Courses

The prescribed courses for the Bachelor of Science in Labor and Human Resources degree focus on basic studies of labor and human resources methods. Additional course work includes a historical background. Other course options are available to fulfill the remainder of the degree requirements allowing you to customize the degree to meet your areas of interest or specific needs.

The B.S. in Labor and Human Resources program requires you to complete a minimum of 123 credits.

The course list includes only courses offered by World Campus. An official degree audit or the recommended academic plan for this program may include additional course options and detailed requirements. All students are expected to complete at least 36 Penn State credits to earn this degree. Please consult an academic adviser for details.

Students must receive a grade of C or better in all courses required for the major. These include prescribed courses, additional courses, and supporting courses.

Prescribed Courses (18 credits)

3

credits

Introductory analysis of the employment relationship and the interrelated interests of management, workers, unions, and the public.
3

credits

Examination of basic legal principles underlying the employment relationship, and their social, political, and economic bases.
3

credits

The course surveys the main elements of modern labor and employment relations systems in the U.S. and beyond.
3

credits

This course will provide students with an opportunity to understand and apply important concepts concerning human resources in the workplace.
3

credits

The objective of this course is to enhance students' abilities to use a range of methodologies to evaluate and conduct research in the field of employment relations and human resource management.
3

credits

Explores ethics from both a normative and behavioral perspective; four interrelated and mutually reinforcing subject areas will be explored in the course at the individual, organizational and transnational levels business ethics, ethics in unionized firms, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability.

Prerequisite
LHR 100 or fifth-semester standing or 3 other credits of LHR

Additional Courses (13 credits)

LHR courses that are used in the Additional Courses category may not be double-counted to satisfy other requirements. Some courses in this category have prerequisites that are not included in the major.

- 3
  
  credits
  
  Economics is the study of how people satisfy their wants in the face of limited resources.
- or:
  
  3
  
  credits
  
  Methods of economic analysis and their use; price determination; theory of the firm; distribution.
- or:
  
  3
  
  credits
  
  National income measurement; aggregate economic models; money and income; policy problems.
- 3
  
  credits
  
  The course will be offered at an introductory level. It is designed to encourage students to explore individual and group behavior at work.
- or:
  
  3
  
  credits
  
  Personnel selection, training, accident prevention, morale, and organizational behavior.
- 4
  
  credits
  
  Descriptive Statistics, frequency distributions, probability and normal distributions, statistical inference, linear regression, and correlation.
  
  Prerequisite
  Placement into MATH 21 or higher.
- or:
  
  4
  
  credits
  
  Topics include descriptive statistics, probability distributions, statistical inference, regression and correlation, and forecasting.
- 3
  
  credits
  
  To accomplish the goals of the course, students will participate in a variety of in-class and out-of-class exercises designed to expose them to issues of inequality generally, and more specifically, to inequalities relating to employment. Activities are designed to connect real world experiences to class readings and discussion.
- or:
  
  3
  
  credits
  
  Employment relations and legislative and policy responses to labor force issues of racial and gender inequality.
- or:
  
  3
  
  credits
  
  A study of selected problems in the history of work in the United States, especially since 1877.

Elective Courses (select 23–27 credits)

Elective courses should be chosen in consultation with an adviser. Among the degree requirements, students should incorporate at least:

3 credits in U.S. cultures
3 credits in international (IL) cultures
3 credits in writing-across-the-curriculum courses

Option Courses (30–31 credits)

Human Resources Option

Human Resources Option Prescribed Courses (12 credits)

3

credits

Course exploring human resource management from an international perspective.

Prerequisite
LHR 100
3

credits

This course focuses on the theory and practice of human resource staffing and training in organizations.
3

credits

This course examines human resource management (HRM) and employment relations (ER) from a strategic perspective embedded in a complex and evolving organizational system.
3

credits

This course requires students to learn the link between company's strategy and compensation, and understand core policies necessary to develop effective compensation systems.

Prerequisite
LHR 100

Human Resources Option Supporting and Related Courses (18–19 credits)

Some courses in this category have prerequisites that are not included in the major.

Select 9 credits from any 400-level LHR courses (a maximum of 3 credits from LHR 495 or LHR 496 may be used to satisfy this requirement) and select 9–10 credits from the following list in consultation with an adviser.

4

credits

Introduction to the role of accounting numbers in the process of managing a business and in investor decision-making.

Prerequisite
MATH 21 or a higher math course or a satisfactory score on the mathematics placement examination
3

credits

Explore what it means to be Black in America by engaging with questions about identity and authenticity, freedom and unfreedom, radicalism and reform, gender and sexuality, and the role of music in African American life.

GS and US
The credits earned in this course may be applied toward the Social and Behavioral Sciences (GS) requirement and the United States Cultures (US) requirement.
3

credits

This course is an introduction to African American Studies as both a political and intellectual project. We will look at the discipline's history, its most prominent thinkers and institutional locations, as well as the influence of African American Studies both inside and outside of the academy.

GH and US
The credits earned in this course may be applied toward the Humanities (GH) requirement and the United States Cultures (US) requirement.
4

credits

Explores the ethical, political, social, legal and regulatory, technological, and demographic diversity environment of business.

Note
A student may not receive credit toward graduation for both BLAW 243 and BA 243.
3

credits

This class is designed as an opportunity to explore the complexities of interpersonal communication and to develop a repertoire of interpersonal communication skills.
3

credits

Examines the function and structure of communication in both formal and informal situations.
3

credits

Focuses on the study of markets with imperfect competition.
3

credits

This course examines major developments in the history of modern American business and industry from the colonial period to the present.

GH and US
The credits earned in this course may be applied toward the Humanities (GH) requirement and the United States Cultures (US) requirement.
3

credits

Introduction to organizational factors relevant to management processes, including leadership, motivation, job design, technology, organizational design and environments, systems, change.
3

credits

Study of fundamental principles and processes available to the understanding of management.

Prerequisite
(ENGL 015 or ENGL 030) and (ECON 102 or ECON 104) and (MATH 021 or higher or satisfactory score on the mathematics placement examination)
3

credits

Applies organizational behavior theories, concepts, and skills to leading and motivating individuals and groups.
3

credits

This course introduces key leadership concepts and practices based on current theory and research. It is designed to help students to discover the knowledge and skills that are characteristic of effective leaders.

GS
The credits earned in this course may be applied toward the Social and Behavioral Sciences (GS) requirement.
3

credits

The course examines the continuing influence of social and environmental factors in shaping leadership and leadership development.
3

credits

Theory- and research-based communication skills for leaders dealing with work-related problems in contemporary groups and organizations.
3

credits

Application of theories of decision-making to work-related issues in groups and organizations requiring collective resolution and action.
3

credits

This survey course examines racism and sexism as cultural, political and economic processes that shape contemporary social life in the United States.

US
The credits earned in this course may be applied toward the United States Cultures (US) requirement.
3

credits

Changing sex role expectations and behavior for men and women in contemporary society.

GS and US
The credits earned in this course may be applied toward the Social and Behavioral Sciences (GS) requirement and the United States Cultures (US) requirement.
3–4

credits

Focuses on historical patterns and current status of racial, ethnic and cultural groups and issues locally, nationally, and internationally.

GS and US
The credits earned in this course may be applied toward the Social and Behavioral Sciences (GS) requirement and the United States Cultures (US) requirement.

You may also select your 9–10 credits from any 400-level courses in:

AFAM
CAS
ECON
HIST
LTNST
MGMT
PHIL
PSYCH
SPAN
SOC
WMNST

Labor and Employment Relations Option

Labor and Employment Relations Option Prescribed Courses (6 credits)

3

credits

Analysis of structure and elements of employment relations systems in developed and developing areas.
3

credits

Development of Anglo-American law regulating collective bargaining, with emphasis on American labor-management relations under Wagner, Taft-Hartley, and other acts.

Labor and Employment Relations Option Additional Courses (select 6 credits)

3

credits

This course requires students to learn the link between company's strategy and compensation, and understand core policies necessary to develop effective compensation systems.
3

credits

This course examines, at an advanced level, the theory, practice, and impact of the major phases of union organizing, collective bargaining, and contract administration.

Prerequisite
LHR 100
3

credits

Upon completing this course, students should be able to identify the legal frameworks that govern collective bargaining between employers and unions in federal, state and local governments.
3

credits

This course examines dispute resolution procedures in unionized and nonunion workplaces.
3

credits

The role of employees, unions, employers, and government in dealing with work-related safety and health issues.
3

credits

Students will learn how collective bargaining works in professional sports and how it compares to bargaining in other industries
3

credits

Comprehensive analysis of American Labor Unions/Labor Organizations: how structured, administered, and governed as they pursue economic, social, political objectives.
3

credits

Students will examine, debate and gain a fundamental understanding of the current state of the American labor movement.
3

credits

Explore the causes and consequences of conflicts between work, family, and other life commitments, and how these may be resolved.
3

credits

This course focuses on how the nature of work is changing in the global economy, and the implications for economic opportunity and inequality in both.

Labor and Employment Relations Option Supporting and Related Courses (18–19 credits)

Some courses in this category have prerequisites that are not included in the major.

Select 6 credits from any 400-level LHR courses (a maximum of 3 credits from LHR 495 or LHR 496 may be used to satisfy this requirement) and select 12–13 credits from the following list in consultation with an adviser.

4

credits

Introduction to the role of accounting numbers in the process of managing a business and in investor decision-making.

Prerequisite
MATH 21 or a higher math course or a satisfactory score on the mathematics placement examination
3

credits

Explore what it means to be Black in America by engaging with questions about identity and authenticity, freedom and unfreedom, radicalism and reform, gender and sexuality, and the role of music in African American life.

GS and US
The credits earned in this course may be applied toward the Social and Behavioral Sciences (GS) requirement and the United States Cultures (US) requirement.
3

credits

This course is an introduction to African American Studies as both a political and intellectual project. We will look at the discipline's history, its most prominent thinkers and institutional locations, as well as the influence of African American Studies both inside and outside of the academy.

GH and US
The credits earned in this course may be applied toward the Humanities (GH) requirement and the United States Cultures (US) requirement.
4

credits

Explores the ethical, political, social, legal and regulatory, technological, and demographic diversity environment of business.

Note
A student may not receive credit toward graduation for both BLAW 243 and BA 243.
3

credits

Social control through law: courts, basic policies underlying individual and contractual rights in everyday society. May not be used to satisfy Smeal College baccalaureate degree requirements.
3

credits

This class is designed as an opportunity to explore the complexities of interpersonal communication and to develop a repertoire of interpersonal communication skills.
3

credits

Examines the function and structure of communication in both formal and informal situations.
3

credits

Focuses on the study of markets with imperfect competition.
3

credits

This course examines major developments in the history of modern American business and industry from the colonial period to the present.

GH and US
The credits earned in this course may be applied toward the Humanities (GH) requirement and the United States Cultures (US) requirement.
3

credits

Introduction to organizational factors relevant to management processes, including leadership, motivation, job design, technology, organizational design and environments, systems, change.
3

credits

Study of fundamental principles and processes available to the understanding of management.

Prerequisite
(ENGL 015 or ENGL 030) and (ECON 102 or ECON 104) and (MATH 021 or higher or satisfactory score on the mathematics placement examination)
3

credits

Applies organizational behavior theories, concepts, and skills to leading and motivating individuals and groups.
3

credits

This course introduces key leadership concepts and practices based on current theory and research. It is designed to help students to discover the knowledge and skills that are characteristic of effective leaders.

GS
The credits earned in this course may be applied toward the Social and Behavioral Sciences (GS) requirement.
3

credits

The course examines the continuing influence of social and environmental factors in shaping leadership and leadership development.
3

credits

Theory- and research-based communication skills for leaders dealing with work-related problems in contemporary groups and organizations.
3

credits

Application of theories of decision-making to work-related issues in groups and organizations requiring collective resolution and action.
3

credits

This survey course examines racism and sexism as cultural, political and economic processes that shape contemporary social life in the United States.

US
The credits earned in this course may be applied toward the United States Cultures (US) requirement.
3

credits

Changing sex role expectations and behavior for men and women in contemporary society.

GS and US
The credits earned in this course may be applied toward the Social and Behavioral Sciences (GS) requirement and the United States Cultures (US) requirement.
3–4

credits

Focuses on historical patterns and current status of racial, ethnic and cultural groups and issues locally, nationally, and internationally.

GS and US
The credits earned in this course may be applied toward the Social and Behavioral Sciences (GS) requirement and the United States Cultures (US) requirement.

You may also select your 12–13 credits from any 400-level courses in:

AFAM
CAS
ECON
HIST
LTNST
MGMT
PHIL
PSYCH
SPAN
SOC
WMNST

General Education Requirements

Some General Education requirements may be satisfied by courses required for the major. Students should work with an adviser to select courses.

Arts (GA): 6 credits
Humanities (GH): 6 credits
Health and Wellness (GHW): 3 credits
Natural Sciences (GN): 9 credits
Social and Behavioral Sciences (GS): 6 credits
Writing and Speaking (GWS): 9 credits
A student must receive a grade of C or better in GWS courses.
Quantification (GQ): 6 credits
A student must receive a grade of C or better in GQ courses.
Integrative Studies: 6 credits
This requirement only applies to students starting in summer 2018 or later. Learn more about the Integrative Studies options and consult your academic adviser when choosing courses to fulfill these requirements. Integrative Studies credits may be completed within the thirty Knowledge Domain credits and must be completed with either Inter-domain or Linked courses, not a combination of both.

Course Availability

If you're ready to see when your courses will be offered, visit our public LionPATH course search (opens in new window) to start planning ahead.

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