Press Room

Bellevue University announces the nation's first Ph.D. program in Human Capital Management

Program starts fall 2008

Bellevue University has been approved to offer its first doctorate program, the Ph.D. in Human Capital Management. The University received approval recently from its regional accrediting body, the Higher Learning Commission, which is part of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. This is the same organization that accredits schools such as Northwestern, Notre Dame and Michigan.

Bellevue University's Ph.D. in Human Capital Management is unique not only to Nebraska and the region but nationwide because of its focus on the need for corporations to more effectively measure the return on investment (ROI) of employee training and education. Organizations currently spend billions of dollars on developing their human capital, but the tools do not yet exist to measure the return on this investment. The challenge for graduates of this program, therefore, will be to create those tools.

"Bellevue University has a long history of being responsive to the needs of the business community. This Ph.D. program continues that tradition," said Dr. John Muller, Bellevue University President. "Our graduates will be armed with the knowledge and research experience necessary to make an immediate, bottom-line impact on organizations."

The program will place an emphasis on research that can be directly applied to the work of corporations and organizations. Students' research will contribute to the work done by Bellevue University's Human Capital Lab, a place where business and academic leaders work together to measure the impact of training and development investments.

The Ph.D. in Human Capital Management is a 93-credit-hour program. Students may apply relevant courses from their master's degree toward their doctorate at Bellevue University. Graduates of Bellevue University's Master of Science in Human Capital Management can apply all 36 credit hours of that degree toward their Ph.D., if they are accepted into the program.

Students can take all of their courses online, through the University's award-winning Cyber-Active® Learning platform. Students will take advanced courses in economics, finance, research and statistics, and management. They also will write a dissertation, which must be publicly defended.

Bellevue University's Ph.D. in Human Capital Management is offered through the school's College of Business. The first classes will be offered in fall 2008.