Curriculum

The PhD in Human Resource Management program is a single track that combines Human Resources, Industrial Relations and Organizational Behavior to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of the employment relationship. All students take a set of integrated core seminars which provides a broad background in organizational studies. This approach results in greater interdisciplinary exposure and cross fertilization. Students then build on this broad base to develop an individualized area of specialization.

The program features an integrated, modular curriculum. All required seminars are taught as a series of modules and by a variety of faculty members. This approach expands the students' exposure to the faculty, capitalizes on the distributed expertise of the faculty, involves more faculty members in PhD training, broadens the ownership of the PhD program, and improves the coordination of topics covered in the seminars. The modular curriculum also affords greater flexibility in meeting market demands as the content can quickly and continuously be revised to meet changing preferences.

The curriculum emphasizes both worker and management perspectives, research, and development of individual teaching skills. To provide students with a broad basis of expertise, students take a core seminar throughout the first academic year. This thirty-week seminar starts by providing the historical, social, psychological, economic, & legal foundations for organizational studies. Attention is then given to the broad themes of organizational entry, individual productivity, attitudes and reactions, reward systems, inter- & intragroup issues, unionism & labor relations, and organizational effectiveness.

In the second year, students take a two-quarter advanced seminar. This seminar looks at current topics in the literature, current research interests of faculty members, and allows students to choose topics of interest to them to explore in more detail. Expertise in an area of specialization is further developed through independent studies, electives outside the department, and research. To provide methodological tools, students also take a research methods course and several courses in statistics.

While careful attention was given to redesigning the curriculum, the PhD program recognizes that a considerable amount of development needs to occur outside of the classroom. To effectively compete for positions at top-tier research institutions, students need to have a clear research agenda and an established research record. To facilitate this process, students are expected to join in on faculty research projects right from the start of the program and to initiate their own projects by the second year. Through day-to-day coaching and mentoring by advisors, students are provided with other necessary professional skills such as networking, grant writing, making academic presentations, responding to reviewer comments, making organizational contacts, and classroom teaching. Teaching experience is also provided through opportunities to serve as teaching assistants and instructors.

The result is a distinctive program that is responsive to the changing academic environment and takes advantage of the strength of the HRM faculty. The HRM PhD program at The Ohio State University is positioned to continue to recruit, train, and place exceptional students who will advance our knowledge of the employment relationship.

For additional information please contact Professor Mona Makhija at 614-292-8692 or makhija_2@fisher.osu.edu