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Master of Business Administration – Human Resources

Develop the skills to connect culture, employee needs, and business priorities while improving collaboration, team performance, and organizational health.

Apply by 1/2/27
Start class 1/11/27 Apply Now

Program Overview

Shape stronger workplaces with the online MBA in Human Resources

Prepare to guide informed, people-centered decisions with the online Master of Business Administration – Human Resources Concentration from Northern Kentucky University. The curriculum connects HR practice with financial literacy, analytics, market trends, and broader organizational priorities. Grounded in integrity, inclusion, and diversity, coursework emphasizes the emotional intelligence and communication skills needed to navigate sensitive conversations with empathy and confidence.

Study contemporary approaches to training and development, compensation and benefits, and succession planning. Gain practical expertise to design and implement integrated talent management strategies that align with broader goals and help employers compete in a global labor market.

As a graduate of this online MBA degree, you will be able to:

  • Apply HR and people-management principles to real-world organizational challenges
  • Support talent development, employee engagement, and workforce effectiveness
  • Communicate with empathy, professionalism, and influence
  • Use sound ethical judgment in people-related business decisions
  • Lead inclusive teams and foster a positive workplace culture
  • Align people strategies with broader organizational goals
  • Apply HR and people-management principles to real-world organizational challenges
  • Support talent development, employee engagement, and workforce effectiveness
  • Communicate with empathy, professionalism, and influence
  • Use sound ethical judgment in people-related business decisions
  • Lead inclusive teams and foster a positive workplace culture
  • Align people strategies with broader organizational goals

As a graduate of this online MBA degree, you will be prepared for higher-level roles in business, such as:

  • Human Resources Manager
  • Talent Acquisition Specialist
  • Employee Relations Specialist
  • Training and Development Manager
  • Organizational Development Specialist
  • Compensation and Benefits Analyst
  • People Operations Manager
  • Workforce Planning Analyst
  • HR Business Partner
  • Human Resources Manager
  • Talent Acquisition Specialist
  • Employee Relations Specialist
  • Training and Development Manager
  • Organizational Development Specialist
  • Compensation and Benefits Analyst
  • People Operations Manager
  • Workforce Planning Analyst
  • HR Business Partner

Northern Kentucky University offers a variety of online Master of Business Administration concentrations. View our online business programs.

Total Tuition $18,546
Program Duration As few as 12 months
Credit Hours 33
Apply Now

Need More Information?

Call 800-985-7215

Call 800-985-7215

Tuition

Control your costs with pay-by-the-course tuition

The MBA – Human Resources online program offers the same affordable, pay-by-the-course tuition for in-state and out-of-state students. Financial aid may be available to eligible students.

Tuition Breakdown:

Total Tuition $18,546
Per Credit Hour $546
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A Top Public School

Recognized among the "Top Public Schools" by U.S. News & World Report, 2025

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A Best Value College

Ranked among the “Best Value Colleges in America” by Niche.com, 2026

Calendar

Mark these key MBA dates on your calendar

The MBA – Human Resources online program is flexible and efficient for busy schedules, with accelerated courses that start multiple times a year. View the calendar to find the best start date for you, and be sure to submit your application, registration, documents and tuition by the corresponding deadlines.

SessionProgram Start DateApplication DeadlineDocument DeadlineRegistration DeadlinePayment Due
Fall 210/21/2610/8/2610/13/2610/16/2610/21/26
Spring 11/11/271/2/271/5/271/8/271/11/27
Spring 23/15/273/3/273/8/273/12/273/15/27
Summer 15/10/274/28/275/3/275/7/275/10/27
Summer 26/28/276/16/276/21/276/25/276/28/27

Now enrolling:

Apply Date 1/2/27
Class Starts 1/11/27
Apply Now

Admissions

Explore the streamlined admission requirements for the online MBA Human Resource Management

The admission process is the first step to earning your online Master of Business Management in HRM

Admission Requirements:

  • Official transcripts of all coursework from accredited institutions
  • Current resume
  • 2.5 GPA or higher on a 4.0 scale

A portfolio approach is used in evaluating prospective students for acceptance into the MBA program. Factors considered for admission include:

  • Complete online application and pay $40 non-refundable application fee
    • If you are an NKU alum or active/veteran military member, your application fee will be waived
  • Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate (if applicable) coursework from accredited institutions with a minimum undergraduate overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.5.
    • Applicants with an undergraduate overall GPA under 3.0 must have three years of professional work experience
    • Direct admit pathway available for applicants with minimum undergraduate overall GPA of 2.75 who submit application, fee, resume, and transcript
  • Current resume

Official documents may be mailed or emailed to:

NKU Office of Graduate Education

467 Math, Education, Psychology Building

Highland Heights, KY 41099

[email protected]

Have a question? Call us at 800-985-7215.

Courses

Review course details for your MBA in Human Resource Management online

For the MBA – Human Resources online program, students must complete 33 credit hours including 24 credit hours of core courses.

Students must take all of the following courses:

Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This dynamic 7-week MBA course helps you take your problem-solving skills to the next level by immersing you in real-world, open innovation “wicked” challenges, to build advanced critical thinking, agility, storytelling, and emotional intelligence skills essential for today’s business landscape. Through creative frameworks, experiential projects and hands-on teamwork, you’ll learn to diagnose and overcome cognitive biases, synthesize diverse thinking strategies, and communicate solutions with power and clarity no matter what type of audience you are targeting.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This 7-week MBA course equips students with a practical framework for developing emotional intelligence as a key leadership skill. Based on Daniel Goleman’s four-domain model, the course explores twelve core competencies including self-awareness, emotional regulation, empathy, adaptability, and inspirational leadership. Students examine the neuroscience of emotional responses—such as the amygdala hijack—and learn strategies for resilience and emotional agility. Drawing on research from thought leaders like Carol Dweck, Susan David, and Brené Brown, the curriculum emphasizes growth mindset, psychological safety, and authentic leadership. Through a mix of theory and experiential learning, students engage in self-assessments, case studies, role-play, and reflective exercises to build skills in empathy, active listening, feedback delivery using the SBI model, and managing difficult conversations. The course fosters executive presence and influence, preparing students to lead with emotional intelligence in complex organizational settings.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This 7-week MBA course provides a comprehensive exploration of resilience, agility and chaos management including the critical role of understanding and responding to failure within the unpredictable landscape of modern business. Students will learn to analyze the causes and consequences of failure, develop strategies for organizational learning from setbacks, and cultivate individual and collective resilience in the face of chaos. They will learn practical frameworks, tools, and strategies to navigate uncertainty, embrace change, and cultivate resilient organizations. Through a blend of theoretical concepts, case studies, and hands-on assignments, participants will develop the leadership capabilities necessary to not only survive but thrive amidst adversity in complex and unpredictable environments.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
In this course, you’ll discover how successful companies thrive in a complex world. We'll see how marketing, economics, and operations all work together to attract and keep customers. You will learn the practical skills to analyze what customers really want, what your rivals are doing, and what your company can actually deliver. Your challenge will be to use this comprehensive view to build and execute smart, powerful strategies that work in the real world.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
In this course, you’ll explore what it really takes to lead with integrity in a complex business world. We’ll look at how ethics and law, organizational behavior, and leadership work together to shape effective decision making. You’ll develop practical skills in critical thinking, emotional intelligence, communication, and influence, all while strengthening your leadership agility. Each week, you’ll engage in online discussions, multimedia storytelling, and applied projects designed to help you connect concepts to real organizational challenges. Along the way, you’ll learn to evaluate ethical dilemmas, understand and influence behavior in organizations through authentic leadership, and apply adaptive strategies that drive meaningful, positive change. Your challenge will be to bring all of these perspectives together and use them to lead with clarity, confidence, and purpose.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Financial Intelligence is designed to build students’ ability to understand, interpret, and apply core finance and accounting concepts used in modern business decision-making. This course provides a practical foundation in the language of business using finance, financial accounting, and managerial accounting, thereby equipping students with the tools needed to evaluate organizational performance, support strategic choices, and participate confidently in managerial discussions involving the numbers.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course develops the ability to make high-impact strategic decisions using data, analytics, and AI tools—while maintaining human judgment and ethical awareness. Students learn how to interpret complex data environments, design decision frameworks, and balance quantitative evidence with managerial intuition when facing ambiguity and trade-offs. Applying data-driven reasoning, systems thinking, and strategic judgment to organizational decisions.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
MBA 650 is the culminating experience of the Haile MBA. In this intensive 7-week consulting engagement, you will work in teams to diagnose, analyze, and solve real strategic problems for real organizations in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region and beyond. You will function as a professional consulting team—scoping a problem, conducting research and analysis, interviewing stakeholders, generating insights, and delivering evidence-based recommendations directly to executives.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course is an introduction to effective training and development practices within a human resource management framework. The goal is to help students develop the knowledge of the instructional design model, learning processes, training and development methods, and contemporary perspectives of strategic training and development.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Introduction to the effective policies and practices of employer compensation and benefits within a human resources management framework. The goal is to provide the student with a fundamental knowledge of the procedures, legislation and strategies for determining compensation and benefit systems in contemporary organizations.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
One of the primary responsibilities of an organization is to hire the best employee for the role. Talent acquisition and management can be a competitive differentiator for the organization. The course will focus on methodology of proper recruiting and selection of the right employee for the position.

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