Best Online Human Resources Programs

If a career in human resources appeals to you, an online HR degree delivers flexibility, convenience, and personalization opportunities.

Leading online HR degree programs, like our No. 2 program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, offer comprehensive curricula directly aligned with professional best practices, as established by organizations like the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). If you have prior credit, you can even finish our top pick, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota’s online program, in as little as a year.

Explore top-ranked programs and important school selection criteria with this guide.

The elements that make a program “right” for any given student are highly subjective. Even so, considerations like cost, flexibility, delivery format, program credentials, and networking opportunities often make a difference.

Here’s how these key factors break down:

When examining costs, look beyond the so-called “sticker price.” In your analysis, evaluate the return you stand to make on your educational investment. To do this, compare tuition costs with outcome metrics like post-graduation placement rates and the average starting salaries of recent graduates.

Also, consider the “net price of attendance.” This represents your actual out-of-pocket costs after factoring in all non-repayable financial aid you stand to receive. Aid packages can dramatically reduce the net price of attendance, particularly at private institutions.

Online HR degrees use variable delivery formats, some of which offer more flexibility than others. Asynchronous programs use pre-recorded lectures that allow you to engage with coursework at any convenient time. Synchronous programs use live online delivery models, which are more interactive but less flexible.

Also, consider hybrid programs if you live near your school and want an element of the traditional college experience. Some schools also offer accelerated programs with compact completion timelines, typically to students with existing degrees or relevant professional experience. You can finish the top program on this list, from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, in as little as a year.

SHRM-aligned programs develop competencies that directly support the valuable professional certifications offered by the Society for Human Resource Management. The curriculum in UAB’s online bachelor’s degree in human resource management — our No. 2 program — meets SHRM standards. Professional certifications may enhance your employability and could therefore improve the return you get on your educational investment.

Some online HR degree programs require internship credits that help you build practical skills, develop your professional network, and surface job opportunities. Like SHRM certification pathways, internships can tilt a program’s value proposition further in your favor.

Program costs vary according to factors like delivery format, school location, institutional prestige, and a college’s private or public status. The following table describes prevailing averages of business bachelor’s degrees — including HR programs — using data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

Bachelor’s HR programs typically require four academic years of full-time study, if you enter as a first-time, first-year student. Your timeline may differ if you:

You also have part-time enrollment options. These increase your scheduling flexibility, but they also extend your time to graduation.

The return you get on your educational investment depends heavily on the salary associated with the professional role you ultimately pursue.

To that end, consider this data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which covers career paths commonly sought by HR program graduates: