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Human Resource Management

Online Bachelor’s Degree Program

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40
Total Courses
$335
Cost per Credit
2.5 Years
Time to Completion With 2 Courses per Term
12-15 hours/week
Time Commitment
Upcoming Start Dates

Explore Human Resource Management

The need for highly skilled human resource management professionals has never been greater. Designed for both current HR professionals with entry-level expertise and those looking to enter the field, our bachelor of human resource management degree will equip you with the training and development needed to work in the growing field of human resources. As an HR professional, you will be a necessary asset to nearly all employment sectors and businesses and will be prepared for a variety of fast-paced, diverse, and challenging work environments. 

Our human resources degree will teach you the fundamentals and best practices of HR including human relations skills such as recruitment, onboarding new employees, developing and retaining employees, labor relations, using HR data to inform decision-making, prioritizing the health, safety, and wellness of employees, and more. Graduates with an online bachelor’s degree in human resource management are able to use these competencies to solve complex HR-related issues and make strategic decisions to successfully fulfill an organization’s talent vision.

Build Your Career Future

Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) Academically Aligned badge

 

The role of HR within organizations is continuing to shift from purely administrative functions to becoming a strategic partner in attaining organizational goals. Today’s professionals must be agile and approach challenges with a systems-thinking mindset.

To ensure you receive a top-quality education in human resource management and that you’re trained in today’s most important human resources content areas, we aligned our HR degree online with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates. This incredible distinction means our HR management degree is among the most comprehensive, up-to-date curriculums in HR, addressing current issues in the field, providing you with necessary subject matter expertise, and training you in essential HR competencies like the employee lifecycle, employee wellness, and employee mental health, which have become increasingly important issues to organizations today. Additionally, our curriculum focuses heavily on foundational business skills and in-demand soft skills - like communication, critical thinking, and leadership - that can increase both your immediate job prospects and your long-term career potential.

As you explore your career in HR, you may decide to become a SHRM certificated professional (SHRM-CP). While it is not required that you earn a degree in HR to sit for the exam, students who complete our B.S. in HR management program are eligible and prepared for the SHRM-CP certification.

Champlain College Online is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP®.

Program Curriculum

Learn more about Champlain's 100% online human resource management bachelor's degree, designed for working professionals.

Champlain's online business management courses encompass the top skills needed by today's business professionals. Graduates of the program are required to complete the following courses.

Business Core Courses (33 credits)

Human Resource Management Courses (36 credits)

General Education Courses (42 credits)

General Electives (9 credits)

Understanding financial statements and how to interpret them is important to all those working in businesses. In this course students learn the relationship among financial statements; study how to interpret this information and to apply this understanding in real-world contexts; and learn how to use financial information to help make sound management decisions.

The perspectives, beliefs, and preferences of employees in today's workplace are more diverse than perhaps ever before. Today's high-performing managers are those who foster inclusive, positive, and responsive organizational cultures for their people. But with such varied perspectives, what cultural considerations make the most sense for an organization? Management in the 21st Century will teach students how to foster a workplace environment where people can flourish and are motivated to meet objectives and ambitions for the organization.

Students identify and analyze the myriad legal issues surrounding the workplace, employment relationships, human resources, and federal and state regulation of employment. Topics include employment discrimination, wrongful discharge, health and retirement benefits, occupational health and safety, competition and trade secret agreements, sexual harassment, and privacy rights.

The American Marketing Association defines Marketing as the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. In this course, students will learn marketing terminology and principles including the marketing mix, marketing segmentation and how external forces impact marketing strategy as well as how marketing fits into the organization.The impact of ethical issues, diversity, globalization and social responsibility on marketing decisions will also be examined.

Business analytics and data visualization transform data into business insights to allow for better decision-making. This course utilizes a combination of existing datasets and common analytics tools to teach new and emerging managers, without backgrounds in data science, how to evaluate data, consider available options, and present a graphical representation of data outcomes for decision-makers.

Students will learn about the application of positive individual and group strengths and capacities that can be recognized, evaluated, and expanded to advance organizational well-being. This course encourages students to apply positive organizational behavior processes to everyday challenges organizations face to drive positive workplace behaviors and outcomes. This course also helps students to practice and gain skills, knowledge, and competencies to become positive and impactful leaders and change-makers from whatever position they hold.

Students will learn how to create conditions for successful conflict engagement, a necessary skill for any professional. The course focuses on the foundational capacities to remain calm and connected with oneself and others. In this state students can access helpful ideas and responses and be their best selves regardless of environment. Improving facility for conflict creates stronger relationships and reduces fear. By the end of the course, students will understand that disagreement and difference can become a source of personal and interpersonal growth.

Human Resource professionals have to be keenly aware of the employee lifecycle (ELC) - a method used to visualize how an employee engages with a company. The first stage of the ELC is attraction. Regardless of how strong your company is, without attracting great talent, your company will fail.?The second stage, recruitment, is the period where you seek out and recruit the best talent to join your organization.

Occurring after human resource professionals have recruited top talent, the onboarding period is critical to getting new hires well-adjusted to the organizational environment and performance aspects of their new job. During the development period, HR professionals begin to consistently encourage professional development among?their teams, which acts?as a catalyst in their skill development?and also helps provide them with a future career path within the company.

Compensation and Benefits will provide students a detailed understanding of how to develop a Total Rewards Program (TRP), and the strategic choices employers make when selecting TRP financial terms. The course covers the implementation of compensation strategies, benefits packages, work-life balance programs, performance and service recognition strategies, and career development strategies.

Employee retention is focused on keeping top employees, and ensuring they're happy and sufficiently challenged in their respective roles within the organization. The influence of company culture goes a long way in this lifecycle stage. If the culture in the organization is poor, it inevitably leads to high employee turnover rates. In the event an employee leaves the organization, approaching the separation process strategically is critical. When a team member leaves, it has an effect on other members.

Students learn about the complex safety and wellness programs that must be delivered by every employer in order to ensure an environment that is conducive to productive work. They will learn about the wide range of employer safety programs including substance abuse, ergonomics, OSHA, work-life balance, leave of absences and many others that HR supports the business in developing and delivering. Students will also consider the opportunity for employee wellness programs and how to design and implement a wellness plan.

Prerequisites

Take BLAW-170

In today's highly technical world, the Human Resources Information System (HRIS) is the backbone of most HR services and programs. Students will gain an understanding of the business case for implementing an HRIS including the needs assessment and planning needed and will explore the wide range of components that can be part of the HRIS ranging from Training and Development to Talent Management. Students will also develop an understanding of the shift towards supporting employee self-service via HRIS.

Prerequisites

Take MGMT-180

The HR profession is rapidly changing and growing and today's HR professionals need to actively engage in their own career development. Students will gain an understanding of the career planning process and how to leverage it across early and mid career evolution, and will actively apply key HR competencies in relation to career planning including Relationship Management, Ethical Practice, Communication among others. Students will also develop a deeper understanding of planning their own career in HR.

Prerequisites

Take MGMT-110

In order to retain employees in today's highly competitive environment, employers must design jobs that are attractive and performance management experiences that are rich in feedback and are designed to reward and retain the best talent. Students will explore the legal aspects of job design and performance management as well as the goals of those programs, and look at the elements of performance management including performance cycles, improvement plans, and feedback loops.

Prerequisites

Take MGMT-210

Through the power of data, people analytics are essential for employers to attract, develop and retain employees. Students will make connections between HR data and business strategy and decision-making. They will learn about the power of using HR data to conduct analytics across the HR performance areas and will explore analytics in the context of HR metrics, benchmarking, scorecards, and learning how to unlock the power of data to reduce bias and improve performance.

Prerequisites

Take MATH-170 and MGMT-180.

Students will explore the history of labor relations in America and how the role of HR has evolved. Students will also explore the complex legal environment, the role of labor unions as employee advocates, and will engage in dispute resolution, collective bargaining, and grievance topics.

Prerequisites

Take BLAW-170.

Today's organizations are increasingly global and HR must adapt by developing global strategies, policies and processes. Students will explore current issues in global HR management as well as gain an understanding of the global business environment and how it impacts HR practices. Students will also learn about immigration laws and the various issues that can arise as businesses operate across country borders, and will consider key aspects of operating globally including cross-cultural effectiveness and managing virtual teams.

Prerequisites

Take MGMT-210.

Strategic Human Resource Management is a combination of strategy and human resource management that seeks to achieve competitive advantage through the strategic utilization of a committed, talented workforce using an integrated approach to engaging and developing the talent in an organization. Students will learn about the evolution of the HR function as well as HR's role in creating a competitive advantage for an organization. They will also learn how to build strategic relationships and develop into a strategic partner, and will also explore HR's role in social responsibility.

Prerequisites

Complete 108 credits.

In addition to the following requirements, students must also complete 3 Credits of a General Education Elective (Any ARTS, COMM, CRIT, ECON, ENGL, HIST, MATH, PHIL, PSYC, SCIE, SOCI, MKCM 120, CRIM except CRIM-225)

 

Written Communication
Complete the following two courses:

This course introduces students to the foundational concepts needed to communicate effectively in writing for academic study and professional development. Students will also learn to read critically to evaluate an author's message. Students will be introduced to rhetorical modes and their role in the development of written communication. Students will also learn how to use revision strategies to create written communication that meets its intended purpose for its intended audience

This course builds on students' proficiency in the writing process and rhetorical modes to introduce the use of sources in written communication. Students will practice information literacy as they learn to determine information needs from sources, develop effective search strategies, and incorporate sources in written communication, legally and ethically.

Prerequisites

Complete ENGL-100

Oral Communication

Starting with a frame of human communication as a dynamic system of interactions in which people make choices that impact their relationships, other people, and themselves, students will define theory-informed communication concepts and processes, and critically examine how they apply to everyday life across a variety of contexts. Students will reflect on how the theory, concepts and processes apply to their own lives in becoming competent communicators who are knowledgeable, skilled, and versatile.

Collaboration

This course draws on fundamental concepts of contemporary group communication research to help students identify and develop strategies to communicate effectively in small groups and teams for the cooperative purpose of advancing common goals. Students will draw on listening and responding strategies learned in COMM-130 Interpersonal Communication and apply them to communicating as a leader or member of a small group. They will also learn how to recognize and manage the types of conflicts that can arise in small groups. Prerequisite: COMM-130 Interpersonal Communication

Prerequisites

Complete COMM-130

Inquiry & Analysis

Students will learn and apply critical inquiry skills to analyze persuasive communication created by others and to develop persuasive communication/arguments of their own to solve problems in professional, civic, social, and personal contexts. Specifically, students will learn to recognize fallacies in logic; apply inductive and deductive reasoning strategies to the interpretation and development of persuasive communication; evaluate the validity of sources; and develop logically sound persuasive communication. Students will explore the roles of self-awareness, empathy, and ethics in the context of critical inquiry and the development of arguments.

Prerequisites

Complete ENGL-110.

Technology Literacy
Complete one of the following courses, unless your program requires a specific course:

This course is an historical overview, and examination of the evolution of digital, film, and print media, and their functions. Students will identify and analyze contemporary problems of the media such as the legal, social, economic and psychological implications of their relationships with society. They also will examine the ways in which marketing and PR professionals utilize the mass media channels to reach their intended target audiences.

This course explores the complex and evolving relationship between human beings and technology. Through a multi-disciplinary approach that draws on fields such as sociology, psychology, philosophy, and history, students will examine the ways in which technology has shaped human culture, identity, and values, as well as how humans have influenced and continue to influence the development, adoption and use of technology.

Quantitative Literacy
Complete one of the following courses:

Mathematical reasoning, when applied to everyday and professional lives, has two dimensions: logic for deterministic situations and probabilities for non-deterministic situations. This course aims to help students develop these mathematical reasoning skills.

This course introduces students to basic statistics for data literacy. With a focus on exploring real-world data, students will interpret numerical information and utilize the tools necessary to complete the entire statistical process: designing a study; gathering, organizing, and analyzing sample data; and making inferences about a population. Students will demonstrate data-driven decision-making and effective communication of numerical data.

Scientific Literacy: Natural Sciences
Complete one of the following courses, note that two of the courses are 4 credits and two are 3 credits

Introduces students to the biochemistry and physiology of nutrition and exercise. Emphasis will be placed on human body systems such as musculoskeletal, digestive, respiratory and circulatory, and their relationship to nutrition and fitness. Students will also study the biochemistry of energy conversion as it relates to exercise physiology. Laboratory sessions are designed to reinforce, by a hands-on approach, the principles discussed in lecture. Course includes two laboratory hours per week.

Students learn the biology, genetics, chemistry, and physics involved in the forensic investigation of crimes. A wide range of topics are studied including DNA, entomology, fingerprinting, trace evidence, serology (blood, saliva, and semen), blood spatter, and chemical analysis of drugs, alcohol, and other compounds. Students apply their new knowledge of forensic science through the use of case studies and laboratories. This course includes two laboratory hours per week.

Students will develop the ability to apply scientific methods to understand the natural world, to identify scientific aspects of daily life, and to evaluate the quality of scientific information based on its source and the methods used for its generation.

In this course, students will gain an introduction to classical mechanics and learn about motion, force, energy, and momentum. The course covers vectors, scalars, and coordinate systems, as well as kinematics in one and two dimensions, Newton's Laws of Motion, circular motion, and kinetic energy and work. Students also learn about potential energy and energy conservation, collision theory, rotational motion, moment of inertia, torque, rotational dynamics, and angular momentum.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Global/Cultural Understanding

This course will introduce students to major streams of social justice thought, including historical social justice movements, theoretical problems having to do with social equality, personal freedom, marginalization, and stigmatization, and the ways in which civic and professional communities respond to these issues.

Arts & Humanities
Complete any two of the following courses, unless your program requires a specific course(s).

With pressure and release, a window opens and closes, recording light on a sensor. The simple action captures the instinct, judgement, and skill of the person behind the lens. This class will begin a study of the art and craft of photography. Students will develop their vision and their understanding of how to achieve it. Solid skills will be learned and many doors will be opened.

A survey of the continuing change experienced in art since the 15th century. Students will examine how an image is achieved as well as the significance of the subject represented. Individual inquiry concerning the nature of art is encouraged.

Students learn to appreciate films through the critical analysis of various elements of mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing and sound. The course introduces the conventions of classical Hollywood cinema, considers the work of one major director (auteur), and surveys selected international and independent films. Students view and discuss films each week.

Students in the course will explore the cultural history of the music genre broadly referred to as rock. Students will explore the social, economic and political contexts that are influenced by and that influenced each style in the United States. By listening, watching, reflecting upon, discussing and writing, students will explore how music takes on meaning, personally, and culturally. Topics and themes include the relationships between and among gospel, country, funk, folk, disco, rap and hip hop; the role of business and technology in those relationships, and political or transgressive elements of rock music.

Students will apply communication theory and research to address the particular challenges to communicating effectively in organizations. Students will learn how to identify organizational communication problems, analyze those problems, and generate effective solutions. Students will examine the relationship between organizational structure and specific communicative practices, and how communication practices by organizational members establish, maintain, or change organizational culture. They will also learn how to anticipate communication deficiencies in organizations, and use communication as a means to facilitate organizational development and innovation.

Prerequisites

Complete COMM-130

Specific application of common tools for writing in the working world. Students will be instructed in rhetorical strategies of professional writing including style, report formats, editing, document design, and integration of visual aids. Students will complete a semester-long writing project; oral and written reports associated with the process of problem-solving within the project will be included.

Prerequisites

ENGL-112 or COR-125

Students will learn how to create conditions for successful conflict engagement, a necessary skill for any professional. The course focuses on the foundational capacities to remain calm and connected with oneself and others. In this state students can access helpful ideas and responses and be their best selves regardless of environment. Improving facility for conflict creates stronger relationships and reduces fear. By the end of the course, students will understand that disagreement and difference can become a source of personal and interpersonal growth.

Ethics refers to accepted standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do in various contexts, typically in relation to rights, obligations/duties, benefits to society, fairness, consequences, and virtues. In this course, students will explore both theoretical and practical dimensions of ethics in order to 1) define ethics and identify ethical positions and principles, 2) critically reflect on how ethics impacts individual and collective responsibility, decision-making, and action, and 3) apply ethics to the personal, civic, and professional contexts.

Prerequisites

ENGL-110

This course introduces students to the fundamental elements of technical writing (clear, concise, and targeted)that are common among seven forms of technical communication: email correspondence, editing,employment communication, proposals, long, formal reports,oral communication, and inventions. Through peer reviews and writing workshops, students develop the ability to write and edit text that precisely targets its audience. This course emphasizes deepening and broadening students' writing, speaking, and thinking abilities in a non-lecture-based, hands-on, discussion-centered classroom.

Prerequisites

ENGL-112 or COR-125

Social Sciences
Complete any two of the following courses, unless your program requires a specific course(s).

Provides a comprehensive analysis of the fundamentals of substantive criminal law. Students will learn the essential elements of crimes and the rationale underlying criminal law. The nature of jurisdiction, the criminal act, the criminal state of mind and matters affecting responsibility for criminal conduct are included.

This course focuses on the rules and procedures governing how the American criminal justice system must process individuals suspected, accused, and convicted of law violations.

This course provides students with a broad overview of the history, theory, and fundamentals of criminal investigation. Students are introduced to the basic responsibilities of investigators and protocols for report writing, evidence collection, and preparation of cases for trial. They also learn specific investigative techniques for different types of crimes, such as crimes involving violence and property, terrorism, and hate crimes, and, where appropriate, compare investigative protocols from other legal cultures.

Prerequisites

Take CRIM-120, CRIM-121.

Principles of Economics introduces the fundamental concepts of economics - the study of how people manage resources, and how they react to scarcity. This course focuses on both microeconomics (the behavior of consumers and companies) and macroeconomics (large-scale economic factors such as employment and interest rates), so that you'll gain a broad understanding of how a modern market economy functions, how decisions in business settings are informed by economics, and how economics applies to your everyday life.

Students will study important themes in the social history of the United States since the Civil War. This course allows students to expand their critical thinking skills through an examination of primary and secondary sources. Themes might include: the evolving status of women; the immigrant experience; the concept of the American dream; the paradox of freedom vs. slavery; the minority experience; the tensions between social classes. Students will be evaluated primarily on writing assignments.

In this course, students will explore broad, foundational knowledge in psychology, including its history, major theorists and a survey of psychology subfields such as developmental, cognitive and social psychology. Students will also describe and assess the role of ethics and social responsibility in the study and application of psychological theory and practices.

In this class, students will explore how social relationships, groups, societies and culture develop and change over time. From a sociological theory foundation and employing the sociological imagination, students will examine the impact of social structures, institutions, and systems on individual lives. Students will apply sociological research methods to investigate sociological phenomena in their own lives.

Additional Program Details

Graduates of the human resource management bachelor's online program will demonstrate the following industry-specific skills, knowledge, and competencies:

  • Use business acumen. Demonstrate business acumen to support operational and strategic decision-making.
  • Demonstrate HR technical competency. Demonstrate human resource technical competency by applying the principles, practices, and functions of the major HRM discipline areas to support and enable the execution of strategy through building organizational capability.
  • Demonstrate HR behavioral competency. Demonstrate human resource behavioral competency by applying strengths-based principles of professional behavior and leadership, self-awareness, communication, empathy, and cultural consciousness to support, train, and equip employees to fulfill the organization's strategic vision.
  • Utilize HR data and information systems for advantage. Use HR data and information systems to gain efficiencies, produce actionable reporting, account for ethical use, and track HR-related performance indicators.
  • Integrate HR knowledge with business acumen. Integrate HR technical knowledge, behavioral knowledge, and business acumen to solve complex HR-related problems and make strategic decisions.
Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) Academically Aligned badge

As of March 13, 2022, Champlain College Online aligned its Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates. Throughout the world, over 500 programs in approximately 425 educational institutions have been acknowledged by SHRM as being in alignment with its suggested guides and templates. The HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates were developed by SHRM to define the minimum HR content areas that should be studied by HR students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The guidelines—created in 2006 and revalidated in 2010, 2013 and 2017—are part of SHRM’s Academic Initiative to define HR education standards taught in university business schools and help universities develop degree programs that follow these standards.

Champlain College Online's business faculty, led by Department Chair Dr. Albert Orbinati, are expert practitioners in the field. Their industry expertise ensures that our business management curriculum is aligned with the needs of employers, and reflects the skills today’s business professionals need for success. Classes led by our seasoned experts will give you real-world insight into the business world, and create a rich community of career-focused learning.

Tuition & Costs

Online Undergraduate Tuition Fall '23 - Summer '25

$335 per credit
$1,005* per course
$290** per credit for Champlain alumni or associate degree graduates from any college or university
$250 per credit for military service members (family members see truED tuition)
$150 One-time graduation fee

*Based on a 3-credit course; cost will vary if course is a different number of credits

** Starts Summer 2024, not retroactive 

See the undergraduate cost of attendance and fees here

Affordability and Paying For Your Education

We provide a number of options to make your online education affordable, including preferred tuition for alumni, associate degree graduates, community college graduates, and military.

What Can You Do With a Human Resources Degree?

Human resources jobs are projected to grow 10% between 2020 and 2030 as a result of an increasingly complex global business landscape. The median annual salary for human resources specialists is $63,490.* For human resources managers, the median salary is $121,220 per year.* 

Graduates of Champlain’s B.S. in human resource management will be prepared to succeed in a variety of career paths across many fields and industries including local governments, employment services, management and consulting services, universities, colleges, and professional schools, computer systems design services, and more. 

*Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 2021

Top Human Resource Management Jobs

  • Human Resources Specialist
  • Human Resources Manager
  • Recruitment Manager
  • Training and Development Coordinator
  • Compensation and Benefits Manager
Group of coworkers sitting around a table talking

Why Champlain

Affordability & Flexibility

"The affordability and flexibility I found at Champlain made obtaining my degree an achievable goal. The programs are rigorous, and the combination of the educational material with soft skills was invaluable and directly applicable to my workplace."

Inna Aydinyan Bachelor's Degree in Business Management
Hardware, IBM
Inna Aydinyan, Bachelor's Degree in Business Management

Academic Excellence and Recognition

New England Commission of Higher Education Logo

Regionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education

Military Friendly Designation, Silver Badge 2024-2025

Designated as a Military Friendly School for our commitment to the military community

Tech Guide logo/badge

Ranked among the best by Tech Guide for game design and computer science

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Named the among the best schools with accelerated bachelor's degrees by Intelligent.com

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