2026-2027 Academic Catalog
OnlineLearning2

Adult Education/Human Resource Development, M.S.Ed.

Graduate Program Coordinator: Danielle Maxham
Email: gallagda@jmu.edu
Phone: (540) 568-3298

Program Description

The mission of the AHRD program is to prepare professionals to lead, design, implement and evaluate learning programs within education, business, industry, government, military, health care, and other public and private sector organizations. In addition to delivering effective instruction, AHRD professionals design ways to improve human performance, facilitate change and enhance creativity.

This program is designed to be completed in 2 years. Summer courses are not required.

Outcomes

By completing our program, graduates will be able to:

  • Understand and apply systems theory, analytic systems, principles of adult development, learning theory and leadership theory.
  • Understand business, industry, educational and other organizational settings.
  • Identify, understand and build effective organizational relationships that support teaching, learning and continuous human performance improvement appropriate to the context.
  • Organize, manage and evaluate teaching, learning and continuous human performance improvement efforts.
  • Analyze, design, develop, implement and evaluate targeted curriculum in appropriate modes (including distance, action, self-directed, transformative, informal learning, etc.) for individual, team and organizational applications with a focus on continuous human performance improvement.
  • Facilitate and lead team-based learning activities appropriate to the context.
  • Apply appropriate technologies in the creation of learning programs.
  • Recognize and respond responsibly to issues of diversity and ethics.
  • Demonstrate the ability to articulate and forecast the vision and role for teaching, learning and continuous human performance improvement appropriate to a context.
  • Interpret and conduct research.

Students in the adult education/human resource development program must follow several fundamental guidelines:

  • Consult program advisors for advice and approval regarding curricular requirements.
  • Plan to count no more than six credit hours of workshop credit in any degree program. To be accepted, workshop courses must be approved for credit in the program. The program will not accept workshop courses offered by departments outside the College of Education for elective credit.
  • Adhere to The Graduate School policies.
  • Secure the required approval of the advisors for any course credits to be transferred into a JMU degree program.