Doctor of Education in Work and Human Resource Education
(Specialization in Human Resource Development)

From the University of Minnesota Graduate School

The Profession

Human resource development (HRD) is a process of developing and unleashing human expertise through organization development and personnel training and development. A career in this field can lead to specialization in areas such as employee training, benefits management or job evaluation—or a career may demand a wide range of abilities and responsibilities. Work environments include business, nonprofit, educational, and governmental settings. Human resource development job titles can include: human resource managers; training and development specialists; employment, recruitment and placement specialists; compensation; benefits and job analysis specialists; and industrial and labor relations supervisors.

Delivery Format

This is a Twin Cities based program but many of the specialization courses for human resource development are offered on the Rochester campus. The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) is administered by the Graduate School and requires a dissertation.

Program Curriculum

The Ed.D. degree is awarded through the University of Minnesota Graduate School and requires a minimum of 84 semester credits (which includes 24 credits of thesis) beyond the baccalaureate. While this degree has specific course expectations, there is considerable flexibility in developing a doctoral program. A program plan is developed in consultation with an advisor. A written preliminary exam and a final oral exam are required. There are no language requirements.

Minor Requirements for Students Majoring in Other Fields
A doctoral minor requires a minimum of 12 credits in one of the specializations, approved by the director of graduate studies.

General Aspects (12 credits minimum):

• WCFE 8141: History and Philosophy of Work, Community, and Family Education (3 credits)
• WCFE 8142: Work, Community, and Family Education Comparative Systems (3 credits)
• Electives to total a minimum of 12 credits (at least 6 credits must be outside the Department of WCFE)

Research (10 credits minimum):

• WCFE 8911: Foundations of Inquiry (2 credits)
• WCFE 8912: Quantitative Research (3 credits)
• WCFE 8915: Ethics and Responsible Research (1 credit)
• WCFE 8990: Research Seminar (1 credit)
• A graduate level introductory statistics course (minimum 3 credits)

Human Resource Development Specialization (28 credits minimum):

• HRD/AdEd 5001: Survey of Human Resource Development and Adult Education (3 credits)
• AdEd 5101: Strategies for Teaching Adults (3 credits)
• HRD 5105: Strategic Planning Through Human Resource Development (3 credits)
• HRD 5196: Internship: Human Resources Development (4 credits)
• HRD 5201: Training and Development of Human Resources (3 credits)
• HRD 5301: Organization Development (3 credits)
• HRD/AdEd 8001: Advanced Theories in Human Resource Development and Adult Education (3 credits)
• Electives to total a minimum of 28 credits (at least 1 course in Human Resource Development required)

Field Study (24 credits minimum):

• WCFE 8888: Thesis Credits: Doctoral

Use the University Certificate Planning Sheet located on the Twin Cities website to help plan your program. 

Further Information

Further information can be found on the Graduate School Catalog website at http://www.catalogs.umn.edu/grad/gen/edd.html