NYU Master's Program Helps Prepare the HR World for People Analytics and Big Data
Today’s organizations have at their fingertips a wealth of data that would have been unimaginable not so long ago. Savvy human relations managers are making use of that information to determine the keys to successful hiring and promotion, reducing attrition, and increasing workplace engagement. Google has been at the forefront of using data to drive human resource practices, and on December 3, 2014, Brian Welle, who is director of people analytics for the Internet giant, will be featured at a public symposium at the NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering.
The event, “Preparing the HR World for People Analytics and Big Data,” will also feature other experts in the field, including Andrew Biga of JetBlue, Vincent Conte of Work/Life, LLC, and Paul Squires of Applied Skills & Knowledge, Inc., all of whom are also adjunct faculty members in the School of Engineering’s Department of Technology Management and Innovation.
The symposium has been planned in celebration of the school’s revamped master’s program in Organizational Behavior, Systems and Analytics, which is aimed at those preparing to enter and/or compete in the challenging new world of data-driven human capital management.
As part of one of the first master’s degree programs of its kind in the nation, individuals not only gain a deep understanding of the fundamentals of organizational behavior but also choose from technology-oriented concentrations such as Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) or Human Capital Engineering and Analytics, as well as from more traditional areas of HR. Professor Hal Kaufman, the creator of the program, explains, “We are providing a holistic approach to collecting, analyzing, and utilizing data through a variety of human capital systems to improve organizational effectiveness.”
As more companies analyze data to make the best hiring decisions, increase workplace diversity, prevent unwanted attrition, and identify the most effective managers, graduates of the predecessor program, which also included coursework in this emerging field, are finding themselves increasingly in demand, Kaufman says: “Students are fielding job offers well before they even graduate. Companies that might otherwise have considered only those with doctoral degrees are finding our master’s graduates very competitive.”
The new degree in Organizational Behavior, Systems and Analytics is conducted under the auspices of the Department of Technology Management and Innovation, an interdisciplinary learning, research, and development hub in the New York City/Tri-State region explicitly devoted to the increasingly critical arenas of innovation, information, and technology management.
“Preparing the HR World for People Analytics and Big Data” is sponsored in part by the Society for Human Resource Management’s student chapter at the NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering—PolySHRM—which provides its members and the entire student community with professional and leadership development opportunities to prepare them for future careers.
Check-in and networking will occur on Wednesday December 3, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m., and the speakers will take the stage from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at 5 MetroTech Center, in Brooklyn. To find out more and to register, visit http://engineering.nyu.edu/events/2014/12/03/preparing-new-world-people-analytics-big-data.
