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Journal of Education for Business
ISSN: 0883-2323 (Print) 1940-3356 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/vjeb20
Content Guidelines for an Undergraduate Human
Resources Curriculum: Recommendations From
Human Resources Professionals
Michael Z. Sincoff & Crystal L. Owen
To cite this article: Michael Z. Sincoff & Crystal L. Owen (2004) Content Guidelines for an
Undergraduate Human Resources Curriculum: Recommendations From Human Resources
Professionals, Journal of Education for Business, 80:2, 80-85, DOI: 10.3200/JOEB.80.2.80-85
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.3200/JOEB.80.2.80-85
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Content Guidelines for an
Undergraduate Human Resources
Curriculum: Recommendations
From Human Resources
Professionals
MICHAEL Z. SINCOFF
Wright State University
Dayton, Ohio
D
esigning an effective curriculum
for an undergraduate program in
human resources (HR) is no easy task.
One reason for the difficulty is the dramatic rate of change in the business
world, which means that those charged
with the design and development of
undergraduate business curricula are
faced with a need for continuous review
to ensure pertinent curricular offerings
that will prepare their graduates for successful careers in their chosen disciplines (Giullian, Odom, & Totaro, 2000;
Skousen & Bertelsen, 1994). The design
task is made even more difficult by the
need for programs that are appropriate
as university offerings; in other words,
programs that offer more than simply
vocational training (Kaufman, 1999).
Another reason for the difficulty in
designing effective HR undergraduate
programs is the absence of a clearly
defined and widely accepted common
body of knowledge for the field. Unlike,
for example, accounting professionals,
who must demonstrate mastery of a
common body of knowledge by passing
the CPA exam, or lawyers, who must
pass the bar to practice law, HR professionals have no certification requirement to practice in the HR field. The
Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI), associated with the Society
for Human Resource Management,
offers two levels of certification to
80
Journal of Education for Business
CRYSTAL L. OWEN
University of North Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
ABSTRACT. In this study, the
authors surveyed 445 human
resources (HR) professionals to determine their views regarding the HR
curriculum content that will lead to
graduates’ success in entry-level (firstjob) HR positions. Ninety-eight questionnaires (22%) were returned.
Respondents identified five topics—
equal employment opportunity/affirmative action (EEO/AA), employee
rights and responsibilities, recruitment, selection, and compensation—
as most important. They considered
internship experience to be more valuable than professional human resource
certification and indicated that HR
curricula should reflect workplace and
societal trends, general business
understanding, and communication
and teamwork skills. For HR curriculum development, the authors suggest
a “niche” approach that provides indepth training in some common HR
functions, along with training in communication and teamwork skills.
demonstrate HR competency—professional certification (PHR) for those relatively new to the field and senior professional certification (SPHR) for those
who are experienced. Yet, although
Losey (1997, 1999) argued persuasively
for accepting the HRCI exam content as
a common body of knowledge for the
HR profession, HRCI certification is
neither required nor widely recognized
as a sufficient measure of knowledge for
practicing HR professionals.
As a result, educators typically turn to
the research literature for information to
guide curricular decisions. Unfortunately,
research findings are limited in terms of
offering guidance for the design of effective undergraduate HR programs. As
Hansen (2002) pointed out, much of the
discussion in the recent research literature
has focused on broad changes in the challenges facing HR executives and senior
managers and has placed considerably
less emphasis on how to prepare new HR
job entrants (Kochan, 1997; Schuler,
1990; Ulrich, 1997a, 1997b). Thus, the
literature’s usefulness in designing effective undergraduate curricula is limited. Of
the articles that do address curricular
issues, most offer prescriptions based on
the authors’ knowledge of the field rather
than on empirical evidence. For example,
Shaw (1994) proposed the notion of integrating information technology (i.e.,
computers) into the human resources curriculum. Kaufman described the evolution and current status of university HR
programs, observing that “modern-day
HR education mirrors the trend in industry to treat the practice of human
resources as a management function on
par with other functional areas of business and performed to promote the longterm profit objectives of the firm” (1999,
p. 108). He further noted that there is a
discrepancy between what is taught in
HR education and what is wanted by
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executives in business. Walker and Black
(2000) argued in favor of a processcentered business curriculum containing
four courses intended to replace the traditional, common-body-of-knowledge,
business core curriculum. Their proposal
for an HR acquisition process course is
significant. Walker and Black recommended that such a course should contain
the following topics: wage structures,
employment law, manpower planning,
hiring, training, organizing, compensation, tax issues in compensation, HR/
payroll systems, payroll accounting, evaluating productivity and behavior, and
terminating/retiring employees.
The empirical studies that focus on
curricular issues tend to address graduate
level HR education rather than undergraduate education (Giannantonio &
Hurley, 2002; Heneman, 1999; Langbert,
2000). In spite of the fact that there are
over 30 U.S. colleges of business offering undergraduate degrees in HR (Industrial Relations Research Association
[IRRA], 2003), our review of recent
research identified only three empirical
studies that directly address the question
of which HR fields and skills are most
relevant for entry-level HR professionals
from undergraduate HR programs. Van
Eynde and Tucker (1997), for example,
used the Delphi technique on a panel of
24 senior-level HR executives who indicated that the most important HR curricular offerings for entry-level baccalaureate graduates, in order of importance,
should be the HR strategic role, compensation, EEO, organization development,
communication and counseling, HR
planning, and selection. Johnson and
King (2002) interviewed 12 human
resources/industrial relations (HR/IR)
executives to determine the relative
importance of a variety of HR competencies for entry-level HR practitioners.
They found a different set of recommended competencies. For the subjects
in the Johnson and King study, recruitment, communication, selection, performance appraisal, training, and HR planning were among the most important
traditional HR competencies for entrylevel HR practitioners. Way (2002)
argued that current jobholders, rather
than senior management, had the most
current and accurate information on topic
areas of importance for first-job appli-
cants. Way surveyed HR professionals to
determine their perceptions of the relative importance of educational courses in
preparing a person with no prior relevant
education or experience for an HR job.
He found general HR management,
selection, employment law, staffing, benefits, compensation, and training to be
the most important perceived areas of
HR knowledge.
HRCI is an additional source of information about undergraduate HR curriculum content that is based on feedback
from HR professionals. HR undergraduates can sit for the Professional in Human
Resources (PHR) exam. Using a modified Delphi technique, HRCI regularly
consults HR practitioners, consultants,
educators, and researchers to develop and
modify its certification exams (Weinberg,
2002) as well as conduct expert reviews,
extensive literature searches, and analyses of HR textbooks. Content areas of HR
knowledge as defined by HRCI for the
PHR exam, in order of exam emphasis,
are workforce planning and employment;
employee and labor relations; compensation and benefits; HR development;
strategic management; and occupational
health, safety, and security.
Arguably, we need more empirical
research to extend our knowledge of
appropriate content for undergraduate
HR programs. To help ensure curricular
relevancy of course offerings, the
AACSB International (2002) recommended that business educators engage in
dialogue with business and community
stakeholders to develop course content
that satisfies the needs of all constituents.
Certainly the existing studies focusing on
undergraduate curricular needs are consistent with the AACSB recommendation
in terms of approach, but the results vary
across the three empirical studies and the
HRCI in terms of curriculum content (see
Table 1 for a comparison summary). For
this reason, in this study we sought to
investigate further the specific course
content that HR professionals perceive as
necessary for HR undergraduates to complete to be qualified to assume entry-level
(first-job) HR positions upon graduation.
Method
A panel of three HR experts developed a questionnaire to determine how
important various HR subject matter
areas in an undergraduate HR curriculum are to entry-level HR professionals.
Two members of the panel (the authors
of this article) were senior-level faculty
members whose teaching emphasis was
in HR. The third panelist was an
executive-level HR practitioner with
more than 25 years of HR experience.
We based questionnaire content on a
review of the literature, the experiences
of the panel members, and a content
review of HR textbooks.
The questionnaire was divided into
three sections. Section 1 asked the primary research question: “How important is coursework in the following HR
topics for ‘first-job’ HR professionals?”
Possible responses were divided into 20
possible response topics. We asked
respondents to rate each topic on a 5point, Likert-type scale that included
the following anchors: 5 (vital), 4 (very
important but not critical), 3 (important), 2 (of marginal importance), and 1
(not at all important).
Section 2 of the questionnaire contained two questions to ascertain the
respondents’ beliefs as to the relative
importance of HRCI certification and
hands-on student experience in HR.
The first question was, “To what extent
do you perceive PHR certification
(e.g., having passed the exam) possessed by a recent HR graduate a ‘plus’
in your evaluation of that individual as
a job applicant?” We provided the following response alternatives: (a) “PHR
certification is highly valued and
would be a significant ‘plus’ in my
evaluation” (3 points); (b) “PHR certification is valued and would be a
‘plus,’ but it would not have a significant impact on my evaluation” (2
points); and (c) “PHR certification is
not that important to me in evaluating
recent graduates” (1 point).
Similarly, the second question in Section 2 was, “To what extent do you perceive hands-on experience as a student
HR consultant for a [local] business to
be a ‘plus’ in your evaluation of a recent
HR graduate as a job applicant?”
Response alternatives were (a) “Student
consulting experience is highly valued
and would be a significant ‘plus’ in my
evaluation” (3 points); (b) “Student consulting experience is valued and would
November/December 2004
81
TABLE 1. A Comparison of Undergraduate Curriculum Topics Identified
as Most Important for Entry-Level Human Resources (HR) Professionals
in Prior Studies and the Present Study
Researchers
Sample
Most important HR topics
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Prior studies
Van Eynde &
Tucker (1997)
24 HR executives
HR strategic role
Compensation
Equal employment opportunity
Organizational development
Communication
Counseling
Johnson &
King (2002)
12 mid- to senior-level HR
practitioners
Recruitment
Communication
Selection
Performance appraisal
Training
HR planning
Way (2002)
113 HR association
members (mostly HR
managers rather than
junior or senior HR
professionals)
General HR management
Selection
Employment law
Staffing
Benefits
Compensation
Training
Weinberg
(HRCI, 2002)
HR practitioners,
educators, researchers,
consultants, plus
environmental scans
based on expert reviews,
literature searches, HR
textbook analysis
Workforce planning and
employment
Employee and labor relations
Compensation and benefits
HR development
Strategic management
Occupational health, safety, and
security
Present study
Sincoff &
Owen
98 HR association
members (mostly HR
managers and
professionals rather than
senior executives)
be a ‘plus,’ but it would not have a significant impact on my evaluation” (2
points); and (c) “Student consulting
experience is not that important to me in
evaluating recent graduates” (1 point).
In Section 3 of the questionnaire, we
provided space for respondents to indicate additional topics that they deemed
important but that may have been omitted on the questionnaire, as well as to
elaborate on any answers and make any
additional comments.
In 2001–2002, we mailed questionnaires to the 445 current members of a
professional HR association in the
82
Journal of Education for Business
Equal employment opportunity/
affirmative action
Employee rights and
responsibilities
Recruitment
Selection
Compensation
Performance evaluation
Midwest. Ninety-eight questionnaires
were returned, representing a response
rate of 22%, which is reasonable in
survey research of this type. Association membership consisted primarily of
nonexecutive-level HR managers and
professionals. We did not collect
demographic data on the respondents
at the request of the association.
Results
In Table 2, we show the mean ratings
associated with each of the HR topics
addressed in Section 1 of the question-
naire. Of the 20 course topics presented
to the respondents, five (EEO/AA,
employee rights and responsibilities,
recruitment, selection, and compensation) were identified as very important
to vital, with ratings of 4.03 to 4.78. The
respondents rated the following 14
course topics as important to very
important (performance evaluation/
appraisal, HR information and assessment systems, organizational development, strategic role of HR, training and
development, orientation, labor/management relations, safety, job analysis
and design, future of HRM, leadership
effectiveness, career planning and
development, evaluating the HR function, and HR audits), with ratings
between 3.17 and 3.88. Only one topic,
global HR, was ranked as marginally
important (2.64).
Ratings for EEO/AA, employee rights
and responsibilities, recruitment, and
selection were significantly higher than
ratings for topics in the other ratings categories (e.g., all categories besides very
important to vital). The rating for compensation (4.03) was significantly higher
than ratings for topics with lower ratings,
with the exception of performance evaluation/appraisal (3.88), which was not
significantly different from the compensation rating. The rating for global HR
was significantly lower than ratings for
all other topics.
In Section 2 of the questionnaire,
respondents were asked to rate, on a 3point scale, the degree to which PHR
certification versus hands-on experience
would be perceived as a “plus” in evaluating a recent HR graduate as a job
applicant. Both PHR certification and
hands-on experience were seen by this
group of HR professionals as positive
attributes for recent HR graduates
applying for jobs, with an average rating
of 2.25 for PHR certification and 2.64
for experience in the form of student
HR consulting with local businesses.
However, consulting experience was
perceived as significantly more important than PHR certification (t = 4.33; p <
.01). In the comments section of the
questionnaire, several respondents were
compelled to comment on the value of
HR experience over PHR certification.
For example, one respondent wrote,
“Real-life, hands-on experience is more
TABLE 2. Respondents’ Ratings of Importance of Undergraduate Course
Topics for First-Job Human Resources (HR) Professionals
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Course topic
Rating
Equal employment opportunity/affirmative action
Employee rights and responsibilities
Recruitment
Selection
Compensation
Performance evaluation
HR information and assessment systems
Organizational development
Strategic role of HR
Training and development
Orientation
Labor/management relations
Safety
Job analysis and design
Future of HR management
Leadership effectiveness
Career planning and development
Evaluating the HR function
HR audits
Global HR
4.78
4.33
4.33
4.20
4.03
3.88
3.78
3.74
3.70
3.67
3.61
3.53
3.45
3.42
3.37
3.25
3.22
3.22
3.17
2.64
Note. Respondents answered on a scale with the following anchors: 5 (vital), 4 (very important but
not critical), 3 (important), 2 (of marginal importance), and 1 (not at all important).
valuable than PHR. Nothing can replace
actual face-to-face discussion or learning firsthand what really happens in the
workplace.” Another commented, “The
PHR tells me the person is committed to
HR, knowledgeable, and willing to
work. Experience, however, is always
invaluable.”
Although many respondents (42, or
42.9%) made comments in Section 3 of
the questionnaire, most of these comments were specific to the needs of the
respondents’ particular organizations.
For example, one respondent wrote,
“Safety issues have an important role
in my everyday responsibilities. This is
an area where it is difficult to find
assistance and know what the OSHA
reps say and mean. I would recommend additional training in this area.”
Yet, the topic of safety was rated 3.45
by the respondents as a group, 13th in
importance, and mentioned by only
one other respondent in the comments
section.
Two points, however, were repeated
consistently in Section 3 and deserve
special mention. First, respondents indicated that interpersonal communication
skills need to be taught to HR students.
These skills, according to the respondents, include public speaking and making effective presentations, writing
reports, listening, and reading ability.
The ability to work in teams was also
high on the list of communication skills.
One respondent summed up this idea by
writing, “The student also needs to
know how to work in teams and have
effective communication skills. I have
seen graduates fail more as a result of
how they deal with people than their
[lack of] technical skills.”
The second point repeatedly mentioned by the respondents is that undergraduate curricula should include at
least one, and ideally more than one,
internship opportunity so that students
can learn to apply classroom theory.
Respondents allowed that the internship
could be in the form of student teams
having HR project management consulting engagements with real business
organizations or in the form of HR coop work experience. As one respondent
noted, “Nothing can replace actual faceto-face discussion or learning firsthand
what really happens in the workplace. It
is one thing to read about it. It is another
to do it.” Another respondent said,
“Classroom theory cannot prepare the
HR novice. For the myriad unique challenges presented to HR on a daily basis,
I often say, ‘Just when I think I’ve heard
everything, an employee will present
something new that I couldn’t have
imagined or made up.’”
In addition to these two points about
specific skills or experiences that
respondents would value in HR graduates, several made comments about the
need for undergraduates to start their
professional lives with a firm grasp of
functional HR skills. One respondent
commented that “my experience is that
they don’t need a lot of HR planning or
big-picture knowledge for the first few
years on the job.” Another wrote that
knowledge of functional HR skills
“gives a good foundation for the
employer to teach about the HR role in
the company, strategic planning, etc.”
On the other hand, several others
offered comments about the need for
HR graduates to possess strong business
skills as well as HR skills. For example,
as one respondent wrote, “It is important for HR to think of themselves as a
business partner and to understand how
the company functions, how to relate to
customers, and how HR can help
departments meet goals.”
Discussion
In the current study of HR professionals, the course topics receiving the highest ratings in terms of their importance
for inclusion in an undergraduate HR
curriculum were EEO/AA, employee
rights and responsibilities, recruitment,
selection, compensation, and performance evaluation. Ideally, we had hoped
that the results of this study, together
with those of previous studies, would
provide a synthesis that would allow us
to pinpoint the course topics most
important for inclusion in an undergraduate HR curriculum. Yet, a comparison
of the results of the current study with
the results of previous studies as presented in Table 1 indicates that we cannot make such a synthesis. Although
some HR course topics identified as
important in the current study are common to two or three of the previous studies, we do not have enough evidence
from the results of the five studies to
November/December 2004
83
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identify a definitive list of course topics
that should be included in an undergraduate curriculum.
Our results, however, do contribute to
a pattern that emerges when we compare previous empirical studies with
each other and with the results of the
current study. Studies based on the perceptions of executive-level HR professionals (i.e., Johnson & King, 2002; Van
Eynde & Tucker, 1997) indicate a concern for a skill set that encompasses
more than knowledge of fundamental
HR functional areas, including organizational development, communication,
counseling, and the role of strategic HR
planning. Rather than focusing on
entry-level needs, senior managers and
executives may be more aware of needs
that reflect HR professionals’ long-term
career concerns and higher-level organizational needs. Way (2002), for example, argued that current job holders have
more timely and accurate information
about the qualifications needed by
entry-level HR employees.
Consistent with Way’s assertion, the
results of the present study are more similar to Way’s results than they are to those
of the other three studies. In other words,
job incumbents at the practitioner level
see functional HR skills as the most
important areas of knowledge for entrylevel HR employees. This perception
makes perfect sense, given that the jobs
of entry-level employees will require
more fundamental HR tasks than, say,
strategic HR-planning activities. Also, it
is difficult to develop a strategic perspective unless one understands the fundamental activities that define the field of
HR. For this reason, an effective undergraduate program should include courses
on specific HR topic areas such as selection, recruitment, compensation, and
employment law.
Yet, these functional skills will not be
enough for long-term career success. As
one of our respondents commented, “If
HR professionals want to be successful
they should better understand how business works.” Taken together with the
studies by Van Eynde and Tucker
(1997), Johnson and King (2002), Way
(2002), (Weinberg, 2002), and the
HRCI certification research, the results
of our study suggest that an undergraduate degree in business with a major in
84
Journal of Education for Business
HR does have the potential to prepare
students for long-term success as HR
professionals, but only if the degree
reflects training in effective communication and team skills as well as fundamental business and HR knowledge.
Still, the question remains as to what
should be the content of an effective
undergraduate HR curriculum that will
prepare graduates for entry-level HR
jobs. The classic call for more research
in this area is appropriate at this point
because it would be premature to suggest that two studies—the present one
and that of Way (2002)—based on the
perceptions of 211 Midwest HR practitioners are a sufficient basis on which to
build universal recommendations for an
effective HR curriculum. Nonetheless,
our study’s results, combined with those
of previous research, do suggest some
considerations for those faced with the
task of designing such a curriculum.
First, we should keep in mind the
qualifications required for entry-level
HR employees so that program graduates
have knowledge, skills, and abilities that
offer immediate value to employers. Curriculum focus should reflect workplace
and societal trends and broad business
understanding, with emphasis on those
HR functional areas most likely to comprise the tasks and responsibilities of
entry-level employees. It should also
incorporate other skills required for longterm professional success, such as communication and team skills.
Second, we should recognize that it
may well be impossible to design a
“one-size-fits-all” curriculum. As Barber (1999) pointed out, it is difficult to
imagine a single program providing sufficient coverage of all of the content
areas suggested as necessary for HR
professionals, and a business major that
offers in-depth education on every functional area of HR would require more
years to complete than most undergraduates are willing to devote to earning
their degrees. Yet, the generalist
approach reflected in most undergraduate HR programs does not prepare its
graduates to perform any specific HR
task without additional training. As one
of our respondents commented, “Entrylevel HR positions are typically in the
administrative areas in order to give the
HR employee exposure to HR before
investing in training or development in
specific areas.”
A more useful approach in terms of
the long-term career success of HR
graduates could be for programs to
reflect a “niche” approach to HR education, providing in-depth training on a
subset of the more common HR functions (e.g., staffing, compensation) and
including some training in communication and team skills. Graduates of such
a program would be highly qualified as
entry-level employees because they
would be prepared to make a specific
and immediate contribution to the organization with minimal training in their
area of specialization.
Of course, one could argue that this
niche type of education could mean that
program graduates would not be considered for jobs that do not require the specialized skill set developed in such a
program, and thus their job opportunities would be limited. On the other
hand, if the skill sets offered by a niche
program are developed to match the
most pressing organizational needs,
program graduates not only would find
jobs more readily but would be better
prepared for rapid career progress
because of their ability to make an
immediate contribution to organizational effectiveness with minimal additional
training. In addition, organizations are
increasingly likely to outsource some of
their HR functions (Stewart, 1996),
which suggests, if this trend continues,
that many of the future jobs in HR will
be offered by firms to which the HR
functions are outsourced and, thus, will
require specialized skill sets. The niche
approach will require that developers of
HR curricula demonstrate superior predictive skills to ascertain which HR
niche will be important when students
graduate and, therefore, what needs to
be taught. However, use of this
approach may result in the loss of an
HR generalist foundation in students,
which could cause a depletion of HR
generalists in higher-level HR jobs.
In conclusion, we believe that those
charged with developing undergraduate
HR curricula need to adopt a strategic
perspective to create effective HR education. Just as the opinion leaders in the
HR literature suggest that businesses
need to consider the strategic role of HR,
we need to consider the development of
HR curricula strategically, which means
identifying the mission of our programs
in terms of what we are trying to accomplish and for whom. Because of the
inherent limitations in an undergraduate
program, we must seek to optimize our
effectiveness by establishing and focusing on precise goals. If we try to provide
an HR program that is all things to all
people, we are likely to fail.
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November/December 2004
85
ISSN: 0883-2323 (Print) 1940-3356 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/vjeb20
Content Guidelines for an Undergraduate Human
Resources Curriculum: Recommendations From
Human Resources Professionals
Michael Z. Sincoff & Crystal L. Owen
To cite this article: Michael Z. Sincoff & Crystal L. Owen (2004) Content Guidelines for an
Undergraduate Human Resources Curriculum: Recommendations From Human Resources
Professionals, Journal of Education for Business, 80:2, 80-85, DOI: 10.3200/JOEB.80.2.80-85
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.3200/JOEB.80.2.80-85
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Content Guidelines for an
Undergraduate Human Resources
Curriculum: Recommendations
From Human Resources
Professionals
MICHAEL Z. SINCOFF
Wright State University
Dayton, Ohio
D
esigning an effective curriculum
for an undergraduate program in
human resources (HR) is no easy task.
One reason for the difficulty is the dramatic rate of change in the business
world, which means that those charged
with the design and development of
undergraduate business curricula are
faced with a need for continuous review
to ensure pertinent curricular offerings
that will prepare their graduates for successful careers in their chosen disciplines (Giullian, Odom, & Totaro, 2000;
Skousen & Bertelsen, 1994). The design
task is made even more difficult by the
need for programs that are appropriate
as university offerings; in other words,
programs that offer more than simply
vocational training (Kaufman, 1999).
Another reason for the difficulty in
designing effective HR undergraduate
programs is the absence of a clearly
defined and widely accepted common
body of knowledge for the field. Unlike,
for example, accounting professionals,
who must demonstrate mastery of a
common body of knowledge by passing
the CPA exam, or lawyers, who must
pass the bar to practice law, HR professionals have no certification requirement to practice in the HR field. The
Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI), associated with the Society
for Human Resource Management,
offers two levels of certification to
80
Journal of Education for Business
CRYSTAL L. OWEN
University of North Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
ABSTRACT. In this study, the
authors surveyed 445 human
resources (HR) professionals to determine their views regarding the HR
curriculum content that will lead to
graduates’ success in entry-level (firstjob) HR positions. Ninety-eight questionnaires (22%) were returned.
Respondents identified five topics—
equal employment opportunity/affirmative action (EEO/AA), employee
rights and responsibilities, recruitment, selection, and compensation—
as most important. They considered
internship experience to be more valuable than professional human resource
certification and indicated that HR
curricula should reflect workplace and
societal trends, general business
understanding, and communication
and teamwork skills. For HR curriculum development, the authors suggest
a “niche” approach that provides indepth training in some common HR
functions, along with training in communication and teamwork skills.
demonstrate HR competency—professional certification (PHR) for those relatively new to the field and senior professional certification (SPHR) for those
who are experienced. Yet, although
Losey (1997, 1999) argued persuasively
for accepting the HRCI exam content as
a common body of knowledge for the
HR profession, HRCI certification is
neither required nor widely recognized
as a sufficient measure of knowledge for
practicing HR professionals.
As a result, educators typically turn to
the research literature for information to
guide curricular decisions. Unfortunately,
research findings are limited in terms of
offering guidance for the design of effective undergraduate HR programs. As
Hansen (2002) pointed out, much of the
discussion in the recent research literature
has focused on broad changes in the challenges facing HR executives and senior
managers and has placed considerably
less emphasis on how to prepare new HR
job entrants (Kochan, 1997; Schuler,
1990; Ulrich, 1997a, 1997b). Thus, the
literature’s usefulness in designing effective undergraduate curricula is limited. Of
the articles that do address curricular
issues, most offer prescriptions based on
the authors’ knowledge of the field rather
than on empirical evidence. For example,
Shaw (1994) proposed the notion of integrating information technology (i.e.,
computers) into the human resources curriculum. Kaufman described the evolution and current status of university HR
programs, observing that “modern-day
HR education mirrors the trend in industry to treat the practice of human
resources as a management function on
par with other functional areas of business and performed to promote the longterm profit objectives of the firm” (1999,
p. 108). He further noted that there is a
discrepancy between what is taught in
HR education and what is wanted by
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executives in business. Walker and Black
(2000) argued in favor of a processcentered business curriculum containing
four courses intended to replace the traditional, common-body-of-knowledge,
business core curriculum. Their proposal
for an HR acquisition process course is
significant. Walker and Black recommended that such a course should contain
the following topics: wage structures,
employment law, manpower planning,
hiring, training, organizing, compensation, tax issues in compensation, HR/
payroll systems, payroll accounting, evaluating productivity and behavior, and
terminating/retiring employees.
The empirical studies that focus on
curricular issues tend to address graduate
level HR education rather than undergraduate education (Giannantonio &
Hurley, 2002; Heneman, 1999; Langbert,
2000). In spite of the fact that there are
over 30 U.S. colleges of business offering undergraduate degrees in HR (Industrial Relations Research Association
[IRRA], 2003), our review of recent
research identified only three empirical
studies that directly address the question
of which HR fields and skills are most
relevant for entry-level HR professionals
from undergraduate HR programs. Van
Eynde and Tucker (1997), for example,
used the Delphi technique on a panel of
24 senior-level HR executives who indicated that the most important HR curricular offerings for entry-level baccalaureate graduates, in order of importance,
should be the HR strategic role, compensation, EEO, organization development,
communication and counseling, HR
planning, and selection. Johnson and
King (2002) interviewed 12 human
resources/industrial relations (HR/IR)
executives to determine the relative
importance of a variety of HR competencies for entry-level HR practitioners.
They found a different set of recommended competencies. For the subjects
in the Johnson and King study, recruitment, communication, selection, performance appraisal, training, and HR planning were among the most important
traditional HR competencies for entrylevel HR practitioners. Way (2002)
argued that current jobholders, rather
than senior management, had the most
current and accurate information on topic
areas of importance for first-job appli-
cants. Way surveyed HR professionals to
determine their perceptions of the relative importance of educational courses in
preparing a person with no prior relevant
education or experience for an HR job.
He found general HR management,
selection, employment law, staffing, benefits, compensation, and training to be
the most important perceived areas of
HR knowledge.
HRCI is an additional source of information about undergraduate HR curriculum content that is based on feedback
from HR professionals. HR undergraduates can sit for the Professional in Human
Resources (PHR) exam. Using a modified Delphi technique, HRCI regularly
consults HR practitioners, consultants,
educators, and researchers to develop and
modify its certification exams (Weinberg,
2002) as well as conduct expert reviews,
extensive literature searches, and analyses of HR textbooks. Content areas of HR
knowledge as defined by HRCI for the
PHR exam, in order of exam emphasis,
are workforce planning and employment;
employee and labor relations; compensation and benefits; HR development;
strategic management; and occupational
health, safety, and security.
Arguably, we need more empirical
research to extend our knowledge of
appropriate content for undergraduate
HR programs. To help ensure curricular
relevancy of course offerings, the
AACSB International (2002) recommended that business educators engage in
dialogue with business and community
stakeholders to develop course content
that satisfies the needs of all constituents.
Certainly the existing studies focusing on
undergraduate curricular needs are consistent with the AACSB recommendation
in terms of approach, but the results vary
across the three empirical studies and the
HRCI in terms of curriculum content (see
Table 1 for a comparison summary). For
this reason, in this study we sought to
investigate further the specific course
content that HR professionals perceive as
necessary for HR undergraduates to complete to be qualified to assume entry-level
(first-job) HR positions upon graduation.
Method
A panel of three HR experts developed a questionnaire to determine how
important various HR subject matter
areas in an undergraduate HR curriculum are to entry-level HR professionals.
Two members of the panel (the authors
of this article) were senior-level faculty
members whose teaching emphasis was
in HR. The third panelist was an
executive-level HR practitioner with
more than 25 years of HR experience.
We based questionnaire content on a
review of the literature, the experiences
of the panel members, and a content
review of HR textbooks.
The questionnaire was divided into
three sections. Section 1 asked the primary research question: “How important is coursework in the following HR
topics for ‘first-job’ HR professionals?”
Possible responses were divided into 20
possible response topics. We asked
respondents to rate each topic on a 5point, Likert-type scale that included
the following anchors: 5 (vital), 4 (very
important but not critical), 3 (important), 2 (of marginal importance), and 1
(not at all important).
Section 2 of the questionnaire contained two questions to ascertain the
respondents’ beliefs as to the relative
importance of HRCI certification and
hands-on student experience in HR.
The first question was, “To what extent
do you perceive PHR certification
(e.g., having passed the exam) possessed by a recent HR graduate a ‘plus’
in your evaluation of that individual as
a job applicant?” We provided the following response alternatives: (a) “PHR
certification is highly valued and
would be a significant ‘plus’ in my
evaluation” (3 points); (b) “PHR certification is valued and would be a
‘plus,’ but it would not have a significant impact on my evaluation” (2
points); and (c) “PHR certification is
not that important to me in evaluating
recent graduates” (1 point).
Similarly, the second question in Section 2 was, “To what extent do you perceive hands-on experience as a student
HR consultant for a [local] business to
be a ‘plus’ in your evaluation of a recent
HR graduate as a job applicant?”
Response alternatives were (a) “Student
consulting experience is highly valued
and would be a significant ‘plus’ in my
evaluation” (3 points); (b) “Student consulting experience is valued and would
November/December 2004
81
TABLE 1. A Comparison of Undergraduate Curriculum Topics Identified
as Most Important for Entry-Level Human Resources (HR) Professionals
in Prior Studies and the Present Study
Researchers
Sample
Most important HR topics
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Prior studies
Van Eynde &
Tucker (1997)
24 HR executives
HR strategic role
Compensation
Equal employment opportunity
Organizational development
Communication
Counseling
Johnson &
King (2002)
12 mid- to senior-level HR
practitioners
Recruitment
Communication
Selection
Performance appraisal
Training
HR planning
Way (2002)
113 HR association
members (mostly HR
managers rather than
junior or senior HR
professionals)
General HR management
Selection
Employment law
Staffing
Benefits
Compensation
Training
Weinberg
(HRCI, 2002)
HR practitioners,
educators, researchers,
consultants, plus
environmental scans
based on expert reviews,
literature searches, HR
textbook analysis
Workforce planning and
employment
Employee and labor relations
Compensation and benefits
HR development
Strategic management
Occupational health, safety, and
security
Present study
Sincoff &
Owen
98 HR association
members (mostly HR
managers and
professionals rather than
senior executives)
be a ‘plus,’ but it would not have a significant impact on my evaluation” (2
points); and (c) “Student consulting
experience is not that important to me in
evaluating recent graduates” (1 point).
In Section 3 of the questionnaire, we
provided space for respondents to indicate additional topics that they deemed
important but that may have been omitted on the questionnaire, as well as to
elaborate on any answers and make any
additional comments.
In 2001–2002, we mailed questionnaires to the 445 current members of a
professional HR association in the
82
Journal of Education for Business
Equal employment opportunity/
affirmative action
Employee rights and
responsibilities
Recruitment
Selection
Compensation
Performance evaluation
Midwest. Ninety-eight questionnaires
were returned, representing a response
rate of 22%, which is reasonable in
survey research of this type. Association membership consisted primarily of
nonexecutive-level HR managers and
professionals. We did not collect
demographic data on the respondents
at the request of the association.
Results
In Table 2, we show the mean ratings
associated with each of the HR topics
addressed in Section 1 of the question-
naire. Of the 20 course topics presented
to the respondents, five (EEO/AA,
employee rights and responsibilities,
recruitment, selection, and compensation) were identified as very important
to vital, with ratings of 4.03 to 4.78. The
respondents rated the following 14
course topics as important to very
important (performance evaluation/
appraisal, HR information and assessment systems, organizational development, strategic role of HR, training and
development, orientation, labor/management relations, safety, job analysis
and design, future of HRM, leadership
effectiveness, career planning and
development, evaluating the HR function, and HR audits), with ratings
between 3.17 and 3.88. Only one topic,
global HR, was ranked as marginally
important (2.64).
Ratings for EEO/AA, employee rights
and responsibilities, recruitment, and
selection were significantly higher than
ratings for topics in the other ratings categories (e.g., all categories besides very
important to vital). The rating for compensation (4.03) was significantly higher
than ratings for topics with lower ratings,
with the exception of performance evaluation/appraisal (3.88), which was not
significantly different from the compensation rating. The rating for global HR
was significantly lower than ratings for
all other topics.
In Section 2 of the questionnaire,
respondents were asked to rate, on a 3point scale, the degree to which PHR
certification versus hands-on experience
would be perceived as a “plus” in evaluating a recent HR graduate as a job
applicant. Both PHR certification and
hands-on experience were seen by this
group of HR professionals as positive
attributes for recent HR graduates
applying for jobs, with an average rating
of 2.25 for PHR certification and 2.64
for experience in the form of student
HR consulting with local businesses.
However, consulting experience was
perceived as significantly more important than PHR certification (t = 4.33; p <
.01). In the comments section of the
questionnaire, several respondents were
compelled to comment on the value of
HR experience over PHR certification.
For example, one respondent wrote,
“Real-life, hands-on experience is more
TABLE 2. Respondents’ Ratings of Importance of Undergraduate Course
Topics for First-Job Human Resources (HR) Professionals
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Course topic
Rating
Equal employment opportunity/affirmative action
Employee rights and responsibilities
Recruitment
Selection
Compensation
Performance evaluation
HR information and assessment systems
Organizational development
Strategic role of HR
Training and development
Orientation
Labor/management relations
Safety
Job analysis and design
Future of HR management
Leadership effectiveness
Career planning and development
Evaluating the HR function
HR audits
Global HR
4.78
4.33
4.33
4.20
4.03
3.88
3.78
3.74
3.70
3.67
3.61
3.53
3.45
3.42
3.37
3.25
3.22
3.22
3.17
2.64
Note. Respondents answered on a scale with the following anchors: 5 (vital), 4 (very important but
not critical), 3 (important), 2 (of marginal importance), and 1 (not at all important).
valuable than PHR. Nothing can replace
actual face-to-face discussion or learning firsthand what really happens in the
workplace.” Another commented, “The
PHR tells me the person is committed to
HR, knowledgeable, and willing to
work. Experience, however, is always
invaluable.”
Although many respondents (42, or
42.9%) made comments in Section 3 of
the questionnaire, most of these comments were specific to the needs of the
respondents’ particular organizations.
For example, one respondent wrote,
“Safety issues have an important role
in my everyday responsibilities. This is
an area where it is difficult to find
assistance and know what the OSHA
reps say and mean. I would recommend additional training in this area.”
Yet, the topic of safety was rated 3.45
by the respondents as a group, 13th in
importance, and mentioned by only
one other respondent in the comments
section.
Two points, however, were repeated
consistently in Section 3 and deserve
special mention. First, respondents indicated that interpersonal communication
skills need to be taught to HR students.
These skills, according to the respondents, include public speaking and making effective presentations, writing
reports, listening, and reading ability.
The ability to work in teams was also
high on the list of communication skills.
One respondent summed up this idea by
writing, “The student also needs to
know how to work in teams and have
effective communication skills. I have
seen graduates fail more as a result of
how they deal with people than their
[lack of] technical skills.”
The second point repeatedly mentioned by the respondents is that undergraduate curricula should include at
least one, and ideally more than one,
internship opportunity so that students
can learn to apply classroom theory.
Respondents allowed that the internship
could be in the form of student teams
having HR project management consulting engagements with real business
organizations or in the form of HR coop work experience. As one respondent
noted, “Nothing can replace actual faceto-face discussion or learning firsthand
what really happens in the workplace. It
is one thing to read about it. It is another
to do it.” Another respondent said,
“Classroom theory cannot prepare the
HR novice. For the myriad unique challenges presented to HR on a daily basis,
I often say, ‘Just when I think I’ve heard
everything, an employee will present
something new that I couldn’t have
imagined or made up.’”
In addition to these two points about
specific skills or experiences that
respondents would value in HR graduates, several made comments about the
need for undergraduates to start their
professional lives with a firm grasp of
functional HR skills. One respondent
commented that “my experience is that
they don’t need a lot of HR planning or
big-picture knowledge for the first few
years on the job.” Another wrote that
knowledge of functional HR skills
“gives a good foundation for the
employer to teach about the HR role in
the company, strategic planning, etc.”
On the other hand, several others
offered comments about the need for
HR graduates to possess strong business
skills as well as HR skills. For example,
as one respondent wrote, “It is important for HR to think of themselves as a
business partner and to understand how
the company functions, how to relate to
customers, and how HR can help
departments meet goals.”
Discussion
In the current study of HR professionals, the course topics receiving the highest ratings in terms of their importance
for inclusion in an undergraduate HR
curriculum were EEO/AA, employee
rights and responsibilities, recruitment,
selection, compensation, and performance evaluation. Ideally, we had hoped
that the results of this study, together
with those of previous studies, would
provide a synthesis that would allow us
to pinpoint the course topics most
important for inclusion in an undergraduate HR curriculum. Yet, a comparison
of the results of the current study with
the results of previous studies as presented in Table 1 indicates that we cannot make such a synthesis. Although
some HR course topics identified as
important in the current study are common to two or three of the previous studies, we do not have enough evidence
from the results of the five studies to
November/December 2004
83
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identify a definitive list of course topics
that should be included in an undergraduate curriculum.
Our results, however, do contribute to
a pattern that emerges when we compare previous empirical studies with
each other and with the results of the
current study. Studies based on the perceptions of executive-level HR professionals (i.e., Johnson & King, 2002; Van
Eynde & Tucker, 1997) indicate a concern for a skill set that encompasses
more than knowledge of fundamental
HR functional areas, including organizational development, communication,
counseling, and the role of strategic HR
planning. Rather than focusing on
entry-level needs, senior managers and
executives may be more aware of needs
that reflect HR professionals’ long-term
career concerns and higher-level organizational needs. Way (2002), for example, argued that current job holders have
more timely and accurate information
about the qualifications needed by
entry-level HR employees.
Consistent with Way’s assertion, the
results of the present study are more similar to Way’s results than they are to those
of the other three studies. In other words,
job incumbents at the practitioner level
see functional HR skills as the most
important areas of knowledge for entrylevel HR employees. This perception
makes perfect sense, given that the jobs
of entry-level employees will require
more fundamental HR tasks than, say,
strategic HR-planning activities. Also, it
is difficult to develop a strategic perspective unless one understands the fundamental activities that define the field of
HR. For this reason, an effective undergraduate program should include courses
on specific HR topic areas such as selection, recruitment, compensation, and
employment law.
Yet, these functional skills will not be
enough for long-term career success. As
one of our respondents commented, “If
HR professionals want to be successful
they should better understand how business works.” Taken together with the
studies by Van Eynde and Tucker
(1997), Johnson and King (2002), Way
(2002), (Weinberg, 2002), and the
HRCI certification research, the results
of our study suggest that an undergraduate degree in business with a major in
84
Journal of Education for Business
HR does have the potential to prepare
students for long-term success as HR
professionals, but only if the degree
reflects training in effective communication and team skills as well as fundamental business and HR knowledge.
Still, the question remains as to what
should be the content of an effective
undergraduate HR curriculum that will
prepare graduates for entry-level HR
jobs. The classic call for more research
in this area is appropriate at this point
because it would be premature to suggest that two studies—the present one
and that of Way (2002)—based on the
perceptions of 211 Midwest HR practitioners are a sufficient basis on which to
build universal recommendations for an
effective HR curriculum. Nonetheless,
our study’s results, combined with those
of previous research, do suggest some
considerations for those faced with the
task of designing such a curriculum.
First, we should keep in mind the
qualifications required for entry-level
HR employees so that program graduates
have knowledge, skills, and abilities that
offer immediate value to employers. Curriculum focus should reflect workplace
and societal trends and broad business
understanding, with emphasis on those
HR functional areas most likely to comprise the tasks and responsibilities of
entry-level employees. It should also
incorporate other skills required for longterm professional success, such as communication and team skills.
Second, we should recognize that it
may well be impossible to design a
“one-size-fits-all” curriculum. As Barber (1999) pointed out, it is difficult to
imagine a single program providing sufficient coverage of all of the content
areas suggested as necessary for HR
professionals, and a business major that
offers in-depth education on every functional area of HR would require more
years to complete than most undergraduates are willing to devote to earning
their degrees. Yet, the generalist
approach reflected in most undergraduate HR programs does not prepare its
graduates to perform any specific HR
task without additional training. As one
of our respondents commented, “Entrylevel HR positions are typically in the
administrative areas in order to give the
HR employee exposure to HR before
investing in training or development in
specific areas.”
A more useful approach in terms of
the long-term career success of HR
graduates could be for programs to
reflect a “niche” approach to HR education, providing in-depth training on a
subset of the more common HR functions (e.g., staffing, compensation) and
including some training in communication and team skills. Graduates of such
a program would be highly qualified as
entry-level employees because they
would be prepared to make a specific
and immediate contribution to the organization with minimal training in their
area of specialization.
Of course, one could argue that this
niche type of education could mean that
program graduates would not be considered for jobs that do not require the specialized skill set developed in such a
program, and thus their job opportunities would be limited. On the other
hand, if the skill sets offered by a niche
program are developed to match the
most pressing organizational needs,
program graduates not only would find
jobs more readily but would be better
prepared for rapid career progress
because of their ability to make an
immediate contribution to organizational effectiveness with minimal additional
training. In addition, organizations are
increasingly likely to outsource some of
their HR functions (Stewart, 1996),
which suggests, if this trend continues,
that many of the future jobs in HR will
be offered by firms to which the HR
functions are outsourced and, thus, will
require specialized skill sets. The niche
approach will require that developers of
HR curricula demonstrate superior predictive skills to ascertain which HR
niche will be important when students
graduate and, therefore, what needs to
be taught. However, use of this
approach may result in the loss of an
HR generalist foundation in students,
which could cause a depletion of HR
generalists in higher-level HR jobs.
In conclusion, we believe that those
charged with developing undergraduate
HR curricula need to adopt a strategic
perspective to create effective HR education. Just as the opinion leaders in the
HR literature suggest that businesses
need to consider the strategic role of HR,
we need to consider the development of
HR curricula strategically, which means
identifying the mission of our programs
in terms of what we are trying to accomplish and for whom. Because of the
inherent limitations in an undergraduate
program, we must seek to optimize our
effectiveness by establishing and focusing on precise goals. If we try to provide
an HR program that is all things to all
people, we are likely to fail.
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