Overview

Managing Human Resource (HR) functions has evolved into a crucial aspect of an organization's management process, and HR professionals have become active strategic business partners. It is widely recognized that a well-functioning HR group significantly contributes to an organization's overall success.

The overall objective of HRM practitioners is to help make an organization an employer of choice through compensation, benefits, career development, training, staffing, and other functions that affect employees.

An undergraduate degree obtained in the Human Resource Management program of The University of Akron will prepare you to pursue an exciting career as an HR professionals. The degree will also prepare you for further graduate study or a certification. Students may opt to pursue either a Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management offered by The University of Akron or a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification offered by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).  

Degrees and Preparation

Human resource management is a key component of an organization's management process. Human resource management professionals have evolved from their 20th century role as behind the scenes administrators to active involvement as strategic business partners. Senior management teams recognize the significant contributions of HR to an organization's bottom-line and overall success. 

A degree in Human Resource Management paves the way for several opportunities in organizations. Some of the positions offered to our recent graduates include:

• Human Resource Representative – Compensation

• Recruiter, Training and Organization Development Specialist

• Human Resource Coordinator

• Supervisor, Patient Services

• Corporate College Recruiter

• Manager, HRIS Strategy

• Recruitment Manager

Career Outlook

There are numerous career opportunities in the field of human resources and industrial relations. HR managers are required in every organization – from nonprofits to businesses, consulting firms, government agencies and labor groups. Overall employment of HR, training and labor relations managers and specialists is expected to grow faster than average for all occupations through 2014, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.  

The position of HR manager was voted as the fourth best job in America, according to surveys done by Money magazine and Salary.com. Annual earnings for human resources professionals vary according to occupation, level of experience, training, location and size of the firm. The median salary of HR professionals exceeds $80,000. 

Opportunities will continue to grow in the HR profession.   Historically, our students have received competitive job offers and our majors are highly sought after for paid internships during their junior year. Most internships lead to full-time employment.