Leadership & Human Resource Development (Graduate Program)

For information regarding the UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM, click here.  

Program Overview

A central theme that stitches the diverse faculty together in the School of Leadership & Human Resource Development is a shared, collective ambition to contribute to the positive change and development sought by organizations and communities in response to the forces in today’s globalized world. Therefore, the mission of the School is to prepare leaders to foster learning, development, and change in individuals, organizations, and global communities.

Our vision is, by 2025, to be the premier thought leader in Leadership and Human Resource Development, recognized for world-class research, teaching, and service.

We value:

Student-Centered, Applied Learning

• We provide an applied, student-centered learning experience that builds in our graduates the knowledge, skills, and ways of thinking needed to become global citizens, leaders, and positive change agents.

Diversity and Inclusivity

• We encourage diversity and inclusiveness through civility, the free exchange of ideas, an appreciation of individual distinctiveness, and respect for multiple perspectives. 

Strong Science-Practice Focus

• We believe a strong theory-research-practice linkage is critical in an applied field and realize this through effective collaboration, the provision of evidence-based tools and interventions, and ongoing local and global engagement.

Excellence

• We strive for a global reputation of excellence realized through rigorous, cutting-edge research, adherence to the highest ethical standards in teaching, research and practice, ongoing professional development of all members of our learning community, and the creation of an exemplary, dynamic curriculum that meets the needs of our stakeholders.

The graduate programs in our School include a stable of courses that, in very fundamental ways, focus on the development of human capacity in organizations and communities, planned change in organizational systems, and the systemic nature of planned change.  Our courses address the diagnostic, analytical, and evaluative capabilities that are key to initiating and sustaining change in organizational systems; the role of leadership and change agents; and the role of multi-level learning in change.  The school has four primary areas of focus: human resource development, organization development, workforce development, and leadership development.

Our courses and programs are taught by a diverse, multidisciplinary, and award-winning faculty. They bring a breadth of research interests and a wealth of applied experience to the classroom. Their goal is to make learning experiential, challenging, provocative, and to prepare our students to be the leaders of positive change.

The School, recognized as one of the top 20 programs in leadership and human resource development in the U.S., maintains membership in the distinguished University Council for Workforce and Human Resource Education. The School has the only comprehensive university leadership and human resource development program in the United States.

Administration

Admission

Applications and supporting materials for all graduate study must be submitted through the online application site for the LSU Graduate School. Official transcripts, official test scores, and other materials that come from third-party sources must be mailed to: LSU Office of Graduate Admissions, 114 West David Boyd Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. These paper documents are stored electronically, and departments have access to all materials submitted by and/or on behalf of a student applying to graduate study.

Students seeking admission to this school must submit satisfactory credentials from previous study, acceptable GRE or GMAT scores, resume or C.V., personal statement, and three letters of recommendation. International students whose native language is not English must also submit an acceptable TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE score.

The admission policies of the School provide an optional GRE/GMAT waiver for students applying to the M.S. program who meet the following criteria:

1. A minimum of a 3.0 GPA in their last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework.

2. A minimum of a 3.0 GPA on all previous graduate coursework.

3. Three letters of acceptable recommendations.

4. Three years of demonstrated successful full-time professional work experience as evidenced by a resume.

5. Successful completion of a criterion-based essay. For the essay, students are asked to describe, in 1,000 words or less, at least three specific examples from their professional work experience that demonstrate their:

• Motivation to succeed as a professional.
• Ability to persevere in the face of demanding professional challenges.
• Intellectual ability to master challenging and difficult subject matter.

Only applicants that meet admission requirements and provide well-written and acceptable answers to these questions will be allowed to utilize the GRE/GMAT waiver.

Admission to the PhD program requires, in addition to a minimum of a 3.0 GPA in the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework and a minimum of a 3.0 GPA on all previous graduate coursework, acceptable GRE or GMAT scores and successful completion of a master’s degree. Each student must submit at least three letters of reference and evidence of appropriate professional experience. Applicants must also submit a 1,000 word or less “Personal Statement” which provides a brief statement of the applicant’s background and interests, a description of her/his research experience and skill, and his/her longer-term professional and academic goals and how the program aligns with those goals. A well-formed personal statement should also describe the kinds of research topics and/or methods the applicant would like to explore during the Ph.D. program. It is beneficial if the applicant can draw a connection between her/his research topics of interest and those of one or more the faculty in the School. There is no GRE/GMAT waiver available for Ph.D. applicants.

Required Application Materials for the Ph.D. Program

• Resume or C.V.
• Three letters of recommendation
• GRE or GMAT Scores
• Undergraduate transcripts
• Post-baccalaureate transcripts
• Graduate transcripts
• Personal statement expressing your interest in the program

Financial Assistance

Graduate assistantships in the school are awarded on a competitive basis to qualified MS and PhD students. All students on assistantship are responsible for a portion of student health care costs, vehicle registration fee, graduation fees, and other fees.  Students interested in assistantships should complete the admissions process as early as possible and complete the Graduate Assistantship Application. 

Students who have graduate assistantships are expected to maintain a 3.0 GPA (“A” = 4.0) must register for at least nine semester hours in the fall and spring and six hours in the summer. Most assistantships require the student to be involved in research being conducted in the school; however, some teaching assistantships are available.

Graduate Faculty

(check current faculty listings by department here)

Reid A. Bates (M) • Organization development, human resource development, organizational diagnosis, learning transfer, human resources for health, training effectiveness, program evaluation, work analysis, instrument development
Oliver S. Crocco (6A) • Learning and organization development and change, workforce competence, human resource development in Southeast Asia, program evaluation, learning experience design and innovation
John Paul Hatala (3P) • Social capital in the workplace, human resource and organization development, social network analysis, career development
Edward Gibbons (3P)  • Small business strategic planning, change management, workforce and organization development, executive coaching, leadership, competency-based development planning, career readiness
Shinhee Jeong (6A) • Knowledge sharing and creation, informal learning in the workplace, social capital in the workplace, leadership effectiveness, quantitative research methods
Missy Korduner (3P) • Student leadership development; student leader training programs; program assessment and evaluation extended orientation and transition programs; students in transition
Tyree Mitchell (6A) • • Industrial/organizational psychology, leadership and antecedents of leadership behaviors, work team effectiveness, work motivation, negotiation
Sunyoung Park (6A) • Organizational culture, learning in the workplace, knowledge sharing, the integration of human resource development, human performance technology, and instructional technology
Erin Richard (6A) • Industrial/organizational psychology, leader emotion management, emotional skills in leadership and teams, emotional labor, affect and individual differences in work motivation
Tracey Rizzuto (M) • Industrial/organizational psychology, technology and the development of social capital, power and influence in social networks, managing change in the workplace
Petra Robinson (M) • Issues of race, class, gender, and color, colorism, critical non-normative literacies, lifelong learning and professional development, qualitative research methods, adult learning, social justice in education and the workplace.
Erin Michelle Todd (6A) • Industrial/organizational psychology, creativity, innovation, and leadership in organizations, ethical decision-making, development and training for creativity, ethical decision making, and leadership.

Degree Programs

The school offers several program options at the graduate level including MS, PhD, and graduate certificate programs.

Programs

• Leadership and Human Resource Development, M.S.

• Leadership and Human Resource Development, Ph.D.