Human Resource Management

Oakland University human resource management degree

Human resource management (or HRM) requires specialized skills—and few universities teach them better than Oakland University. Our Human Resource Management degree is one of just three in Michigan that’s accredited by the Society for Human Resource Management, the world’s largest professional HRM association. A human resource management degree equips you to recruit talented employees, develop healthy workplace culture, and help organizations and their people maximize their potential. These skills have value in almost every industry, so you’ll find human resource management job opportunities with all sorts of employers. Among our most recent human resource management degree graduates, 97 percent found a human resource management job or enrolled in graduate school within a year.

Human resource management (or HRM) requires specialized skills—and few universities teach them better than Oakland University. Our Human Resource Management degree is one of just three in Michigan that’s accredited by the Society for Human Resource Management, the world’s largest professional HRM association. A human resource management degree equips you to recruit talented employees, develop healthy workplace culture, and help organizations and their people maximize their potential. These skills have value in almost every industry, so you’ll find human resource management job opportunities with all sorts of employers. Among our most recent human resource management degree graduates, 97 percent found a human resource management job or enrolled in graduate school within a year.

Human Resource Management Degree: The Oakland University Advantage

Because we’re part of a flourishing economic region with an unusually broad mix of employers, our human resource management degree offers unique benefits that pay off in the job market. Our extensive partnerships in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors yield advanced opportunities for professional development, so you can get your human resource management career off to a strong start.

Our HRM degree enables you to:

  • Acquire hands-on experience. The human resource management degree includes a required capstone project, consisting of either of a workplace internship or a portfolio project. Both options enable you to creates a track record of achievement, while showcasing your ability for potential employers.
  • Build industry connections. Our widespread business relationships give you the chance to interact with HRM leaders in a variety of settings, including guest lectures, case-based classroom assignments, on-campus recruiting events and student organizations. The CEO of Kelly Services, the world’s largest provider of staffing and personnel solutions, sits on our School of Business Advisory Board. In addition, our active chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management routinely brings HR professionals to campus for guest lectures, networking events, Q&A sessions, and other occasions.
  • Get faculty mentoring and guidance. You’ll take human resource management courses from exceptional professors who combine academic achievement with years of professional HRM experience. Our small class sizes ensure plenty of faculty face time, so you’ll build real relationships with your professors that support your educational and professional development.
  • Earn a rigorous HRM degree. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) granted accreditation to our HRM degree because we demonstrate educational excellence in key professional competencies, including communication, leadership, ethical practice, cultural effectiveness, relationship management and business acumen. Employers recognize SHRM accreditation as a mark of superior quality, so an Oakland University human resource management degree carries extra value in the job market.
  • Graduate from one of the nation’s top business schools. In addition to our SHRM accreditation, we also hold elite dual accreditation (in business and accounting) from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Fewer than 1 percent of the world’s business schools have attained this distinction. And publications such as US News & World Report, CEO Magazine and The Princeton Review routinely include us on their national rankings of the best business schools.

What can you do with a human resource management degree?

Human Resource Management Careers

Because every organization needs human resource managers, you’ll find a broad spectrum of human resource management job descriptions and specialties. Our HRM degree prepares you for the full range of possibilities, with responsibilities that might include:

  • Recruitment
  • Compensation and benefits
  • Training and workforce development
  • Employee retention
  • Leadership development
  • Succession planning
  • Labor relations
  • Executive administration

Human Resource Management Degree: What You’ll Study

Our human resource management degree includes three elements: core courses, electives, and a capstone project consisting of either a professional internship or portfolio project. The program integrates theoretical concepts with practical, hands-on application that prepares you directly for human resource management jobs.

Coursework provides you with a comprehensive professional foundation, with subject matter that includes:

  • Organizational behavior
  • Labor/management relations
  • Research methods
  • Compensation and benefits
  • Motivation
  • Leadership
  • Public sector human resource management