Human Resources Degree Overview

Human Resources (HR) refers to the department within a company or organization, which facilitates communication between management and employees. The Human Resources field has advanced from its traditional functions of employee recruitment, to handling compensation, benefits, interviewing, training, settling employee issues and dealing with legal issues. Increasingly, human resources professionals also provide recommendations to top management on strategic planning and policies that affect the workforce. In large companies, they also act as a mediator between top management and employees. In an effort to improve morale and productivity and limit job turnover, human resources professionals also help their companies effectively use employee skills, provide training opportunities to enhance those skills, and boost the employees' satisfaction with their jobs and working conditions. The U.S. Department of Labor forecasts demand for Human Resources (HR) professionals to grow by as much as 20% through 2010, with employers typically requiring a Bachelor's degree for entry-level positions. A degree in human resources will help you set yourself apart from others to be successful in today's highly competitive marketplace.

Human Resource Degree Programs

Human resources workers have diverse duties and levels of responsibility. Therefore, the educational requirements and the courses you take will depend on the specialization you choose to pursue. Most coursework involves personnel and organization policy, human resource dynamics and flows, motivation and compensation systems, labor relations, sex roles, civil rights, human resources law and regulations, work systems, career management, employee testing and assessment, recruitment and selection, managing employee and job training programs, and the management of human resources programs and operations. An undergraduate certificate in human resource management enables employees already working within the private or public sector to increase their salaries, upgrade their skills and prepare them for certification examinations. An associate degree in human resources is an entry-level program that introduces the identifiable set of activities that affect and influence employees in an organization, including recruitment, selection, compensation, and evaluation. A bachelor's degree will prepare students for an assistant level position, and provide a more strategic understanding of workforce planning and development, training, compensations and benefits, global human resource management, employee health and safety, and labor law. Graduate degrees in human resources are highly recommended for those seeking general and top management positions.

Career Opportunities in Human Resources

The Human resources career segment is expanding rapidly and includes career opportunities such as human resource director/manager, employment manager/recruiter, compensation and benefits manager, labor relations manager, training specialists, industrial relations manager/recruiter and many others. Other emerging specialties include international human resources managers, who handle human resources issues related to a company's foreign operations; and human resources information system specialists, who develop and apply computer programs to process human resources information, match job seekers with job openings, and handle other human resources matters. Annual salary rates for human resources workers vary according to occupation, level of experience, training, location, and size of the firm, and whether they are union members. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the median annual earnings of human resource positions range from $41,190 for entry-level positions and $93,895 for higher-level positions.

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