Penn State Announces New Human Resources, Employment Relations Online Master's Degree

The growing complexity of benefit plans, the changing nature of labor laws, and the increasing emphasis on hiring and retaining talented employees are among the major challenges for professionals in the field. In light of these challenges, a master's degree is becoming an increasingly important credential for HRER professionals. Penn State aims to help more people attain this goal without having to leave the workforce.

"There are plenty of ways for HRER professionals to get online professional development, but very few opportunities for students to earn a master's degree that hits at the heart of our profession," said Paul Clark, lead faculty member for the program and head of the department of labor studies and employment relations. "This program is for students who want to work with people and maximize employee potential by seeing the 'human' in human resources."

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts almost all human resources-related professions to grow more than 20 percent, and more than 1 million professionals are expected to be employed in the field by 2014. Penn State's new program, which has an academic home in the College of Liberal Arts, will prepare students to meet a wide range of duties in the private, public and non-profit sectors alike.

Penn State's master's degree program highlights the changing nature of the HRER field, including the impact of the globalization of private and public organizations and the growing importance of diversity in the workforce. Students will be required to choose a concentration for their studies: benefits and compensation; employment and labor law; labor and collective bargaining; or staffing, training and development.

Penn State World Campus will begin accepting applications to the program this fall, and courses will be offered starting in summer 2008 semester. Information about the online Master of Professional Studies in Human Resources and Employment Relations is available at the HRER program Web site.

***

Penn State World Campus specializes in adult online education, delivering more than 50 of Penn State's most highly regarded graduate, undergraduate and professional education programs through convenient online formats. Founded in 1998, Penn State World Campus is the University's 25th campus serving more than 7,000 students in all 50 states, 43 countries, and on 7 continents. For more information, visit the Penn State World Campus Homepage . Penn State World Campus is a part of Penn State Outreach, the largest unified outreach organization in American higher education. Penn State Outreach serves more than 5 million people each year, delivering more than 2,000 programs to people in all 67 Pennsylvania counties, all 50 states and 80 countries worldwide.