At a time when many students are concerned about finding career opportunities in the current job market, changes are being made to a course that helps students plan for the future.

In the past, in preparation for the mandatory internship for the Human and Organizational Development major in Peabody College, students were required to take HOD 1210 and 1410, both of which are one-hour credits. As a result of student frustration, the two will be merged into a single three-hour class beginning this fall: HOD 1400, Talent Management and Organizational Fit. The new class will help students identify, based on their talents, which job industry is their best fit and then teach them how to market their talents and skills to potential employers.

"We want to integrate the two classes in a positive way that allows us to make the class more academic and to create links between human development and career development," said Victoria Davis, assistant clinical professor of HOD and director of HOD internships.

The merger aims to curb student complaints and satisfy alumni.

"Because this class is so important, there was a lot of work for a one-hour course and a lot of student complaints about the course, but at the same time we were getting a lot of alumni feedback that the course was extremely valuable when they graduated," Davis said.

Another problem with the two one-hour classes, taken during separate semesters, was that students didn't see the connection between the two courses that were designed to build on one another.

"There was a lot of frustration between 1210 and 1410," said junior HOD major Kathryn Braunlin. "I have a lot of peers who have expressed frustrations with the busy work and the overlap between the two classes."

Despite student complaints, alumni of the class continue to rave about the positive aspects of these classes.

"I got my J. Crew internship out of HOD 1210," Braunlin said, "I thought it was a good part of the curriculum, it is applicable in helping with interviews and maximizing your career skills."

HOD 1400 was originally divided in 2003 when an HOD coordinating committee did not think the school should give three hours for the course. Therefore, 1400 was made into one-hour course, HOD 1410, and HOD 1210 was attached on as a lab. HOD 1210 examined which talents organizations need and what kind of operating cultures exist inside specific industries.

"It was basically an assessment of what is needed and what do I have to offer, so I can then decide which industries best fit me," Davis said. HOD 1410 was designed to build upon HOD 1210 by teaching job researching skills.

Students who have already taken HOD 1210 will not have to take HOD 1400, but instead will be able to take HOD 1410 in the fall.

HOD 1400 is open to students from all schools. However, Peabody students get priority because it is a required course.