Abstract:

Higher education has traditionally been a means for adult learners to advance in their chosen careers in human resources. Adult learners and career professionals have sought advanced graduate education courses and degrees provided by universities and colleges to improve their career projection and opportunities for promotion in their respective organizations. Previously HR graduate degree programs focused on the functional areas of human resources, to include recruiting, employee compensation, employment law and performance management. In addition to this knowledge, professional certifications in the field of HR provided by a national credentialing organization substantiated a level of mastery and professional knowledge in the HR field.

The pandemic of 2019 had an impact on the HR field. Where once the focus was on the functional areas of the field, HR was forced to take a leadership role to help the organization respond to the pandemic. HR professionals were on the front lines of their organizations to help all levels of management including line managers, executives and the CEO respond to the unknown impact of COVID-19 on the employees within the organization. This was a crisis that shifted the work norms and rules performed in most organizations and HR played a lead role.

Impact of COVID 19 on Graduate Degree Programs:
In these instances, 4 -year universities had to support HR graduate students’ growth by revising the HR curriculum in response to the skills needed to lead the organizations through the pandemic. The skills needed by HR graduate students were new strategies to help their organizations regain the trust of employees, retain employees, and re-imagine employee engagement in a post COVID-19 environment. This paper will explore the both literature and the practical experiences of the development of human resource related curriculum and skills training in higher education designed to prepare the current and next generation of people leaders across many organizations after COVID-19. The specific inquiry will answer the following questions:

1. What skills, knowledge and abilities are necessary for graduate students to learn to be successful HRM career professionals post COVID 19?
2. What curriculum changes were implemented in HR graduate degree programs to support the knowledge gaps of HR professionals in their careers in this new era of disruptive change?
3. What are the implications on these curriculum changes on the field of HR for the future?

Keywords:

Human resources, curriculum, higher education/graduate education, COVID-19, pandemic.