Nov 30, 2024  
NCU Catalog - February 2022 
    
NCU Catalog - February 2022 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Human Resource Management, PhD


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Doctor of Philosophy in Human Resources Management


Description of Program


The Doctor of Philosophy in Human Resource Management (PhD-HRM) is a research-based 60-hour program designed to prepare leaders for positions in the private and public sectors of human resource management. Areas such as multiple generations in the workplace, discrimination, equal employment opportunity, employment law, compensation and benefits, labor relations, recruitment, staff retention, and professional development will be studied at a scholarly level. Students will dive into research on the various topics and apply to current day issues in Human Resources.

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Learning Outcomes


  • Evaluate human resource theories, concepts, and scholarly research
  • Recommend best practices in hiring, retaining, supporting, and motivating employees
  • Determine the impact of employment laws in domestic and multinational organizations
  • Contribute to the body of theory and practice in human resource management

Basis for Admissions


Admission to the Doctor of Philosophy in Human Resources Management program requires a conferred master’s degree and/or doctoral degree from a regionally or nationally accredited academic institution.

Degree Requirements


The University may accept a maximum of 12 semester credit hours in transfer toward the doctoral degree for graduate coursework completed at an accredited college or university with a grade of “B” or better.

The PHD-HRM degree program in the School of Business has the following graduation requirements:

  • A minimum of 48 credit hours of graduate instruction must be completed through NCU
  • Grade Point Average of 3.0 (letter grade of “B”) or higher
  • Satisfactory completion of the PHD-HRM Pre-Candidacy Prospectus
  • University Approval of Dissertation Manuscript and Oral Defense completed
  • Submission of the approved final dissertation manuscript to the University Registrar, including the original unbound dissertation manuscript and an electronic copy
  • Official documents on file for basis of admission: a conferred master’s degree from an accredited academic institution
  • Official transcripts on file for all transfer credit hours accepted by the University
  • All financial obligations must be met before the student will be issued their complimentary diploma and/or degree posted transcript

Dissertation Completion Pathway


The NCU mission is dedicated to assisting students in achieving their academic aspirations and helping them become valuable contributors to their community and profession. To support our mission, NCU now offers a dissertation completion pathway for students who have successfully completed their doctoral coursework and achieved doctoral candidacy at a previous institution but were unable to complete their dissertation.  NCU’s Dissertation Completion Pathway (DCP) offers a unique opportunity for students to complete their doctorate in one of the doctoral programs offered at NCU (excluding the PhD in MFT, DMFT, DNP, and DHA). Students successfully meeting the entrance and application requirements will complete a minimum of 23 credit hours to earn their doctorate.

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Dissertation Completion Pathway  

Time to Completion


NCU allows 7 years to complete all doctoral programs of 60 credits or less.

The median time to completion for this program is 49 months.

Time to completion varies depending upon the pace in which a student completes courses and the number of transfer credits accepted. As most NCU students are working adults, balancing educational, professional, and personal commitments, our academic and finance advisors will work with you to develop a program schedule that works best for your needs.

Students following the preferred schedule designed by the Dean for this program, and applying no transfer credits, can expect to finish in as little as 38 months.

Dissertation Process


Faculty assist each NCU Doctoral candidate to reach this academic goal through a systematic process leading to a high-quality completed dissertation. A PhD-HRM dissertation is a scholarly documentation of research that makes an original contribution to the field of study. This process requires care in choosing a topic, documenting its importance, planning the methodology, and conducting the research. These activities lead smoothly into the writing and oral presentation of the dissertation.

A doctoral candidate must be continuously enrolled throughout the series of dissertation courses. Dissertation courses are automatically scheduled and accepted without a break in scheduling to ensure that students remain in continuous enrollment throughout the dissertation course sequence. If additional time is required to complete any of the dissertation courses, students must re-enroll and pay the tuition for that course. Continuous enrollment will only be permitted when students demonstrate progress toward completing dissertation requirements. The Dissertation Committee determines progress.

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