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Choos­ing to pur­sue an accel­er­at­ed Human Resources degree online does have its advan­tages. Accel­er­at­ed degree pro­grams are designed to speed up the edu­ca­tion process so that the stu­dent can move for­ward faster in terms of reach­ing their goals and earn­ing high­er wages. 

Orig­i­nal­ly pub­lished: July 2020
Last Updat­ed: Decem­ber 2023

A 2‑year or 24-month degree pro­gram can be com­plet­ed in approx­i­mate­ly 18 months enabling the stu­dent to apply for high­er-pay­ing jobs with more respon­si­bil­i­ties in a much short­er peri­od. Accel­er­at­ed Human Resources online degree pro­grams are ide­al for indi­vid­u­als who don’t need a full degree pro­gram but will still ben­e­fit from hav­ing addi­tion­al information.

Earn­ing an accel­er­at­ed Human Resources degree online makes it pos­si­ble for the stu­dent to work full-time and also incor­po­rate what they are learn­ing into their job in real time. This helps them to build expe­ri­ence while they are learning. 

It rein­forces the lessons they are being taught and may even encour­age them to ask more in-depth ques­tions when it comes to per­form­ing their duties and tak­ing the ini­tia­tive to move for­ward in their career. In many cas­es, an accel­er­at­ed degree pro­gram is just what the stu­dent needs to give their career a lit­tle push in the right direction.

Relat­ed:

Methodology: Ranking the Best Accelerated Human Resources Degree Online Programs

Bachelor’s Degree Cen­ter edi­tors built our rank­ing of the best online accel­er­at­ed human resources degrees around more than just speed, although the pool starts with accred­it­ed insti­tu­tions offer­ing accel­er­at­ed-for­mat online pro­grams. From there, we ranked pro­grams by the tuition rate, stu­dent sat­is­fac­tion, and job mar­ket reputation.

1. Columbia College

Colum­bia Col­lege of Missouri’s Plas­ter School of Busi­ness offers either a Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence or Bach­e­lor of Arts (BA) degree pro­gram in Human Resource Man­age­ment that has received accred­i­ta­tion from the ACBSP, the Accred­i­ta­tion Coun­cil of Busi­ness Schools and Programs. 

These accel­er­at­ed human resources degree online pro­grams each require degree can­di­dates to com­plete 120 cred­it units to grad­u­ate. Stu­dents who grad­u­ate are pre­pared to enter the work­force in the areas of: 

  • Tal­ent Acquisition
  • Labor Rela­tions
  • Risk Man­age­ment
  • Train­ing
  • Ben­e­fits
  • Man­age­ment

Stu­dents attend­ing Colum­bia Col­lege’s under­grad­u­ate human resources pro­gram enjoy small class sizes and the lat­est tech­nol­o­gy in cut­ting-edge classrooms.

What We Like: Colum­bia Col­lege oper­ates near­ly 20 cam­pus­es on mil­i­tary bases across the country.

Degree: Human Resource Man­age­ment, BS/BA


2. Florida International University

Flori­da Inter­na­tion­al University’s Lan­don Under­grad­u­ate School of Busi­ness offers a Bach­e­lor of Busi­ness Admin­is­tra­tion (BBA) in Human Resource Man­age­ment that can be com­plet­ed entire­ly online. 

FIU’s accel­er­at­ed human resources degree online pro­grams require stu­dents to com­plete 120 semes­ter cred­its, with half of the cred­its ded­i­cat­ed to upper-divi­sion course­work. To name a few, class­es includ­ed in FIU’s under­grad­u­ate human resource man­age­ment degree include: 

  • Staffing
  • Employ­ment Law
  • Diver­si­ty
  • Recruit­ment
  • Train­ing & Development
  • Inter­na­tion­al Human Resource Management

Every FIU degree can­di­date part­ners with a per­son­al suc­cess coach dur­ing their school tenure.

What We Like: FIU holds the dis­tinc­tion of hav­ing grown into the largest uni­ver­si­ty with­in the greater met­ro­pol­i­tan Mia­mi area.

Degree: Human Resource Man­age­ment, BBA


3. Louisiana State University

Louisiana State Uni­ver­si­ty offers a BS in Lead­er­ship and Human Resource Devel­op­ment (LHRD) that is avail­able as an accel­er­at­ed human resources degree online program. 

Degree can­di­dates grad­u­at­ed pre­pared for reward­ing careers as cor­po­rate train­ers, cur­ricu­lum devel­op­ers, human resource man­agers, or improve­ment con­sul­tants, among oth­ers. A min­i­mum of 24 semes­ter cred­its must include course­work that is a 1000-lev­el course or higher.

What We Like: Louisiana State Uni­ver­si­ty is a flag­ship cam­pus and flag­ship school of the state.

Degree: Lead­er­ship and Human Resource Devel­op­ment, BS


4. Dickinson State University

Dick­in­son State Uni­ver­si­ty offers a BBA in Human Resource Man­age­ment that is avail­able entire­ly online or on the Bis­mar­ck and Willis­ton campuses. 

The accel­er­at­ed human resources degree online pro­gram from Dick­in­son State Uni­ver­si­ty requires degree can­di­dates to com­plete 120 semes­ter cred­its in class­es such as busi­ness law, labor rela­tions, com­pen­sa­tion man­age­ment, work­force diver­si­ty, and staffing, to name a few. Busi­ness core course­work includes: 

  • Lead­er­ship
  • Busi­ness Policy
  • Man­age­r­i­al Finance
  • Mar­ket­ing Orga­ni­za­tion­al Behavior
  • Busi­ness Ethics

What We Like: DSU was one of more than 120 schools that par­tic­i­pat­ed in the Navy train­ing pro­gram dur­ing World War II.

Degree: Human Resource Man­age­ment, BBA


5. Indiana State University

Indi­ana State Uni­ver­si­ty offers a BS in Human Resource Devel­op­ment for High­er Edu­ca­tion and Indus­try that is avail­able entire­ly online. Best Col­lege Reviews and sussessfulstudent.org have rec­og­nized ISU’s accel­er­at­ed human resources degree online program. 

The under­grad­u­ate human resources pro­gram from Indi­ana State Uni­ver­si­ty has received accred­i­ta­tion from the Soci­ety of Human Resource Man­age­ment (SHRM). Course­work for ISU’s human resource degree includes: 

  • Orga­ni­za­tion­al Development
  • Social and Behav­ioral Science
  • Occu­pa­tion­al Liability
  • Indus­tri­al-Orga­ni­za­tion­al Psychology

What We Like: Indi­ana State Uni­ver­si­ty’s library sys­tem includes a col­lec­tion of more than 2 mil­lion items.

Degree: Human Resource Devel­op­ment for High­er Edu­ca­tion and Indus­try, BS


6. University of Maryland Global Campus

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Mary­land Glob­al Cam­pus offers a BS in Human Resource Man­age­ment that can be com­plet­ed 100% online. Degree can­di­dates who are enrolled in UMD Glob­al Cam­pus’ accel­er­at­ed human resources degree online pro­gram must com­plete 120 semes­ter hours to graduate. 

These class­es include: 

  • Orga­ni­za­tion­al Communication
  • Labor Rela­tions
  • Finance for Non­fi­nance Managers
  • Human Resource Management
  • Employ­ment Law for Business

UMD Glob­al Cam­pus offers a gen­er­ous cred­it trans­fer pol­i­cy of up to 90 eli­gi­ble credits.

What We Like: The school is a sea-grant and space-grant uni­ver­si­ty with a stu­dent enroll­ment that exceeds 41,100 students.

Degree: Human Resource Man­age­ment, BS


7. University of Arkansas

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Arkansas offers a BS in Human Resources and Work­force Devel­op­ment Edu­ca­tion that is rec­og­nized among the best accel­er­at­ed human resources degree online pro­grams by US News. 

UA’s under­grad­u­ate degree in human resources and work­force devel­op­ment requires the com­ple­tion of 120 semes­ter hours over a two to four-year peri­od. Addi­tion­al­ly, stu­dents enrolled in this pro­gram are required to com­plete a cap­stone project to graduate.

What We Like: The school is sit­u­at­ed on ‘the hill’ as it over­looks the beau­ti­ful Ozark Mountains.

Degree: Human Resource and Work­force Devel­op­ment Edu­ca­tion, BS


8. Portland State University

Port­land State University’s School of Busi­ness offers a Bach­e­lor of Busi­ness Admin­is­tra­tion (BBA) degree pro­gram in Human Resource Man­age­ment that is avail­able 100% online. 

Degree can­di­dates enrolled in PSU’s accel­er­at­ed human resources degree online pro­gram find reward­ing careers in: 

  • Labor Rela­tions
  • Employ­ee Compensation
  • Human Resource Management
  • Per­for­mance Management
  • Orga­ni­za­tion­al Culture 
  • Lead­er­ship Development

PSU’s human resource degree has received accred­i­ta­tion from the AACSB – the Asso­ci­a­tion to Advance Col­le­giate Schools of Business.

What We Like: The Prince­ton Review’s School of Busi­ness Admin­is­tra­tion is among the top 294 and PSU has been con­sid­ered among the most inno­v­a­tive schools in the nation.

Degree: Human Resource Man­age­ment, BBA


9. Wilmington University

Wilm­ing­ton Uni­ver­si­ty’s School of Busi­ness offers a BS in Human Resource Man­age­ment that requires stu­dents to com­plete 120 semes­ter cred­its to graduate. 

Their accel­er­at­ed human resources degree online pro­gram includes course­work such as: 

  • Busi­ness Ethics
  • Human Cap­i­tal Management
  • Orga­ni­za­tion­al Development
  • Staffing
  • Com­pen­sa­tion Administration
  • plus, a senior intern­ship in a relat­ed field

The uni­ver­si­ty offers a con­cen­tra­tion in non­prof­it man­age­ment for those human resource degree can­di­dates inter­est­ed in work­ing in that sector.

What We Like: The Col­lege of Busi­ness has received accred­i­ta­tion from the IACBE – the Inter­na­tion­al Assem­bly for Col­le­giate Busi­ness Education.

Degree: Human Resource Man­age­ment, BS

accelerated human resources degree

Why Should I Choose an Accelerated Human Resources Degree?

An accel­er­at­ed human resources degree pro­gram is a great option for those who want to enter the work­force quick­ly. These pro­grams are often offered online, which allows stu­dents to bal­ance their per­son­al and pro­fes­sion­al lives while still advanc­ing in their careers.

With an accel­er­at­ed human resources degree, you will be able to get into the work­force faster than with a tra­di­tion­al degree. You will also learn how to make deci­sions that are ben­e­fi­cial for your company’s future and under­stand the com­plex­i­ties of man­ag­ing employees.

An accel­er­at­ed human resources degree pro­gram is the per­fect solu­tion for stu­dents who want to fin­ish their edu­ca­tion in a short­er time than a tra­di­tion­al B.A. or B.S. degree would take. These pro­grams are also great for work­ing pro­fes­sion­als who want to advance their careers with a human resources-relat­ed degree and have the oppor­tu­ni­ty to study at their own pace and on their own time, with­out hav­ing to be phys­i­cal­ly present on campus.

The con­tent of these cours­es is typ­i­cal­ly more prac­ti­cal and hands-on than that of a tra­di­tion­al human resources degree pro­gram, which can be an excel­lent way for aspir­ing HR pro­fes­sion­als to get ahead in today’s com­pet­i­tive job market.

Of course, work­ing HR pro­fes­sion­als can often use pri­or learn­ing, pre­req­ui­sites, and real-world work expe­ri­ence to trans­fer cred­its that can get them through a degree faster. The admis­sion require­ments for a degree com­ple­tion pro­gram can be eas­i­er to get through the appli­ca­tion process than a tra­di­tion­al on-cam­pus HR degree pro­gram. That means less finan­cial aid to pay back.

With ready-made col­lege cred­its, no gen­er­al edu­ca­tion require­ments, mul­ti­ple start dates, com­pe­ten­cy-based grad­ing, and flex­i­ble elec­tives, an online HR man­age­ment pro­gram may be per­fect for work­ing human resource pro­fes­sion­als. Online cours­es help learn­ers build deci­sion-mak­ing skills.

How Can a Degree Help My Human Resources Career?

Human Resources is a field where degrees are not required to get hired. If you have the right skills and expe­ri­ence, then you can work in HR with­out a degree.

It is pos­si­ble to work in HR with­out a degree. HR pro­fes­sion­als who have worked for com­pa­nies for more than five years can even apply for an exec­u­tive-lev­el posi­tion with­out one.

How­ev­er, a degree can make a pos­i­tive impact on your career in many ways.

A degree in HR can pro­vide a com­pet­i­tive advan­tage to a can­di­date. There are many ben­e­fits of hav­ing a degree in HR and it can help you get the job that you want.

  • The first ben­e­fit of hav­ing an HR degree is that it will make you more qual­i­fied for the job. You will be able to under­stand how the com­pa­ny works and what skills are need­ed for cer­tain posi­tions. That way, when you apply for a job, you will be able to show why you are qual­i­fied for this position.
  • The sec­ond ben­e­fit is that it will give peo­ple more con­fi­dence in their abil­i­ties as HR pro­fes­sion­als. Peo­ple must have con­fi­dence in their abil­i­ties because they need to trust that they can rely on your judg­ment with any deci­sions they make regard­ing their careers.
  • The third ben­e­fit is that it will make you more mar­ketable than some­one with­out one because employ­ers know that degrees mean com­mit­ment and ded­i­ca­tion which means they will hire some­one who has one over some­one who does­n’t even if they have the same background.

What If I Don’t Need a Bachelor’s Degree?

Earn­ing a Human Resources cer­tifi­cate online is anoth­er option for indi­vid­u­als who are already employed and are sim­ply look­ing for the cre­den­tials to back up the expe­ri­ence they already have. Cer­tifi­cates for Human Resources offer grad­u­ates an oppor­tu­ni­ty to be rec­og­nized for the years of work they have already put into their careers. 

Most Human Resources cer­ti­fi­ca­tion pro­grams can be com­plet­ed in less time than even an accel­er­at­ed online degree pro­gram while still pro­vid­ing much of the same knowl­edge. When a Bachelor’s degree isn’t called for, a Human Resources cer­tifi­cate online pro­gram will pro­vide every­thing the stu­dent needs.

There are many sit­u­a­tions in which a Bachelor’s degree isn’t need­ed. Many cer­ti­fi­ca­tions and licens­es require the indi­vid­ual to earn a spe­cif­ic num­ber of con­tin­u­ing edu­ca­tion cred­it hours each year. With pro­grams that offer cer­tifi­cates for Human Resources, they can earn the cer­tifi­cate and apply the cred­it hours they receive for their con­tin­u­ing edu­ca­tion requirements.

The cer­tifi­cates can also be placed in the individual’s employ­ee file to show that they have tak­en the ini­tia­tive to con­tin­ue to learn as much as they can to advance their career. The pro­fes­sion­al devel­op­ment aspect alone can make a cer­tifi­cate worth it.

What is the Purpose of Human Resources? 

The Human Resources team does much more than just hir­ing and fir­ing employ­ees. They main­tain detailed employ­ee files that con­tain a com­plete record of each employee’s his­to­ry with the com­pa­ny. This includes any warn­ings, dis­ci­pli­nary actions, awards, recog­ni­tion, and eval­u­a­tions that have been per­formed through­out their career. 

The Human Resources team also helps to eval­u­ate an employee’s abil­i­ty to per­form their duties and may rec­om­mend them for advance­ment if their skills and rep­u­ta­tion are above aver­age. Cer­ti­fi­ca­tions take much less time to com­plete and can be fin­ished online, mak­ing it easy for the stu­dent to con­tin­ue to work a 40-hour-a-week job.

Human Resources team mem­bers are also respon­si­ble for ben­e­fits pack­ages like retire­ment pack­ages, insur­ance plans, and achieve­ment mile­stones. When it comes to finan­cial pack­ages that include retire­ment plans and insur­ance, the Human Resources team works to pro­vide each employ­ee with pack­ages that meet their needs in every way possible. 

It’s also up to the HR team to assist when any type of claim is filed with insur­ance. Spe­cial train­ing is some­times need­ed for the HR employ­ee to be able to work with insur­ance and finan­cial programs.

Some of the job titles in the HR field include:

  • Human Resources Specialist
  • Devel­op­ment Specialist
  • Strate­gic Management

Why is Human Resources Important?

Human Resources is a very impor­tant depart­ment. First and fore­most, the HR team man­ages the company’s human resources. The team cre­ates a file on every employ­ee detail­ing their strengths and weaknesses. 

They know what type of edu­ca­tion they have and what skills they excel in. This infor­ma­tion allows the HR team to offer employ­ees oppor­tu­ni­ties for advance­ment as well as being able to hon­or them for their achieve­ments and hard work.

When an employ­ee expe­ri­ences dif­fi­cul­ties while on the job, it is up to the HR team to step in and help resolve the issues and solve any prob­lems that may exist.