The Purdue Polytechnic Institute will offer a new undergraduate major in human resource development (HRD) beginning Fall 2017. It is also one of only a few similar bachelor’s degree programs in the country.
The major capitalizes on the strengths of faculty in the Department of Technology Leadership and Innovation, including leadership and talent development. As part of the program, faculty will create an HRD Analytics Lab to develop people analytics and an HRD Virtual Lab to provide more innovative experiential learning.
“The major is designed to provide students with an interdisciplinary college experience developing core competencies at the intersection between technology and organization,” said Mesut Akdere, associate professor of technology leadership and innovation and head of the HRD program. “They will be gaining industry-based workplace experiences through internships and capstone projects and global immersion through the Purdue Polytechnic transformation.”
The Purdue major in human resource development will focus on preparing students to train and develop employees, improve employee engagement and performance, diagnose organizational needs, and assess system effectiveness. In essence, graduates will be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to help organizations improve all aspects of employee development and engagement.
“The new HRD major will fill an existing gap in the Purdue Polytechnic to study human behavior, employee engagement, and diversity issues that can intersect and affect an organization’s culture and performance in a global world. The program aims to develop professionals in HR-related fields to address the upcoming labor shortages both at the state, national and global levels,” said Gary Bertoline, dean of the Purdue Polytechnic.
All students who complete the major will also graduate with a minor in human resource management, which is offered through Purdue’s Krannert School of Management. Faculty in both colleges collaborated to create this unique offering that can offer more value for enrolled students.
“We're pleased to provide Krannert’s world-class expertise to the whole campus in the form of a fantastic new human resources minor and especially pleased to see it incorporated as part of the new program in the Purdue Polytechnic Institute,” said David Hummels, dean of the Krannert School of Management.
Current Purdue students will be able to enroll in the major in the fall. New first-year students will be able choose HRD as a major when the Fall 2018 Purdue application goes live in August 2017.