Nearly all of the graduates of NYU’s M.S. in Human Resource Management and Development are working HR professionals.
Pictured here are students at the Spring 2008 Commencement.
Photo courtesty NYU
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CE Units Create Specialized Programs to Meet Workforce Demands
From the July 2008 Issue of InFocus (PDF)
These days recent college graduates are frequently choosing to join the workforce for a period prior to committing to another degree program. Once employed, many young people are reluctant to give up a job to pursue an advanced credential and choose instead to enroll part-time.
If they are fortunate, they may also be able to take advantage of employers’ educational benefits. Meanwhile, CE units are designing programs that address workforce needs and accommodate the schedules of full-time employees.
Meeting a Growing Demand
NYU’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies M.S. in Human Resource Management and Development was launched three years ago. Program Director Dennis Garritan, recognized a need in the marketplace and an opportunity at NYU. With human resource management rated among the top five growing professions in the United States, there was high interest by prospective students from the beginning. The program’s enrollments are about 300 for the 2008 fall semester—and growing. Garritan believes one reason for program’s appeal is its broad curriculum. “We provide HR professionals with a solid and comprehensive business context. Our perception is that successful human resource leaders are required to know a lot about human resources—and a lot about business, ” says Garritan.
“Business strategy is woven throughout the entire curriculum,” explains Stephanie Bonadio, Assistant Director in the Division of Programs in Business at NYU. “When students complete the program, they will have the skill set it takes to get them to the next level. Having something that can translate immediately into the marketplace is priceless.”
The 42-credit master’s program offers both on-site and online courses to accommodate the work and travel schedules of the students, most of whom work in HR full time. It is recommended that applicants have more than two years of work experience in the field before beginning the program.
All courses are taught by human resource professionals, which Bonadio says is key to the program’s success. “Having practitioners teach gives richness to the curriculum,” she says. “Students can take what they learn and apply it directly to their work.”
Multi-disciplinary Focus
The George Washington University’s Professional Master’s Degree in Molecular Biotechnology is part of a growing trend in Master of Science programs. The degree allows students to pursue advanced training in science while developing workplace skills valued by employers, such as business and communications.
“In the case of many science degrees, the bachelor’s is not enough to qualify a person to work in a professional capacity,” says Richard Donnelly, Co-Director of the Molecular Biotechnology Program. “Traditionally, the Ph.D. is the next step, but there is a significant need in the corporate world for people with this intermediate level of this information,” he continues.
This type of master’s degree does not serve as a stepping-stone to a Ph.D., rather it has been crafted to meet a specific need in the marketplace –a need highlighted by the National Research Council in a report, Science Professionals: Master’s Education For A Competitive World, released this month.
Program Director Mark Reeves explains: “Employers are still looking for entry-level people who are good bench scientists. But they really want people who can also communicate, write, and work in teams,” he says. “They want employees who can talk about ideas and their accomplishments to people who could invest in their company and invest in the product.”
Initiated with help from the Sloan Foundation, the Molecular Biotechnology program at GW integrates coursework encompassing physics and biology, computer science, and business, for a 39-credit-hour curriculum that can be completed in less than 2 years. Courses are offered in the evenings and weekends. The program launched in Fall 2007 with a cohort of 9 students, and enrollments are now to capacity at 15.
“The professional master’s concept has been around for a while, but there are very few previous degrees in biotech, and none in this part of the country,” adds Donnelly. “The degree addresses a clientele heavily underserved in the higher education community.”
Looking at State Needs
When the University of Wisconsin Extension discovered that the state of Wisconsin ranked 35th nationally in bachelor’s degree holders, it took decisive action.
“We rethought how we develop our online degrees,” explains David Schejbal , Dean, Continuing Education/Outreach/e-learning at UW Extension. “We decided that in order for our state to stay competitive in the knowledge economy, we had to focus heavily on bachelor’s degrees.”
The University worked with Wisconsin businesses to help identify desired competencies in the workplace. As a result, the bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Management will launch in the fall of 2009.
“We talked to a number of Fortune 500 companies, including Ford, Johnson Controls, 3M, and also a number of Wisconsin-based companies, to get a sense of what they are looking for. What we heard from all of them was: we can get accountants and business majors, but we can’t get generalists who can communicate well and understand science and understand the triple bottom line,” explains Schejbal. “We created an interdisciplinary degree that teaches students about systems—natural systems, business systems, and global systems.”
The online degree requires at least two years of baccalaureate study. Full-time students are expected to complete the program in just over a year and a half.
With the extensive market research and the flexible online format, Schejbal is confident the degree will generate a lot of interest. “According to our research there are only two other schools offering sustainable business degrees—and none in Wisconsin,” he says. “Across the UW system, all courses with environment or sustainability or ‘green’ are really hot.”
—Kandace Gilligan
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