What do you learn in a bachelor's in human resource management?

By pursuing a bachelor's in human resource management degree, you'll develop the skills to recruit, train, or develop employees within a positive work environment.

Explore the curriculum, discover possible specializations, and learn how earning a bachelor's in human resource management degree can help prepare you for a role in human resources (HR) leadership.

What to expect from a bachelor's in human resource management program

A bachelor's in human resource management program represents a blend of business, psychology, and management. At its core, it focuses on organizational development, people management, and legal compliance and can help prepare students for an HR role.

By graduation, students will know how to attract and develop talent and align HR strategies with primary business goals. Students typically complete a program like this in four years, with about 120 credit hours. Costs will vary based on the institution and the length of the program.

Human resource management programs cover a number of topics, such as labor relations, organizational behavior, or workforce planning.

Additionally, students may be required to complete a capstone project or an internship to give them hands-on HR experience.

Bachelor's in human resource management curriculum

The curriculum for a bachelor's in human resource management program focuses on the complexities of people management, while also aligning HR functions with any organizational strategy. Here are three common courses that you may see in the program:

• Workforce planning and talent acquisition: In this course, you'll learn how to identify the needs of a workforce and recruit top talent by implementing effective hiring practices. You'll discover applicant tracking systems, be able to analyze jobs and understand employer branding. Some key skills include candidate evaluation, strategic workforce planning, and interviewing.
• Labor relations and employment law: This course focuses on legal requirements, union-management relations, and the rights of employees. You'll learn how to navigate the legal system and resolve disputes in the workplace.
• Training and development: This course helps students create employee training programs and encourage career growth. You'll learn how to evaluate whether training initiatives are effective and design learning modules, while assessing performance and developing new leaders.

Specializations and concentrations

Research available specializations so you can tailor your degree to your specific career goals.

Some common specializations include:

• Recruitment and staffing: Focuses on advanced talent acquisition strategies and analytics
• Global human resources: Prepares a student to manage international teams, deal with cross-cultural workplace challenges, or comply with global labor requirements
• HR analytics: Teaches you how to use data to inform decisions on HR or project future workforce trends

Graduation requirements for a bachelor's in human resource management

To successfully graduate this program, you typically need to complete a capstone project where you'll design an HR initiative (such as a diversity plan or training program) and address an organizational need in the real world.

You may also need to fulfil some internship hours, which give you hands-on experience in an HR department and allow you to apply what you learn in a professional setting.

Additionally, you'll need to complete around 120 credit hours, including core HR courses, general education, and electives.

Explore bachelor's degrees in human resource management

Are you ready to begin your journey toward a career in the complex world of HR? Then check out edX's bachelor's in human resource management programs and get started today.