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The same but different: HRD master's programmes in the United States
Journal article   Peer reviewed

The same but different: HRD master's programmes in the United States

Aaron Zachmeier, Yonjoo Cho and Minkyoung Kim
Human resource development international, Vol.17(3), pp.318-338
01/01/2014
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2014.896129
Web of Science ID: WOS:000212752700005

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Abstract

In this study, we examined the curricular and institutional characteristics of HRD master's programmes in the United States. Our sample included 108 programmes in 100 institutions that were self-identified as HRD programmes. Among our findings: (1) fewer programmes were located in schools of education (44%) and more were located in schools of business (28%) than indicated by previous research; (2) there was greater homogeneity in curriculum among programmes in the same institutional locations (e.g. schools of education or schools of business) and greater variation among programmes in different institutional locations; (3) the curriculum of programmes located in schools of education tended to focus on traditional educational topics such as adult learning and instructional design, while the curriculum of programmes located in school of business tended to focus on management topics such as organization development, staffing and employment law. Our findings suggest that the nature of HRD as an academic subject varies with institutional location, as do the skill sets of students who graduate from HRD programmes. Future research should take these differences into account.

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