Online Doctoral Degree Programs in Human Resources

The graduate curriculum for human resources often takes a multidisciplinary perspective, spanning topics as diverse as these:

• Communication
• Compensation
• Corporate training
• Global and international issues
• Labor markets
• Leadership
• Organizational theory

Depending on your chosen HR specialty, courses and research may emphasize organizational psychology, industrial relations, economics or management.

Doctorates in human resource management are typically a specialized business management degree. They generally require several years of coursework, a qualifying examination and a dissertation based on original scholarship. With full-time study online, the program could be completed in four to six years. Academic-focused programs may require a local teaching internship, while professional doctorates encourage a business internship.

With a Ph.D. in human resources, you could seek positions such as HR manager, consultant in labor relations, academic researcher or business school professor. These career directions promise faster than average growth between 2008 and 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Online doctoral degrees in human resources can prepare you for business leadership, with the background needed to find practical solutions for real-life challenges.