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 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.

Engagement

• We encourage engagement 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 organizations.  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.

Administration

Admission

Applications and supporting materials for all graduate study must be submitted through the online application site for the LSU Graduate School. For detailed information on how to submit official transcripts and other materials, please refer to the information provided by the Graduate School. 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.

Admission to the MS program requires submission of satisfactory credentials from previous study, resume or C.V., and a personal statement. Students not meeting the regular admission requirements as listed on the School’s website must also submit two letters of recommendation. Students meeting the regular admission requirements as listed on the School’s website are not required to submit letters of recommendation. International students whose native language is not English must also submit an acceptable TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE score.

Admission to the PhD program requires one of the following:

• A cumulative undergraduate GPA or last 60 credit hours from earned bachelor’s degree is at least 3.6, or
• A cumulative undergraduate GPA or last 60 credit hours from earned bachelor’s degree is between 3.4 to 3.59 and the applicant has earned a graduate GPA of 3.2 or higher in at least nine hours of graduate-level coursework.

In addition to meeting the GPA requirement, each student must submit a resume or CV, three letters of recommendation, satisfactory credentials from previous study, and a personal statement. The personal statement should be 1,000 words or less and provide a brief statement of the applicant’s background and interests, a description of her/his research experience and skill, and her/his 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 faculty in the School. 

Required Application Materials for the Ph.D. Program

• Resume or C.V.
• Three letters of recommendation
• 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. The application deadline to be considered for funding opportunities is January 15 of each year. 

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)

Oliver S. Crocco (7M) • Human resource development in Southeast Asia and the Pacific; adult development; Organizational Development and Change in community-based organizations; workforce development, global mindset; Coastal Community Resilience and Coastal Preservation
Edward Gibbons (3P) • Small business strategic planning; change management; workforce and organization development; executive coaching; leadership; competency-based development planning; career readiness
John Paul Hatala (3P) • Social capital in the workplace; human resource and organizational development; social network analysis; career development
Elwood Holton (EM) human resource development, leadership development, adult learning, organization development
Wynde Jones (3P) • College administration; program development for students, faculty, and staff; leading and motivating student groups
Missy Korduner (3P) • Student leadership development; student leader training programs; program assessment and evaluation; extended orientation and transition programs; students in transition
Ague Mae Manongsong (6A) • Industrial/organizational psychology; mentoring in professional and leadership development
Tyree Mitchell (7M) • Self-categorization and social identity processes at work; leadership; work team effectiveness; intergroup relations; negotiation and conflict
Sunyoung Park (M) • Organizational culture and behavior; learning and performance in the workplace; research trends in HRD and related fields
Erin Richard (7M) • Industrial/organizational psychology: work stress and health, leadership and emotion; interpersonal emotion management; work motivation; cyber-aggression; workplace neuro-diversity
Tracey Rizzuto (M) • Industrial/organizational psychology; development of social capital and capacity via technology and social relationships (e.g., workplace tools, power networks); and managing workplace changes, including new initiatives, aging workforce dynamics, and disaster recovery.
Petra Robinson (7M) • Critical literacies across the lifespan in global higher and adult education and organizational contexts; lifelong learning and professional development; colorism; critical literacies; diversity, equity and social justice in higher and adult education; global citizenship; professional development in the academy
Erin Michelle Todd (6A) • Creativity and innovation in organizations; training; leadership; social innovation; ethics

Degree Programs

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

Programs

• Leadership and Human Resource Development, M.S.

• Leadership and Human Resource Development, Ph.D.