Human Resources Management Major: What It Includes, Classes and Careers

A Human Resources Management major teaches you to recruit, train, pay and support an organization's workforce. Human resources majors study staffing, training and development, compensation and benefits, employment law and employee relations.

A Human Resources Management major includes coursework in human resource management, employment law, compensation and benefits, training and development, and organizational behavior and more. You build skills such as recruiting and interviewing, employment law compliance, conflict resolution, and HR information systems. Typical degrees: associate, bachelor's and master's degrees.

Typical courses include human resource management, employment law, compensation and benefits, training and development, organizational behavior, and labor relations. Exact course names and requirements vary by college, and most degrees also include general education courses.

It depends on the level. Human Resources Management is offered as certificate, associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral awards at U.S. colleges; certificates take from a few months to about two years, an associate degree usually takes about two years of full-time study, a bachelor’s degree usually takes about four years of full-time study, a master’s degree usually takes one to two years after a bachelor’s, and a doctoral or professional degree takes several more years beyond that. Part-time study takes longer.

Associate, bachelor's and master's degrees. In the latest federal data, 269 colleges reported certificate awards, 91 colleges reported associate awards, 317 colleges reported bachelor’s awards, 262 colleges reported master’s awards, and 26 colleges reported doctoral awards.

Career paths connected to human resources management include human resources specialist, HR assistant, human resources manager, compensation and benefits specialist, training and development manager, labor relations specialist, and corporate trainer. Some roles need additional training, experience, certification or a license.

Examples include human resources specialist (typical training: 1–4 years), hr assistant (typical training: Short on-the-job training), human resources manager (typical training: 5+ years of HR experience), compensation and benefits specialist (typical training: Some HR experience), training and development manager (typical training: 5+ years of experience), and labor relations specialist (typical training: Less than 5 years of experience).

Human Resources Management majors build skills such as recruiting and interviewing, employment law compliance, conflict resolution, HR information systems, and confidentiality.

Good pairings include Psychology (explains motivation, behavior and workplace dynamics), Communications (strengthens the communication HR relies on), Business (connects HR to finance and strategy), and Legal Studies (deepens your knowledge of employment law).

It can be a good fit if you are interested in the work it leads to, such as human resources specialist, HR assistant, and human resources manager, and enjoy subjects like human resource management and employment law. No major guarantees a job, so compare the coursework, the careers and the education each career requires before deciding.

How hard it feels depends on your strengths. Core coursework includes human resource management, employment law, and compensation and benefits; if those subjects interest you, the major is likely to feel more manageable. Reviewing a college’s course list and talking to current students helps you judge.

661 U.S. colleges reported awarding degrees or certificates in this field in the latest federal (IPEDS) data. Programs can have different names at different schools.

Pennsylvania (43), Ohio (41), California (39), New York (36), and Texas (35), based on the colleges that reported awards in this field.

623 of the colleges that offer human resources management also report offering at least one program entirely online, though not necessarily this one. Use the college search with this major and “Offers fully online programs”, then confirm with the school.

Human Resources Management teaches you to recruit, train, pay and support an organization's workforce. Business Administration is a broad business major that covers management, finance, marketing and operations. Human Resources Management leads to careers such as human resources specialist and HR assistant, while Business Administration leads to careers such as general and operations manager and administrative services manager.

Human Resources Management teaches you to recruit, train, pay and support an organization's workforce. Marketing studies how organizations understand customers and promote products and services. Human Resources Management leads to careers such as human resources specialist and HR assistant, while Marketing leads to careers such as marketing manager and digital marketing specialist.

Yes. Short online career training can help you understand a specific job and build practical knowledge alongside your classes. It does not replace your degree or any required license.

No. Career Education Institute is not a college and does not award degrees. It offers short, non-credit online trainings about jobs connected to human resources management, such as Human Resources Specialist Training.