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Online HR Degree Bachelor’s in Human Resource Management

Kristi Galvin, who earned her online degree in human resources, standing in front of a house.

Cost per credit $330

Total courses 40

Term length 8 weeks

Program Overview Why get a human resource management degree?

People are at the heart of every business. And every facet of the employee experience — from recruitment, to benefits, to overall job satisfaction — is influenced by human resources.

Join the growing field of human resources with SNHU's online Bachelor of Science (BS) in Human Resource Management. As a student, you'll engage with real-world scenarios faced by HR professionals every day. From labor relations, DEI, policy, compensation and benefits, hiring practices and HR policy, this program covers every role within HR units of all sizes.

Skills you'll learn:

  • How to foster company cultures
  • Data collection and analysis
  • HR goal development
  • Talent acquisition strategies
  • Retention and growth tactics
  • Risk mitigation policies
Adetokumbo Osinowo, a 2020 concentration in human resources graduate, working from a touch-screen computer in a library.

Courses & Curriculum Online HR management courses built for today’s workforce

Combining a foundational business education with the key fundamentals of human resources, the BS in Human Resource Management degree program is built to help the modern human resources professional support today's employees.

Exhaustive market research informed SNHU's program to be built with considerations for DEI, HR as an integrated business partner, the changing landscape of talent acquisition, people management in a virtual space and strategic management of an effective and efficient workforce.

In addition, if you're looking to start your education with SNHU's undergraduate HR certificate, you can roll those courses into this bachelor's degree.

Degree Courses

Online human resources degree courses

Degree courses cover HR-specific problem solving and situational analysis, data analytics and visualization, strategic thinking and planning, the holistic employee experience, employee and labor relations, change management and more.

Courses may include

Course ID: HRM 225
This course will prepare students to take proactive approaches in addressing a variety of human resource challenges and situations. Students will explore laws, rules and regulations related to employment, learn strategies to identify and solve challenges before they happen, and how to communicate with stakeholders about compliance and noncompliance. Students will identify and interpret human resource data to make informed decisions and mitigate risk.
Course ID: HRM 300
This course will provide students with an opportunity to explore how to effectively utilize employee engagement and needs assessment data to determine appropriate techniques and practices for recruitment and motivation. Students will have the opportunity to study and recommend various practices, policies, and strategies to recruit, retain, and motivate talent. An introduction to the employee life cycle and how human resources use it to support organizational needs will also be addressed.
Course ID: HRM 310
In this course, learners will analyze the role of employee and labor relations in supporting management in developing, maintaining and improving employee relationships. Learners will explore strategies used to maintain relationships including performance management, processing grievances, and interpreting and conveying policies. The application of techniques used in interviewing, negotiations, and conflict management will be covered
Course ID: HRM 400
In this course, students will examine the role of human resources in driving and facilitating change in an organization using change management best practices and tools. Students will leverage data to assess an organization's readiness for change and the risks associated with the change. In addition, students will gain strategies for implementing and supporting change and communicating it out to various audiences.
Course ID: HRM 425
As the culminating experience in the Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management degree program, students will leverage their prior knowledge about human resource functions, laws and practices to develop organizational strategies informing identified needs in the employee life cycle. Students will have the opportunity to present the strategies to earn stakeholder buy-in through justifying the value of the strategies and their ability to address organizational needs.

Visit the course catalog to view the full BS in Human Resources Management curriculum.

Apply for free in minutes

Our no-commitment application can help you decide if SNHU is the right college for you and your career goals. Apply up until 2 days before the term starts!

Upcoming term starts: March 3, 2025 | May 5, 2025

Next term starts:
Jan. 6, 2025

Online Student Experience What’s it like going to SNHU?

Attending college online at SNHU can be a life-changing experience. In fact, 93.2% of online students would recommend SNHU according to a 2023 survey with 21,000+ respondents.

What to expect:

8-week terms

Learn around your schedule

24/7 online support

Online Classroom

What does an online course look like?

You’ll take your courses within SNHU’s Brightspace platform. This is where you’ll find your:

  • Schedule of weekly assignments
  • Discussion boards
  • Grades
  • Instructor announcements
How to Take an Online Class at SNHU
5 ways SNHU makes the admission process "easy-peasy" #shorts

Admission Applying to SNHU is fast and free

No application fee. No test scores. And no college essay. Just a simple form with basic information. It’s another way SNHU helps you reach your goals sooner.

All it takes is 3 simple steps

It's easy, fast and free.

Whether you're applying for an undergraduate or graduate degree, you’ll fill out a form to verify your previous education experience. As part of our admissions process, we'll help you request transcripts from your previous school(s) to see if you can transfer any credits into your SNHU program! (Also for free!)

After reviewing your official evaluation, you can decide if SNHU is right for you! If you choose to enroll, just pick your start date and get ready for classes to begin.

Talk to an admission counselor: 888.327.SNHU | enroll@snhu.edu

Accreditations

SNHU is accredited by the regional accreditor the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). The university also carries specialized accreditations for some programs.

New England Commission of Higher Education Logo

Tuition Cost & Savings College can be more affordable than you think

As a nonprofit university, SNHU offers some of the lowest online tuition rates in the country. And when you work with our Financial Services team, we'll explore ways to help you save even more on your education – and customize a payment plan that works for you.

Online undergraduate tuition

Student
Cost per credit
Cost per course
Cost for 120-credit degree*
Full- and part-time students
$330
$990
$39,600
Active-duty military and spouses | Full- and part-time students**
$231
$693
$27,720

*before previously earned credits are applied

Tuition rates are subject to change and are reviewed annually.

**Note: Students receiving this rate are not eligible for additional discounts.

Additional costs: Course materials vary by course.

Transfer credits and lower your cost by:

$9,900 $14,850 $19,800 $24,750 $29,700
Transfer credits and lower your cost by:

If 30 of your prior learning credits ($330/credit) are accepted toward your bachelor’s degree.

Your remaining tuition cost: $29,700

If 45 of your prior learning credits ($330/credit) are accepted toward your bachelor’s degree.

Your remaining tuition cost: $24,750

If 60 of your prior learning credits ($330/credit) are accepted toward your bachelor’s degree.

Your remaining tuition cost: $19,800

If 75 of your prior learning credits ($330/credit) are accepted toward your bachelor’s degree.

Your remaining tuition cost: $14,850

If 90 of your prior learning credits ($330/credit) are accepted toward your bachelor’s degree.

Your remaining tuition cost: $9,900

How we estimate your tuition cost:

We look at the cost per credit multiplied by the number of credits you need to earn for a bachelor's degree. Most bachelor's degrees require 120 credits. SNHU allows you to transfer in up to 90 credits, requiring a minimum of 30 credits to be taken at SNHU. This is only a tuition estimator, and doesn't account for other fees that may be associated with your program of choice.

Career Outlook What can I do with an online human resource management degree?

To help prepare you for success in your field, SNHU's online human resources degree emphasizes the use of human resource skills to improve company culture through effective people management.

As a graduate of the BS in Human Resource Management program, you'll be equipped with the skills you need to step into entry- and mid-level roles in recruitment, training and development, compensation and benefits, labor relations and more.

Occupations

Earning your HR degree online could help set you up for success in a variety of roles, including:

  • Recruitment
  • Training
  • Development
  • Policy Implementation
  • Strategic Planning
  • People Analytics
  • Culture Curator
  • Compensation Specialist
  • Benefits Planner
5%

Increase in human resources manager positions through 2032, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).1

$136,350

Median annual pay for human resources manager positions as of May 2023, according to the BLS.1

Understanding the numbers
When reviewing job growth and salary information, it’s important to remember that actual numbers can vary due to many different factors—like years of experience in the role, industry of employment, geographic location, worker skill and economic conditions. Cited projections do not guarantee actual salary or job growth.

What SNHU students are saying

Laura Swedberg '21
Laura Swedberg '21
I chose human resources management because I am passionate about people. Investing in and fostering the talents, abilities and goals of people within an organization is crucial.
Laura Swedberg '21

Frequently Asked Questions
Can you get a human resources degree online?

Yes. Learning online can be an excellent way for adults to pursue their degree while juggling work, family and personal commitments. By giving students the flexibility to access their coursework anytime and anywhere, online education can help make earning a degree accessible to most.

Adetokunbo Osinowo, a 2020 graduate of SNHU's human resources degree concentration under the business administration program

Just ask Adetokunbo Osinowo '20. Before she discovered SNHU, going back to school seemed impossible.

"Working full time, I didn't think I'd be able to go back to school and give it my 100%," Osinowo said. "I think another reason was the fear of failure and self-doubt. What if I do it and I fail? What if I don't finish? What if I'm not good at it? Those excuses were holding me back from taking that plunge."

Finally, she went for it – and soon realized just how much she was capable of.

"I could finally see that earning my degree was something I could achieve – something that I could give my 100%."

If you haven't taken online classes before, the staff at SNHU can walk you through the platform – and they'll be by your side throughout your program.

"The nervousness and anxiety associated with the unknown quickly dissolved," said student Nicole Thompson '23. "The professors and student advisors take great care in assisting me throughout the process to make sure I succeed during each term."

Earning a human resources degree online over attending traditional in-person classes is sometimes a necessity.

"I could continue to still work full time and then complete my degree at night," said Susan Jones '18. "I liked the online portion because I had small children at the time and I wouldn’t have to be away at night and have to worry about childcare. I could come home, still spend time with them and then complete coursework after they went to bed."

Earning an online human resources degree can open up a variety of career paths in the HR field, including:1

  • Human resources specialist: Represent the front line in a company's recruitment of skilled workers, handling all or part of the process of vetting, hiring and onboarding new recruits, as well as tasks related to benefits, training, employee relations.
  • Recruitment specialist: Find, screen and interview applicants for job openings in an organization, by posting listings, attending job fairs and visiting college campuses.
  • Training and development specialist: Work with executives, managers and employees to determine the skills workers need, and then design, organize and carry out necessary training programs.
  • Compensation, benefits and job analysis specialist: Research and compare benefits policies and plans, classify position descriptions to set fair salaries and ensure your company complies with employment laws and regulations.
  • Labor relations specialist: Interpret labor contracts and make sure that companies follow the agreements they’ve made when it comes to pay, pensions and management practices.

It's important to note, too, that an HR degree can help open doors in a number of different industries, for organizations both big and small. This gives you the ability to choose your work environment based on what you love. Let's say tech is your thing. You could be the recruitment guru for a software engineering company. How about sports? You could be the MVP who rounds up a dream team of marketers for a major league soccer club. Wherever you hope to go, a degree in HR can help position you to get there.

"A student’s decision to be in one industry or another has to do with their passions," said Deborah Gogliettino, SNHU’s associate dean for human resources. "I [personally] like mission-driven organizations. I like the multi-layers of complex issues you get in healthcare. But a student who’s adept at HR can work in any industry."

Learn more about what you can do with an HR degree.

Yes, it is. While human resources jobs were once considered administrative in nature, a changing workforce and developments in technology have made the HR roles of today much more complex.

Take, for example, the ways employee benefits have evolved over the years, from learning and development initiatives to stock options and other perks. The recruitment process has become more involved, too. A once-simple job description now lives on multiple digital job boards and social media channels, where user-generated reviews can make or break a company's image among current employees and job seekers alike.

Add to the mix a growing emphasis on work-life balance, and you have an entire workforce that expects more than a paycheck from their employers.

According to SHRM, HR professionals play "a vital role in perpetuating a strong culture, starting with recruiting and selecting applicants who will share the organization's beliefs and thrive in that culture."3

As business leaders are well aware: These cultures take work. Therein lies the need for a strong human resource professional to not only recruit talent but also give them a reason to stay. That means implementing sustainable career development opportunities, ensuring benefits that promote long-term health and wellness and offering initiatives that reward and recognize high-performing employees.

In other words, to really flourish in this field, an HR worker needs to be more than a people person with strong administrative skills – they need to be strategic leaders.

“HR interacts with every department at every level of employment,” said Deborah Gogliettino, SNHU’s associate dean for human resources. “In other careers, you only really interact with people in your department, doing the same thing the same way every day. HR interacts with everyone and every day is a new challenge.”

Becoming a certified human resources professional can give you a leg up when applying for HR jobs and indicates a high level of knowledge and skills.

The SNHU BS in Human Resource Management is aligned with 2 major HR credentialing organizations: HRCI (Human Resource Certification Institute) and SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management).

HRCI Content Partner

The BS in HR Management covers the 5 main content areas covered on the HRCI Associate Professional in Human Resources (aPHR) certification exam. Students self-study for the exam while progressing through HRM coursework. The aPHR is beneficial to business professionals both in and out of HR fields due to its integrated focus on people management.

Enrollment in the SNHU BS HRM program also includes discounted pricing on the aPHR examination as well as access to HRCI test prep materials for one year after graduation.

SHRM Alignment

SNHU's BS in Human Resource Management program is also aligned with the Society for Human Resource Management's Body of Applied Skills & Knowledge (SHRM BASK) competencies. Developed through a series of large-scale research studies, the SHRM BASK incorporates global HR viewpoints to collectively establish a grouping of critical HR competencies and content areas.

The SHRM BASK is also used to define the content areas for SHRM's two main certification exams, the SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) and the SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). Alignment within SNHU's program supports content preparedness for eligible individuals seeking either credential.

The certifications link directly to on-the-job scenarios and demonstrate that you can apply your learning to real-world situations. Both the SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP require at least a bachelor’s degree in human resources or a related field and varying years of professional HR experience in order to qualify for the exams.

Students interested in furthering their education can continue on to SNHU’s online HR management master’s degree program, which is aligned with SHRM competencies on employee and labor relations, legal and ethical issues, recruitment and technology and the changing workforce.

Earning a master’s degree in human resources from SNHU can reduce the number of years you must work in HR before taking certain certification exams.

A bachelor’s degree is typically required for most human resources roles. Earning an online bachelor’s degree in human resources management can serve you well in a variety of HR jobs.

As human resources becomes increasingly more strategic, a bachelor's degree can help you understand the various business systems at play within an organization and give you the skills you need to manage relationships between various departments and work as part of an organization’s leadership team.

SNHU also offers an online undergraduate human resources certificate program. This certificate can be easily stacked into the BS in HR Management, meaning your course credits will transfer directly into the program.

If you'd like to continue your education once you earn a BS in Business with a concentration in Human Resources Management, SNHU offers an MBA in Human Resources and an online master's in HR management.

Learn more about what degree you need to get into HR.

If you want a career helping others and making real change within an organization, then yes.

Human resources management is a growing, versatile field with many opportunities available for skilled workers across a variety of industries. Most human resources jobs require at least a bachelor’s degree, with some leadership positions seeking master’s degree holders.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), jobs for human resources managers are projected to grow 5% by 2032.1 Professionals in these roles reportedly earned a median annual salary of $136,350 in 2023.1 Similarly, training and development specialist jobs are projected to grow 6% by 2032, as companies seek to reduce costs by boosting employee retention and developing their existing workforce.1 Professionals in these roles reportedly earned $64,340 in 2023.1

With a human resource degree from SNHU, you’ll learn how to communicate effectively to diverse audiences, helping you lead strategic changes, act as a bridge between employees and company leadership and help form a positive team or organizational climate for all workers.

Learn more about what you can do with an HR degree.

We know that cost is a major factor when deciding whether or not to continue your education. That's why SNHU offers some of the most affordable online tuition rates in the country.

Undergraduate tuition rates at SNHU are $330 per credit hour, totaling $39,600 for a full bachelor's program (120 credits). This number, however, can be reduced, depending on your previous college credits, scholarships and grants. You can also reduce upfront costs by applying for financial assistance.

Affordability is one of the main reasons Laura Swedberg '21 was attracted to SNHU.

"Choosing SNHU for my college education was the best decision I could have made," she said. "I am not carrying financial stress from student loan debt."

That said, the actual cost of your degree will vary based on the specific courses you take, the materials they require and your previous college credits.

While our online college degree programs aim to make use of free resources whenever possible – including ebooks, websites and training videos – some courses will require textbooks.

SNHU also offers a generous transfer policy, accepting up to 90 transfer credits toward bachelor’s degree programs that can save you time and money.

At the end of the day, our goal is to make education accessible and affordable to you. That's why, in addition to the features we've already mentioned, we also offer grants and scholarships to eligible students.

Personal preferences, goals, academic progress, transfer credit eligibility, cost and time considerations are all factors to determine how long it takes to earn a bachelor's in human resources.

At SNHU, many earn their bachelor's in about 4 years. But if you're looking to save time, there are a few ways to finish faster.

  • Transfer credits. At SNHU, we accept up to 90 credits for bachelor's programs. If you're eligible for the full 90, you could finish the remainder of your coursework in about 1 year.
  • Take prior learning assessments. Through prior learning assessments, such as Pathways to Math Success, you may be able to get credit for what you already know.
  • Consider becoming a full-time student. If you opt to become a full-time online student (taking 2 classes per term), you can progress much more quickly through the program.

Sources & Citations

1 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, on the internet, at:

  • https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/human-resources-managers.htm (viewed April 23, 2024)
  • https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/training-and-development-specialists.htm(viewed April 23, 2024)

Cited projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions and do not guarantee actual job growth.