Key takeaways
- A career in HR can be pursued with various undergraduate degrees beyond a degree in human resources.
- Alternatives to a degree in human resources include Business Administration (with HR focus), Psychology (organizational psychology), Organizational Leadership, Sociology, and specialized degrees in Labor Laws.
- Essential skills for HR roles include strong communication, problem-solving abilities, leadership qualities, conflict resolution skills, and a solid grasp of employee laws and regulations.
- HR career opportunities can vary based on your degree and specialization.
- Most common roles within HR span roles such as HR Generalist, Recruitment Specialist, Training and Development Manager, and positions focused on employee relations or labor law compliance.
- You can explore professional certifications from recognized bodies like SHRM, WorldatWork, and HRCI.
- Top skills developed through HR-related degrees include interpersonal skills, teamwork, analytical thinking, and decision-making, crucial for navigating diverse organizational challenges.
Different types of degrees can prepare you for a human resources career. A job in human resources requires skills and competencies like communication and interpersonal skills, which you can develop from a degree in human resources.
However, there is a pool of other degrees that enable you and make you competent enough for jobs in human resources. These degrees include a bachelors in business administration with an HR concentration, in psychology, communication, and more.
A degree in Human Resources is perhaps the most conventional, standard, and appropriate way to go. It offers a focused and tailored learning experience, particularly for a career in human resources. However, opting for other degrees like in Humanities, Liberal Arts, or bachelors in Business allow you to enjoy a greater spectrum of knowledge and skills.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most people with human resources careers have a degree in HR Management (HRM), Business Administration, and Communication, and some in Psychology. It also suggests that HR certification programs like the ones offered by SHRM, WorldatWork, and HRCI are also common academic qualifications for HR professionals.
To help you understand what degree you need for a human resources career, here we are!
Bachelor’s degree in human resources management
Human resources management, or HRM, is a specialized degree in human resources for those wanting to become HR professionals in the future. It is typically a 4-year program, with a broad range of courses and electives that give you an in-depth understanding of various aspects of human resources.
Many reputable and prestigious colleges offer a degree in human resources.
As you progress through the undergraduate program, you develop a deeper understanding of the HR concepts, practices, and various areas of human resource management in organizations.
The degree is perfect for people who do not have any prior HR experience and wish to land jobs in big and reputable organizations. The degree leads to multiple career opportunities including job roles like HR Generalist, HR Associate, HRBP, Recruitment Specialist, People Manager, and HR Manager.
It can help you develop many soft and hard skills, including:
- Problem-solving
- Leadership
- Conflict resolution
- Selection and recruitment
- Employee relations management
- Employee and labor laws knowledge
This degree in human resources is the most appropriate and apt degree for a human resources career. It directly takes students toward understanding HR and its practices.
Colleges for bachelors in HRM
Enroll yourself in the top colleges for a bachelor’s degree in human resources management, also referred to as HRM.
| College | GPA Requirement | Acceptance Rate | Graduation Rate | Location |
| Carlow University | 3.5 | 93% | 44% | Pittsburgh, PA |
| Indiana State University | 3.2 | 92% | 33% | Terre Haute, IN |
| Oakland University | 3.5 | 90% | 33% | Rochester, MI |
Bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in HR
The changing and ever-evolving landscape of HR and business management calls for a versatile and diverse set of skills from HR professionals. It is only wise to opt for a degree that gives you a holistic view of business management and its various aspects and departments that work together to drive towards set goals and objectives.
If you don’t deem a degree in human resources management a fit for your volatile personality, then a bachelors in business might be right for you.
A bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, often referred to as a BBA, is the best choice here. The BBA program typically allows students to choose a human resources major, and study business management and its mechanisms in coalition with human resources management.
The program usually teaches you the foundations of business, from finance to economics to marketing. It also helps develop soft skills like time management, task management, and teamwork. You will be working on individual and group assignments, a final-year project, and work on multiple case studies to develop analytical and problem-solving skills.
With a bachelor’s in business and an HR major, you can expect a diverse career pathway. You can go for hybrid roles, where you may be required to work closely on marketing projects while managing human resources or personnel. With the leadership skills developed in this degree, you can easily lead a team of professionals soon into your career.
Colleges for bachelor’s degree in business administration
For a bachelor’s degree in business administration, the following are the top colleges you might want to explore!
| College | GPA Requirement | Acceptance Rate | Graduation Rate | Location |
| San Jose State University | 3.6 | 75% | 29% | San Jose, CA, |
| Colorado State University | 3.7 | 91% | 48% | Fort Collins, CO |
| Michigan State University | 3.8 | 88% | 63% | East Lansing, MI |
Bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership with a specialization in HR
A degree in human resources offers important outcomes that you need to lead a successful human resources career. However, it might offer a more diverse range of skills and organizational management than a leadership degree can offer.
In order to avoid getting restricted in one stream, students are now more inclined towards bachelor’s degrees that touch upon various angles of a subject. A bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership is a 4-year program. Additionally, it focuses thoroughly on fostering leadership and management skills in students.
Moreover, it aims to develop organizational leadership skills for businesses and organizations. You can implement these skills in your professional careers to run your own business or be employed at one. It has a broad curriculum compared to a specific degree in human resources. If you are curious about different career pathways, you should pursue a degree in organizational leadership.
Different institutions offer different areas of specialization and concentration in the degree. However, the most common ones found include:
- human resources management
- global leadership
- organizational development
- change management
- entrepreneurial leadership
Needless to say, whichever concentration area you choose, its teachings and learnings will be relevant and applicable to a human resources career.
Colleges for bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership
Find here the best colleges in Arizona and colleges in California for a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership, with a human resources major.
| College | GPA Requirement | Acceptance Rate | Graduation Rate | Location |
| California State University Dominguez Hills | 3.2 | 89% | 18% | Carson, CA, |
| University of Missouri–St. Louis | 3.4 | 51% | 31% | Louis, MO |
| Arizona State University – Online | 3 | 82% | 36.6% | Online |
Bachelor’s degree in psychology with a concentration on organizational psychology
Since workplace cultures are changing, so are their problems and challenges. They are now calling for new and evolved skills that are fit for modern-day workplace issues. Management styles, leadership roles, and team structures are now rapidly changing and becoming something they were never before. In these times, blending management techniques with empathy and human connections is crucial.
That is exactly what organizational psychology achieves. A degree in human resources might teach you the necessary technical skills, the laws, regulations, and by-the-book people management. However, if you wish to become a futuristic leader with agile skills, then choose a Psychology degree. You can opt for a concentration in organizational psychology.
The best part about this degree is its diverse career pathways, that can lead you to business functions and job roles like marketing, public relations, employee relations, and consultancy.
Additionally, the HR degree will equip you with crucial skills needed to identify problems. Besides, with the right skills, you can assess the situations, empathize with people involved, and resolve conflicts based on your thorough understanding of human behaviors.
The degree takes you through years of research and studies discussing and evaluating workplace human behaviors. This will allow you to gain valuable insights into managing employees, retaining them, and resolving their conflicts.
Some of the job roles that you can acquire with this degree include:
- Recruitment Specialist
- Training And Development Specialist
- Workplace Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Manager
- Leadership Development Specialist
- Hr Consultant
Colleges for bachelor’s degree in psychology
Find the top colleges in Michigan and other states for a bachelor’s degree in HR-related fields like Psychology to pursue a human resources career.
| College | GPA Requirement | Acceptance Rate | Graduation Rate | Location |
| University of Minnesota, Twin Cities | 3.7 | 75% | 73% | Minneapolis, MN |
| Michigan State University | 3.5 | 88% | 80.8% | East Lansing, MI |
| Purdue University, Main Campus | 3.0 | 66.1% | 81% | West Lafayette, IN |
Bachelor’s degree in sociology
Just like Psychology, you can opt for any other social sciences subject to pursue a human resources career. Sociology is one such field that can really help you during your professional career in HR.
Sociology studies human behavior in groups. It evaluates and explores different environments that humans behave differently in, be it different cultures or different workplaces. When you get a bachelor’s degree in sociology, you possess important skills like social observation, research, communication, analytical skills, and people management. These are just the soft skills you need to lead a successful career in HR.
A Sociology undergraduate program is usually a 4-year program that offers multiple areas of specialization, concentration areas, and electives. It is a great alternative to a degree in human resources.
You may touch upon different subject matters like ethics, code of conduct, and criminology. These subjects can be really helpful in shaping your understanding and comprehension of employee rights and laws.
Sociology also explores a range of cultures and different segments of society such as genders, ages, and ethnicities. As a result, sociology graduates have a great understanding of diverse types of people, and how to manage diversity in one group. This perfectly aligns with the increasing focus on DEI in workplaces.
Some of the most relevant specializations in the Sociology program you may find are:
- Criminology
- Gender studies
- Social stratification
- Global sociology
- Race and diversity
- Urban sociology
- Political sociology
Colleges for bachelors degree in sociology
There are numerous colleges offering undergraduate sociology programs. You can find many colleges offering a sociology degree online as well. Check out the best ones below:
| College | GPA Requirement | Acceptance Rate | Graduation Rate | Location |
| University of Kentucky | 2.0 | 94.9% | 52% | Lexington, KY |
| American University, Washington, D.C | 2.0 | 41% | 74% | Washington, DC |
| Miami University | 3.25 | 83.8% | 74% | Coral Gables, FL |
Bachelor’s degree in labor laws and employee relations
Whether it is a private organization or a public one, a nonprofit or a small-scale business, employee laws and regulations are always there. A legal framework is always stitched into the fabric of any organization. This is regardless of the size, industry, or nature of work. Therefore, labor laws are a crucial specialization or an important part of a degree in human resources.
While these rules and regulations govern employee-employer relationships, HR plays an imperative role in ensuring that there is compliance and uniformity. Without compliance and uniformity, organizations can find themselves in great trouble and might have to face issues like lawsuits, hefty fines, and penalties.
The legal framework in organizations is a crucial aspect, and there are dedicated undergraduate programs for individuals who wish to master these legal frameworks. Undergraduate bachelor’s degrees in labor laws and employee relations are typically 4-year programs.
The program also provides the required intellect for handling employee relations when there are rules and regulations concerned. Some areas of specialization within this degree are:
- Compensation and benefits
- Ethics and compliance
- Training and development
- Leadership development
- Organizational conflict resolution
- Human resources management
- Workforce diversity and inclusion
This degree is very specialized and specific. It focuses on only one, but very important, part of human resources — the labor laws and employee relations. Any HR department in any organization is incomplete without a professional who has a thorough understanding or experience in this field. Therefore, you can choose a more specialized field of study like this one instead of a generic degree in human resources, and build a prestigious human resources career.
Colleges for bachelor degrees in labor laws and employee relations
Since this is an extremely technical and specialized field, there are not many colleges offering this degree. However, there are still some great college degrees in Indiana and other states that you can explore:
| College | GPA Requirement | Acceptance Rate | Graduation Rate | Location |
| Wayne State University | 3.4 | 75% | 34% | Detroit, MI |
| Indiana University, Bloomington | 3.8 | 82% | 72% | Bloomington, IN |
| Rutgers University, New Brunswick | 3.7 | 66% | 70% | Piscataway, NJ |
What other undergrad degrees are relevant for a human resources career?
You will notice that one college alone offers hundreds of undergraduate programs that you can choose from. So, it is fairly easy to find a degree in human resources or any other relevant subject. While this large pool of choices can get a little intimidating and overwhelming, it also works in your favor.
If you have set your eyes on building a human resources career, you must look into the various types of degrees that can allow you to do just that. From Social Sciences to Business degrees to Management programs, HR is a relatively flexible field to get into.
Keep in mind that whatever program or degree you select to become an HR professional, you must acquire important skills. These may include interpersonal skills, people management leadership, and problem-solving.
A degree in human resources is the best choice for people who know it for sure that they want to build a human resources career. But for those who wish to explore a little and see what options are available to them, a different degree like Organizational Leadership might be better.
Other than the degrees listed above, here is a list of undergraduate degrees and areas of study that you can also look into for your human resources career.
- Business Administration
- Communication
- Employment And Benefit Plan Law
- Finance
- Human Services
- Humanities
- Leadership
- Marketing
- Public Relations (Pr)
In addition to a degree in human resources or other college degrees, save a spot for yourself in the HR field by looking into some renowned and reputable professional certifications. These include, but are not limited to:
- Associate Professional In Human Resources (APHR)
- Certified HR Administrator (CHRA)
- Global Professional In Human Resources (GPHR)
- Professional In Human Resources (PHR)
- SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP)
- SHRM Essentials Of Human Resources (SHRM-CP)
Choosing the right degree
If you wish to build yourself a human resources career, you must thoroughly evaluate your interests, skills, strengths, weaknesses, and personal goals. Understanding these things will help you choose the most relevant degree for yourself.
For an HR job, bachelors in business, HR, management, and leadership is a great choice.
Human resources today is more specialized than it ever was. There are numerous functions that an HR department in an organization plays, and you must pick a lane for yourself. The degree you choose for your human resources career will also help you determine the stream or specialization you pursue in HR.
A degree in human resources shapes you and prepares you for the professional world. It is specialized and thoroughly focused on one aspect of organizations and businesses — the people. However, a degree in human resources is not the only academic stream you can choose.
The best degrees for a human resources career include organizational leadership, organizational psychology, business administration with a human resources major, and Sociology.