About HDO

“The opportunity to teach in HDO is remarkable. I am fundamentally committed to the fact that advanced work on what it means to be a human, from an interdisciplinary perspective, is the best way of interacting with other human beings in whatever organizational context you find yourself.

I continue to participate in HDO out of personal pleasure and the chance to work with these great students and my colleagues from across the campus, but also because I see our field, the shared social sciences and humanities, as essential to understanding what human beings have been, are currently, and how we might be our best selves in the future.”

– Elizabeth Richmond-Garza, PhD

Human Dimensions of Organizations is the first program of its kind in the nation. Drawing on an innovative combination of liberal arts, behavioral sciences, and social sciences, HDO was designed to meet a need not addressed by existing education options: providing a deep understanding of people, the key components of any organization.

Technical expertise in a particular domain is a necessary element for workplace success. However, recognizing behaviors and motivations, communicating across organizations and cultures, and thinking strategically to solve complex problems – a few examples of core competencies developed in HDO – are the skills that create transformational leaders.

Students within liberal arts programs have extensive skills for surfing the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Bridging critical thinking and meaning-making with entrepreneurship and design, post-secondary liberal arts programs are positioned to generate the kinds of intuitive thinkers that understand the future.

Daniel Araya and Creig Lamb, The Brookings Institution

Innovation can’t simply be ordered up. To create and sustain an innovative culture, you have to go beyond being managers to becoming leaders. HDO can play a fundamental role in this transformation.”

Craig Wynett, Chief Learning Officer, Procter & Gamble

To advance our mission of better understanding the people who drive today’s global marketplace, we developed three education opportunities:

Our 15-Month Master’s Degree is designed for professionals in the business, nonprofit, government, and military sectors searching for a more comprehensive understanding of how human behavior and experience affect organizational success. Students graduate from the Master’s program equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to make their organizations more effective, creative, and efficient.

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Our Professional Training programs provide individuals and organizations the opportunity to train with UT Austin’s top faculty members. These programs provide practical and immediately applicable tools for solving key organizational problems, ranging from personal motivation and growth to strategic organizational leadership. Training options include One-Day Seminars, Certificate Programs, and Custom Programs.

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In addition to our offerings for working professionals, we launched a Bachelor’s Degree program in fall 2016. The undergraduate program teaches students to explore, learn, and articulate the ways the liberal arts and social and behavioral sciences can address practical problems facing organizations.

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