Online Coursework
Much of the coursework is completed online, making it flexible and convenient for busy working professionals. All courses are authored by Cornell ILR School faculty, and are taught by a combination of ILR faculty and senior HR practitioners. There are many opportunities for personal and direct interaction with faculty through small, seminar-style discussions, online chats, and face-to-face meetings during on-campus sessions. You can work at your own pace and fit your coursework into your schedule.
Residential Sessions
A core part of the EMHRM program is the three, week-long residential sessions (July, March, July).
These sessions bring the curriculum into practice, giving you dedicated time to step back, engage deeply with faculty and senior HR leaders, and apply what you’re learning in real time. You’ll collaborate with peers facing similar challenges, sharpen your strategic thinking and build strong professional relationships that often continue well beyond the program.
Accommodations for your three on-campus sessions are at your expense; you can make arrangements at any of several local hotels, inns or bed and breakfasts. We offer recommendations regarding lodging, transportation, travel agencies and more to help you facilitate your travel to Ithaca.
Capstone Project
A critical component of the EMHRM program is the capstone project. The Capstone provides you with the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills learned on campus and online to a challenge facing your organization.
The major objectives for this project are:
- to apply what you’ve learned in the program to your real-time challenges
- to provide a small group of professional colleagues an opportunity to consult with one another and to facilitate mutual learning
- to help you ground your learning in practical on-the-job and business-related experience
- to provide concrete steps for the practical application of program content
During the first residential session, students will propose a capstone project focused on a critical business issue with significant human-resource implications for their organization. They will advance the project over the full length of the program, incorporating executive course learnings.
Students will receive ongoing guidance from an assigned Cornell faculty advisor and an executive HR advisor. Although students will work on the project independently, scheduled project reviews and ad hoc advisor dialogues will help refine the scope and objectives of the case, sharpen their analysis and recommendations and learn from the collective expertise and experiences of peers.