Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
Human Resources Management and Services
Prepares you to manage the development of human capital in organizations, and to provide related services to individuals and groups. Covers personnel and organization policy, human resource dynamics and flows, labor relations, sex roles, civil rights, human resources law and regulations, motivation and compensation systems, work systems, career management, employee testing and assessment, recruitment and selection, managing employee and job training programs, and the management of human resources programs and operations.
Inside the major
Programs within this field
Colleges may offer this field under 7 more specific program names. The program you choose affects the courses you take.
- Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General
- Prepares you to manage the development of human capital in organizations, and to provide related services to individuals and groups. Covers personnel and organization policy, human resource dynamics and flows, labor relations, sex roles, civil rights, human resources law and regulations, motivation and compensation systems, work systems, career management, employee testing and assessment, recruitment and selection, managing employee and job training programs, and the management of human resources programs and operations.
- Labor and Industrial Relations
- Focuses on employee-management interactions and the management of issues and disputes regarding working conditions and worker benefit packages, and that may prepare individuals to function as labor or personnel relations specialists. Covers labor history, policies and strategies of the labor movement, union organization, labor-management negotiation, labor law and contract interpretation, labor economics, welfare and benefit packages, grievance procedures, and labor policy studies.
- Organizational Behavior Studies
- Focuses on the scientific study of the behavior and motivations of individuals functioning in organized groups, and its application to business and industrial settings. Covers organization theory, industrial and organizational psychology, social psychology, sociology of organizations, reinforcement and incentive theory, employee relations strategies, organizational power and influence, organization stratification and hierarchy, leadership styles, and applications of operations research and other methodologies to organizational analysis.
- Labor Studies
- Focuses on the study of various aspects of work, labor organization and policy, and labor movements from the perspective of the social sciences and history. Covers labor history; political and ideological issues; worker movements and social organizations; civil rights; labor law and policy studies; labor economics; international and comparative labor studies; and applications to specific industries, groups, locations, and time periods.
- Human Resources Development
- Prepares you to apply integrated training, organizational development, and career planning and counseling skills to the design, management, and evaluation of programs to improve individual productivity, employability, and job satisfaction and organizational effectiveness. Covers psychology; organizational behavior; principles of adult education; occupational counseling; skill testing and evaluation; program design; consulting practice; organizational development; and applications to issues such as training, management development, customer service, and total quality management.
- Executive/Career Coaching
- Study that focuses on assisting individuals achieve career goals or assisting business leaders achieve organizational change. Covers executive coaching, group dynamics, leadership, management, organizational behavior, organizational communication, and team building.
- Human Resources Management and Services, Other
- Human resources management not listed above.
Where it can lead
Careers this field can lead to
Explore related careers, starting with the closest connections and the occupations hiring the most people.
Human Resources Specialists
- Median pay
- $75,940
- Hiring change through 2035
- 6.4%
- Job openings a year
- 73,700
To get hiredBachelor's degree
Explore this career Growing fastTraining and Development Specialists
- Median pay
- $69,280
- Hiring change through 2035
- 10.8%
- Job openings a year
- 46,000
To get hiredBachelor's degree
Explore this career GrowingHuman Resources Managers
- Median pay
- $149,280
- Hiring change through 2035
- 5.5%
- Job openings a year
- 16,800
To get hiredBachelor's degree
Explore this career Growing with the economyCompliance Officers
- Median pay
- $80,730
- Hiring change through 2035
- 3.8%
- Job openings a year
- 32,700
To get hiredBachelor's degree
Explore this career GrowingBusiness Teachers, Postsecondary
- Median pay
- $99,080
- Hiring change through 2035
- 5.9%
- Job openings a year
- 7,600
To get hiredDoctoral or professional degree
Explore this career Growing with the economyEducational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors
- Median pay
- $64,330
- Hiring change through 2035
- 2.9%
- Job openings a year
- 27,800
To get hiredMaster's degree
Explore this career ShrinkingHuman Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping
- Median pay
- $50,610
- Hiring change through 2035
- −6.2%
- Job openings a year
- 7,900
To get hiredAssociate's degree
Explore this career Growing with the economyLabor Relations Specialists
- Median pay
- $95,420
- Hiring change through 2035
- 2.1%
- Job openings a year
- 4,800
To get hiredBachelor's degree
Explore this career GrowingTraining and Development Managers
- Median pay
- $133,000
- Hiring change through 2035
- 6.4%
- Job openings a year
- 4,100
To get hiredBachelor's degree
Explore this career GrowingCompensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists
- Median pay
- $78,210
- Hiring change through 2035
- 6.0%
- Job openings a year
- 9,000
To get hiredBachelor's degree
Explore this career Growing slowlyCompensation and Benefits Managers
- Median pay
- $149,230
- Hiring change through 2035
- 1.1%
- Job openings a year
- 1,600
To get hiredBachelor's degree
Explore this career GrowingCounselors, All Other
- Median pay
- $50,860
- Hiring change through 2035
- 5.9%
- Job openings a year
- 4,300
To get hiredMaster's degree
Explore this careerAll work is projected to grow 3.5% between 2025 and 2035; read every hiring-change figure against it. The figures beside each career are the pay of that work, across everyone doing it. Graduates of this field earn $43,409 one year after completing the program, which is the start of a career rather than the shape of one.
Working style
How and where the work happens
Related careers can feel very different from one another. Compare the specific occupations to understand the work each one involves.
Few of the careers connected to this field are measured as substantially in-person or active work. Compare the specific occupations to see how much time each one involves with people, equipment, and movement.
College options
Where to study it
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