A Comparative analysis of graduate HRD curricular content between the U.S. and Korea

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare graduate human resource development (HRD) curricular content between the United States and Korean higher education institutions. Also, the perceived importance of each of the curricular content areas from these graduate HRD programmes in the United States and in South Korea was assessed by the faculty members, graduate students and practitioners in the HRD field. Through web search of the United States and Korean institutions, 68 topical content areas were identified and used for comparison. Using an online survey, the ratings and ranking of the important content areas perceived by the HRD faculty members, graduate students and practitioners in the United States and in South Korea were collected. From the comparative data analysis, it was indicated that there were several different as well as similar curriculum topical content found between the two countries. Conclusions and implications for graduate HRD curriculum revision and development were discussed.