Foundations of Human Resources..Matriculation in the HRM program.
HRM 551 Business Acumen and Data Analytics for Effective HR Leadership For students working in human resources (HR) management or a related field, this course
will provide an understanding of the importance of learning an organization's operations
and functions as well as its competitive environment/landscape. The course will specifically
review human resources data analytics, a key component to creating the case for human
resources projects and other decisions they may have to make in the course of being
a HR professional. Students will develop a comprehensive human resources business
case. Prerequisites: HRM 532 and 533. Matriculation in the HRM program.
Elective Courses
Choose 4 from the list below.
HRM 541 Human Relations and Workforce Planning This course focuses on improving the quality of work life for employees, as a value
in itself and as an incentive to greater productivity and reduced turnover. Students
will explore: the importance of communication—orientation of new employees, formal
and informal consultation, quality circles, billboards, news bulletins, etc., and
exit interviews; providing opportunities for job enrichment and career development-career
planning assistance, practitioner training, cross training, job rotation, job sharing
and flex-time, enriching each job as the employee progresses; employee assistance
programs-financial planning, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, retirement planning,
educational assistance, summer jobs for kids, etc.; recreational programs—athletic
teams, holiday and seasonal celebrations, community service participation and contests.
All of these activities contribute to developing the joint participation of employees
and management which is the hallmark of the well-managed corporation.
HRM 546 Job Evaluation, Compensation Systems, and Benefits An advanced course providing students with both theory and specific knowledge of job
evaluation and compensation systems. Topics include comparable worth and legal requirements:
preparation of job evaluation and job design, fringe benefits, pensions, social security,
theory of compensation systems as they relate to job satisfaction and employee morale;
development of wage and salary surveys, internal and external equity pay scales, performance-based
pay systems, and salary administration procedures. An analysis of incentives—bonuses,
stock options, salary deferrals and special benefits—will complete the course. Prerequisite: HRM 532 Foundations of Human Resources.
HRM 547 Performance Management in Organizations This course provides insight to the importance of performance management and the behavior
of individuals and teams in organizations. Emphasis will be placed on implications
for effective human resource management, and the need to align organizational goals
with performance management practices. Approaches used to drive performance and analyze
problems encountered in managing human resources will be discussed throughout the
course. Additional topics include performance appraisal, individual and group decision-making
skills, recruitment, selection, and employee orientation, employee ability, motivation
and incentive systems, job satisfaction, retention, and employee engagement.
HRM 552The Strategic Organization: Communication and Employee Relationship Management This course provides insight into effective strategic approaches to communication
and employee engagement. Students will learn the concepts of the strategic communication
process and its role in business organizations. This course will examine the traits
and skills needed for students to become a strategic communicator including understanding
principles and concepts of effective communication, a high level of self-awareness,
an ability to understand other people, a basic knowledge of the complexity of the
communication process itself, and the ability to think critically—to analyze and evaluate
situations and use that information to formulate effective communication strategies.
Moreover,8this course will examine the Engagement Equation and will explain the driver
of employee engagement, and how you can use improved engagement to execute strategy,
reduce costs, and meet your organizational goals. Prerequisites: HRM 532, HRM 533 and HRM 541. Matriculation in the HRM program.
HRM 553 HR Leadership, Performance Management and Organizational Effectiveness This course provides insight into effective leadership, performance management and
organizational effectiveness in today's organizations. Students will learn how leaders
motivate, influence, and navigate political environments. Leadership components that
will be covered in the course will include the nature of leadership, contemporary
situational theories of leadership and emerging leadership issues. In addition, students
will learn what new emerging leaders need to know about the importance of performance
management and aligning the organizational goals with performance management practices.
This course will also set the stage for understanding the components of organizational
effectiveness. Organizational effectiveness provides leaders with information for
improving an organization’s operations and effectiveness, organizational structure
and design, the culture of organizations, and organizational change and change management. Prerequisites: HRM 532 and HRM 547. Matriculation in the HRM program.
HRM 554 The HR Leader as an Organizational Consultant This course is designed to equip business and HR professionals with the competencies
to be an internal consultant within any organization. Students will learn to apply
a structured approach to the consulting process and conduct appropriate interventions
for designing, adapting, and improving business policies and practices. Focused on
the major components of organization development and change management combined with
consulting skills, the course addresses evaluating internal and external challenges
to the organization; partnering effectively with leadership and business units; facilitating
interpersonal processes; prioritizing multiple stakeholders; and being a value-added
contributor in identifying appropriate business solutions which meet the needs of
both internal and external customers. Students build their personal consulting skills
toolkit, while learning how to add value and HR perspective to initiatives central
to their organization’s success. Prerequisites: HRM 532 and HRM 538. Matriculation in the HRM program.
Capstone Course
Required course.
HRM 595 Strategic Human Resources Master's Project This is an advanced course, designed to examine and research new developments and
professional concerns in human resource management. The course focuses on such topics
as strategic human resource management, productivity in the American workplace; developing
union/management cooperation for productivity; methods of employee learning in the
workplace; metrics and measurement in human resources; and specialized needs of the
new workforce in a high-tech and service economy. Students will be guided through
professionally oriented activities designed to provide them with culminating experiences
that result in a research project and final paper. Topics will vary from semester
to semester. Prerequisites: completion of 24 credits of HRM coursework. Grade of B or better required
for degree clearance. No transfer credit or substitutions.
Internship
Optional one-credit course for those who need field experience.
HRM 585 Human Resource Management Internship Master of Science in Human Resource Management graduate students may choose to gain
field experience by completing an internship practicum over and above the requirements
for the Master of Science degree. The internship course requires a minimum of 45 hours
of work in a setting that is outside of the student's current area of employment.
Students must obtain approval from the faculty director to enroll in this S/U graded
course. At the conclusion of the term, an Internship Project Requirement (Work Report)
must be submitted to and approved by the faculty advisor who is mentoring and supervising
the student's experience.
Note: This is a one-credit course.
Prerequisite: Matriculation in Human Resource Management Program
Optimized Scheduling for Working Professionals
100% Online Courses
Our online courses are asynchronous, meaning that the interaction doesn't happen in real time (like in a Zoom meeting).
Instead, you have the flexibility to complete your coursework and participate in class
discussions when it is most convenient for you.
HRM students have indicated it takes about 10 hours per week to complete their coursework (more if it is a dense or unfamiliar topic, less if
it is a topic of which they have prior knowledge).
Short Terms, Multiple Start Dates
We admit students in the Fall, Spring and Summer. Each term runs for 10 weeks – long enough to cover the topic, short enough to maintain momentum. Required courses are offered every term, as are most electives.
Bonus Session: We offer one or two electives during the 3-week Winter term for students who want to accelerate their studies.
This program has been designed so that part-time students can manage the pace of their
students. Your time-to-degree-completion depends on the number of courses you plan
to take each term, the electives you choose, and the kinds of unforeseen circumstances
that can force students to slow down – or speed up – their degree progress.
Example One: The Fast Track
In this schedule, the student would take two courses each term with no Winter courses
and finish in 18 months.
YEAR
FALL
SPRING
SUMMER
ONE
HRM 532 Foundations of Human Resources
HRM 533 Employee Relations andLabor Management
HRM 545 Employment Law and Policy
HRM 548 Diversity and Global Issues in the Workplace
HRM 551 Business Acumen and Data Analytics for Effective HR Leadership
HRM 537 Employee Learning and Professional/ Career Development
TWO
HRM 552 The Strategic Organization: Communication and Employee Relationship Management
HRM 553 HR Leadership, Performance Management and Organizational Effectiveness
HRM 595 Strategic Human Resources Master’s Project
HRM 538 Organizational Development and Change Management
Example Two: The Slower Route
This student wants to take one course every term, including the Winter. They will
finish in 2 1/2 years.
YEAR
SPRING
SUMMER
FALL
WINTER
ONE
HRM 532 Foundations of Human Resources
HRM 533 Employee Relations and Labor Management
HRM 551 Business Acumen and Data Analytics for Effective HR Leadership
HRM 537 Employee Learning and Professional/ Career Development
TWO
HRM 548 Diversity and Global Issues in the Workplace
HRM 545 Employment Law and Policy
HRM 552 The Strategic Organization: Communication and Employee Relationship Management
HRM 546 Job Evaluation, Compensation Systems, and Benefits
THREE
HRM 553 HR Leadership, Performance Management and Organizational Effectiveness
HRM 595 Strategic Human Resources Master’s Project
Still have questions?
We're happy to help! Connect with an admissions counselor.