Bachelor’s in Human Resources Program Guide
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A bachelor's in human resources (HR) provides learners with advanced management and "people" skills. Graduates with a human resources bachelor's degree can pursue lucrative positions in a variety of healthcare, corporate, and nonprofit organizations. Careers in human resources require unique skills and responsibilities, including high-level leadership, training and development, and organizational management.
A bachelor's in human resources meets the minimum education requirement for executive HR occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects about average job growth for both human resources specialists (10%) and human resources managers (9%) between 2020 and 2030, with median annual wages of $63,490 and $121,220, respectively.
Read on to explore the full benefits of a bachelor's in human resources.
Should I Get a Bachelor's in Human Resources?
Students with strong interpersonal and organizational skills are well-suited to a career in HR. Bachelor's degrees in human resources help prepare emerging professionals for careers that combine management, psychology, and advocacy. This degree qualifies graduates for entry- to executive-level HR roles.
Students can launch their career in just four years by earning a traditional bachelor's degree. For students seeking an accelerated path to graduation, many online bachelor's in human resources programs offer perks, such as competency-based coursework, flexible enrollment, and set or in-state tuition rates. Students may choose to supplement their online or on-campus coursework with an internship in human resources.
Featured Programs in Human Resources
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Though not typically required for employment, optional professional certifications are available. Most human resources bachelor's degrees introduce students to broad business, accounting, and communication skills, with a focus in a particular concentration of HR. Graduates can pursue positions in nonprofit or corporate HR management.
What Will I Learn in a Human Resources Bachelor's Program?
Earning a bachelor's degree in human resources can lead to widespread opportunities in nonprofit, healthcare, and corporate management. Human resources programs emphasize core communication, business, and accounting skills, with specialized coursework in team building, organizational psychology, and conflict resolution techniques.
Many programs offer concentrations in specialized fields like healthcare, data science, and accounting. Schools may offer a bachelor of arts or a bachelor of science in human resources. Business administration is an especially popular concentration, preparing students for general leadership positions or further study, such as an MBA in human resources.
Concentrations
Business Administration
A concentration in business administration typically covers broad skills, including upper-level HR management, financial management, and corporate training and recruitment. Graduates may qualify for HR management positions. They can also pursue an MBA in human resources.
Healthcare
Students in this concentration learn skills unique to managing human resources in healthcare occupations. Coursework covers topics, such as patient records management, HIPAA regulations and patient confidentiality, and administrative and clinical staff training.
Accounting
Studying human resources accounting prepares graduates to take on a dual role as human resources manager and finance manager within an organization. Students in this concentration learn to consider a business's finances when making decisions that affect personnel.
Data Science
This concentration suits students interested in the science behind effective personnel management and how it affects business. Students learn to research employee satisfaction and incentives, appropriate compensation, and commensurate benefits.
Organizational Leadership
An organizational leadership concentration enables students to delve into the psychosocial components of group dynamics in personnel management. Covered topics include conflict management, team building, and self-enrichment opportunities for employees.
Still Looking for the Right Fit? Discover Similar Programs
What Can I Do With a Bachelor's in Human Resources?
Successful human resources professionals possess excellent communication, problem-solving, and mediation abilities. These professionals thrive in a setting that involves high social interaction among employers and employees. Human resources experts are sought after in any industry or business that involves recruiting, hiring, and training staff and applying benefits.
Human resources programs prepare students for managerial and specialist positions. Students often aspire to manage or direct human resources in a particular field or industry, such as healthcare or government. Graduates with a bachelor's in human resources may also become corporate recruiters, compensation and benefits managers, and training and development specialists.
Popular Career Paths
Popular Continued Education Paths
How Much Money Can I Make With a Bachelor's in Human Resources?
HR jobs offer widespread opportunity, positive job growth, and high wages for qualified candidates. While students may specialize in an area like healthcare, organizational management, or corporate training and development, graduates with a bachelor's in human resources are prepared for management jobs in many industries.
Graduates often pursue positions as human resources managers, earning a median annual salary of more than $121,000 a year.
Frequently Asked Questions About Bachelor's in Human Resources Programs
What is human resources?
Human resources refers to the personnel of a business or organization. Human resources programs train students to manage these assets in a professional setting.
How much does it cost to get a bachelor's in human resources?
Tuition varies by program, with many four-year degrees costing more than $27,000, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Students often consider online human resources degrees for their flexible schedules and set or in-state tuition rates.
Is a bachelor's in human resources worth it?
Earning a bachelor's in human resources can lead to lucrative jobs with longevity in the corporate and nonprofit sectors. A bachelor's in human resources meets minimum education requirements for HR specialist and manager positions.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's in human resources?
Most bachelor's degrees take four years to complete through a traditional program; however, many online human resources bachelor's degrees offer accelerated paths to graduation.
Is human resources a good career?
Studying human resources prepares graduates for stable careers and high salaries. The BLS projects about average job growth for human resources specialists and >human resources managers between 2020 and 2030. These professionals earn median annual wages of $63,490 and , respectively.
