Online Human Resources Degrees
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Human resources specialists and managers are the professionals who work to ensure that businesses are recruiting, training, and compensating employees adequately and fairly, so that the employees can remain productive and the business can achieve its goals. The bachelor's degree in human resources or a related social science is the usual requirement for beginning a career in this field. A master's degree is required for labor relations and other supervisory positions. As anyone who has held a job knows, worker satisfaction and productivity is not just about completing the task at hand: your interactions with co-workers and your compensation are two huge contributing factors. Human resources specialists and managers bridge the expanse between workers and managers, to ensure that employees are treated fairly and that the workplace is a productive, safe environment.
A human resources professional's duties will depend on where they are employed. HR specialists in small businesses are often jacks and jills of all trades, in charge of employee hiring, training, compensation, and dispute resolution. At most medium-sized and larger companies, however, human resources workers specialize in a particular area.
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What are some of the specializations within this degree program?
- Recruitment: These human resources workers specialize in finding new talent for a company's open positions. This job may include traveling to promote the company and interview candidates.
- Compensation and Benefits: Employees' salaries and benefits packages are determined by this HR specialist, who strives to keep each worker's pay in line with the industry as a whole and the compensation of other company employees.
- Training and Development Management: Hires are prepared and trained for their new position by these managers.
- Labor Relations: Labor relations specialists facilitate collective bargaining between unions and management. They may also be in charge of addressing union complaints or workplace health and safety issues.
- Employment and Placement: These professionals determine how many employees a business needs, what those employees need to do, and how employee work should be structured within a company.
What degree levels are available?
- Associate Degree: 2 years to complete
- Bachelor's Degree: 4 years to complete
- Master's Degree: 2-3 years to complete
What are the educational and certification requirements?
The bachelor's degree is the standard educational requirement for most entry-level positions in human resources. Some schools offer specialized human resources programs, which are usually business degrees with a focus in employee management. A specialized HR degree is not necessarily required for employment, however, and degrees with other social science and business course work, such as human services or behavioral science, can also be good preparation.
Certain advanced positions in human resources do require a master's degree. Management positions may require students to have advanced course work in human resources, contracts, and negotiation. Labor relations specialist positions often require applicants to possess a master's degree in industrial relations or negotiation and dispute resolution. A master's degree in business administration can also be used as preparation for an HR management position, if it has been specialized with human resources course work. (BLS)
Some employers expect their human resources personnel to complete additional training and certification after they hired, as part of their job. These certifications are usually not required for initial employment, although they are a good way to demonstrate one's professional abilities. Compensation and benefits personnel might be interested in certification offered by The International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, while the American Society of Training and Development has certifications for training and development specialists. The Society for Human Resource Management and the WorldatWork association also offer credentials pertinent to HR professionals.
What kinds of classes will I be expected to take?
- Marketing: The student will learn how to both develop and bring to the public diverse marketing programs. Topics covered may include brand building, market segmentation, and communicating value through your work.
- Organizational Behavior: Students will investigate human behavior amidst a work setting. Leadership, conflict management, group dynamics, power, and a bevy of other topics will be discussed within this course of study.
- Strategic Management: In this course, students will learn about basic strategic management plans used to gain competitive advantages within the workplace. The formulation, implementation, and evaluation of these plans will be the focal point of the class.
- Ethical Business: Students will come to an understanding of the legal system, with a focus on business ethics. A broad overview will be discussed, with focuses on both public and private law within this course of study.
If I pursue this program online, will I be required to complete any on-site training?
For a degree in human resources, most schools will offer a full online course of study for the prospective graduate.
What are some other degrees that are related to this program?
- Accounting: Students will learn techniques and skills in order to become accounting professional after graduation. The opportunities are endless, with small, private, large, and public institutions hiring those with higher degrees within the profession.
- Management: Students will find their skills and knowledge level enhanced through a degree program in management. Positions upon graduation may include accountant, auditor, manager, marketer, and many, many more.
- Marketing: Marketing and advertising concepts and techniques will be learned as students may move into positions such as sales, advertising, and PR upon degree completion.
- Public Relations: PR specialists will help to shape the public image of their company. Positions that may be available to them include PR specialist, advertising manager, promotions, and many others.
- Communications: Students may be able to find work in such fields as film and television, marketing, and advertising. Both creative and managerial positions may be available as well.
