The Dean of Graduate Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences requires that all graduate programs either:
- require a thesis or,
- administer a comprehensive exam as a capstone for each program
The HRD program offers students two comprehensive examination options for meeting this requirement. One must be taken and passed in order to graduate.
Two comprehensive exam options
The standardized Professional in Human Resources (PHR) exam; Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and the Assurance of Learning Assessment (AOLA) was developed by the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) and administered by ASI. Those students who present evidence of having passed either the PHR/SPHR or the AOLA exam will be considered to have passed the comprehensive examination required for the MS degree in Human Resource Development (HRD).
You may request materials on the PHR/SPHR/AOLA or to register for it online. If you have received notice that you have passed either the PHR/SPHR/AOLA, please provide a copy of the scores and the certificate to the HRD Office. You must complete the following PHR/SPHR/AOLA form. You may fax it to us at (610) 519-5826.
The comprehensive exams are held twice a year, and the dates are defined by the graduate School. The exam is held on the Wednesday and Thursday from 1 to 4PM prior to the last date for the examination as defined in the academic calendar.
Day one is comprised of the financial management and metrics sections. The test is essay, the financial management questions are comprised of three questions from which you answer two. There are no formulas, no calculations, but there are scenarios that ask you to apply what you have learned to a problem statement. For example, providing the rationale for a budget cost and determining how you would communicate this estimate in order to gain support for this.
The metrics section is comprised of three questions and you answer two. There are no formulas, no calculations. The questions are basic areas that form the foundations for metrics. For example, what is the role and value of statistics in HR< how would you explain this value to others in your company.
Day two is HRD, there are five questions listed and you have to answer three. These questions cut across the HRD curriculum. Example, you company has merged with another company that have different compensation philosophies. One is a compensation leader while the other is a laggard. How would you reconcile these differences and communicate them to the employees. As you can see this questions pulls from both the compensation and organizational change courses.
The basic approach toward these exams should be to know the fundamentals of financial management and be able to apply them to a situation. For metrics is know the fundamental, there is little application of the concepts in these questions. For HRD, the questions cut across courses, so be able to take concepts from several courses, create your own questions and answer them.
