SHRM Student Chapters in the District of Columbia
Washington, DC is the capital of the United States, and is widely considered to be the most powerful city in the world. The city itself is home to just over 630,000 residents. It is also the principal city within the Washington Metropolitan Area, which includes portions of Virginia and Maryland and has a population of approximately 5.7 million people.
In addition to DC’s vast array of museums and historical sites, it is also one of the few cities lucky enough to be the home of a franchise in each of the four major professional sports—the NBA’s Wizards, the NFL’s Redskins, MLB’s Nationals and the NHL’s Capitals. The District is perfect for anyone who is interested in politics, cultural events, sports or any combination of the three, offering virtually around-the-clock entertainment and intrigue.
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)—founded in 1948 as the American Society for Personnel Administration—is a professional human resources (HR) association that is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, which is just across the Potomac River from Washington to the southeast. It is the largest professional human resources association in existance, with more than 250,000 members and 575 chapters worldwide. SHRM promotes the role of HR as a profession, publishing monthly issues of HR Magazine, in addition to providing its members with education, certification and networking opportunities. It also lobbies Congress on issues that pertain to labor management and its related professional interests.
The seven District of Columbia postsecondary institutions with SHRM student chapters are American University, the Catholic University of America, George Washington University, Georgetown University, the Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies, the University of the District of Columbia and Trinity College. However, only Catholic, George Washington, the Georgetown School of Continuing Studies and Trinity offer HR-related degree programs. What follows is a short description of both the academic and extracurricular human resources-oriented activities available to each institution’s students, complete with contact information.
American University
American University is a private, secular liberal arts and research-based university located in the District’s northwest quadrant. Its 84-acre suburban campus in Washington’s Spring Valley neighborhood, which is designated as a national arboretum and public garden, is home to approximately 7,200 undergraduate students and 5,200 graduate students. It is home to SHRM Student Chapter #5128, which prepares students for careers in the HR management field.
American offers a minor in Leadership and Management through its Kogod School of Business. This program requires students to complete courses in global corporate citizenship and organizational behavior. They must also take four of the following courses: consulting and project management, negotiation, managing human capital, global entrepreneurship and micro enterprises, entrepreneurship and innovation, an internship or leading high-performance teams.
Contact Information
American University
Caren Goldberg
Phone: (202) 885-1900
Email: cgoldberg@american.edu
Website: http://www.american.edu/kogod/
The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America offers a Master of Arts in Human Resources Management, and is home to SHRM Student Chapter #5240. This masters program is primarily aimed at part-time students who wish to attend classes in the evening while working during the day. It offers the SHRM Learning System course, which is designed to provide students with an overview of key areas of HR management. This course is offered in cooperation with SHRM to provide study material for the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification examinations the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) administers. The HRM program includes two concentrations: HR generalist (relevant to for-profit and nonprofit organizations) and federal HR (relevant for current and aspiring HR professionals within the United States federal government). It is a 12-course program that typically requires approximately 22 months of part-time study to complete. Students generally take two courses per term, with courses meeting one night per week from 6:10-8:40 p.m. during the fall and spring, and 5:40-9:40 during the shorter summer sessions.
Contact Information
Catholic University of America
Scott Battle
Phone: (202) 319-5808
Email: battles@cua.edu
Website: http://metro.cua.edu/masters/mahrm.cfm
George Washington University
George Washington University (GWU) is located in northwest DC’s Foggy Bottom neighborhood. Founded in 1821, it is a private research university with an enrollment of approximately 11,000 undergraduate students and 15,000 graduate students. It offers a Master of Human Resources Management at its Graduate Education Center in Arlington, Virginia. The program’s 12-course curriculum is intended to be completed in two years and is complemented by SHRM Student Chapter #5073. It includes required courses in management systems, managerial economics, organizational behavior, statistics, personnel selection, personnel training and performance appraisal, compensation management, collective bargaining, and strategic HR planning. Students must also pass three elective courses from within the Department of Organizational Sciences and Communication to complete the degree.
Contact Information
George Washington University #5073
Dr. Paul Swiercz
Phone: (202) 994-0399
Email: prof1@gwu.edu
Website: http://departments.columbian.gwu.edu/orgsci/academics/organizational/graduate/hr
Georgetown University
Georgetown University, one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the nation, is located in the northwest quadrant’s Georgetown neighborhood. It has an enrollment of just over 17,000 students, approximately 7,600 of whom are undergraduates and 9,500 of whom are enrolled in the university’s various graduate programs. Georgetown is home to the McDonough School of Business, within which SHRM chapter #5632 operates to help prepare students for HR management and related careers.
Contact Information
Georgetown University #5632
McDonough School of Business
Dr. Marcia Miceli
Phone: (202) 687-7811
Email: micelim@georgetown.edu
Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies
Through its School of Continuing Studies, which is geared toward professionals who wish to work and go to school concurrently, Georgetown University also offers a Master of Professional Studies in Human Resources Management. This program includes a six-course, 18-credit core of required classes, allowing students to choose their remaining five courses (15 credits) from the three concentrations offered: diversity and inclusion management, international HR management and human capital management. SHRM Student Chapter #5641 helps the school’s graduate students prepare themselves for careers in the HR field.
Contact Information
Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies #5641
Calvin Pringle
Phone: (202) 687-8700
Email: cip6@georgetown.edu
Website: http://scs.georgetown.edu/departments/10/master-of-professional-studies-in-human-resources-management
The University of the District of Columbia
The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is one of the few urban land-grant universities in the nation. It is the District’s only public university and, along with Howard University, one of its two historically black postsecondary institutions. It enrolls approximately 5,400 students—5,100 of whom are undergraduates—on its various campuses. The main campus, known as the Van Ness campus, is located in northwest Washington’s North Cleveland Park neighborhood at the intersection of Van Ness Street and Connecticut Avenue. Although it does not offer any HR-related academic programs, it is home to SHRM Student Chapter #5548, which provides UDC students with the resources necessary to succeed as HR professionals.
Contact Information
University of the District of Columbia #5548
Phone: (202) 274-7000
Email: syates@udc.edu
Website: http://www.udc.edu/school_business_and_public_admin/home
Trinity Washington University
Trinity Washington University is a private Roman Catholic university located in northeast Washington’s Edgewood neighborhood. The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur founded Trinity as an all-female college in 1897, although males are now accepted into its School of Education and School of Professional studies at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. It has a combined graduate and undergraduate enrollment of approximately 2,100 students. In addition to being the home of SHRM Student Chapter #5513, Trinity offers a Master of Science in Administration (MSA) that allows its students to complete a concentration in human resource management. Students must take courses in research design and methods, organizational management, leadership theory and practice, accounting and finance, group dynamics and HR strategies. They must also complete a three-credit capstone project. Students wishing to complete the program’s HR management specialization must choose five courses from a group of pre-approved electives such as performance management, organizational staffing, HR law, compensation and benefits, staff development and training, conflict resolution in the workplace and diversity in the workplace. Thirty-six credits are required to graduate.
Contact Information
Trinity College #5513
Kelly Wood
Phone: (202) 884-9620
Email: woodke@trinitydc.edu
Website: http://www.trinitydc.edu/programs/organizational-management/
In addition to being arguably the most powerful political city anywhere on the globe, Washington, DC is also a great place to study HR management. It offers an unparalleled opportunity to network with the other students, professionals and policymakers who will influence and set the course of the profession for years to come. If you are serious about pursuing a career in HR management, each of the aforementioned universities should be on the list of undergraduate or graduate schools you are considering.
