Both Plan A and Plan B require 37.5 semester hours of core courses as follows:

Core Human Resource Skills 10.5 semester hours

• MHR 7301 Conceptual and Historical Foundations of Labor and Human Resources I
• MHR 7311 Staffing the Organization Staffing Organizations
• MHR 7313 Total Rewards/Compensation
• MHR 7314 Designing Effective Organizational Learning Systems
• MHR 7325 Human Resource Problem Solving

Leadership Skills 4.5 semester hours

• MHR 7304 Talent Management
• MHR 7306 Understanding Teams & Leadership for Human Resource Managers
• MHR 7308 Organizational Development and Change
• MHR 7310 Labor Relations

Analytical Skills 4.5 semester hours

• MHR 7303 Human Resource Management Research Methods
• MGT 6620 Data Analysis and Decision Making for Labor and Human Resources

Business Context Skills 9 semester hours

• MHR 7302 Markets, Organizations, and HRM
• MHR 7305 Contemporary Employment Practices and the Law
• MHR 7309 Strategic Management of Human Resources
• MHR 7320 Fundamentals of Business Excellence I
• MHR 7321 Fundamentals of Business Excellence II
• MHR 7322 Fundamentals of Business Excellence III

Program Plan Descriptions

Plan A
Under Plan A, 43.5 semester hours of course work and a thesis are required. A maximum of six hours of credit (included in the 43.5 hours) will be granted for research toward the completion of the master's thesis.

The thesis is to be written on a topic selected by the student with the approval of a thesis advisor. The thesis advisor is a faculty member with expertise appropriate to the topic being researched.

The student and thesis advisor select at least one other member of the graduate faculty to serve with the advisor as the thesis committee. The thesis itself and an oral thesis defense must be approved by the two members of the thesis committee prior to graduation.

Students thinking about writing a thesis should begin early in their program to develop a potential thesis topic. Plan A is usually selected by students who wish to gain valuable research experience and ultimately pursue a PhD, but any student, regardless of career goals, may select this option.

Plan B
Under Plan B, students are required to complete 43.5 semester hours of course work including three hours of internship or tutorial credit, and a comprehensive master's exam.

Internship Option
Students must select an internship faculty advisor who is knowledgeable and/or interested in the human resource management function in which the student will be working during the internship. Students develop, with the assistance and approval of the internship advisor, an internship designed to provide practical experience in a business organization, government agency, or other type of organization.

Tutorial Option
Students who do not elect an internship are required to complete a tutorial. Such students may become involved in research under the direction of an MHRM faculty member or writing an integrative paper demonstrating how previous course work may be applied to a specific problem relevant to the student's career goals.

Completion Timeline
Admitted students can pursue the MHRM degree on a part-time or full-time basis. Depending on this choice, it will take between two and six years to complete the degree requirements. Students who take 9 or more graduate course credits per semester (e.g., full-time enrollment) should be able to complete the degree in two years. Students enrolled in less than 6 graduate credits per semester should be able to complete their degrees in three to six years.

Plan A: Elective Credits (0 credit hours)
or Plan B: Elective Credits (3 credit hours)

Electives may include MHR courses, Independent or Group Study hours, or outside electives in areas related to human resources, such as psychology or communication. Electives must be given for graduate credit, taught by a member of the graduate faculty at Ohio State, and related to human resources. Preapproval of outside elective courses by the student's advisor is required.

Plan A: Thesis Requirement (6 credit hours)
or Plan B: Internship/Tutorial Requirement (3 credit hours)

These hours are completed with the assistance of a faculty advisor with expertise in the area being researched.