HR Courses | Top 15 courses to pursue in 2022 (A detailed list!)

Have you wondered what exactly an HR executive does? HR professionals have many other responsibilities besides designing team-building activities and planning recruitment and training. Therefore, pursuing HR courses might be useful to get in-depth knowledge about these and possibly have a lucrative career. 

However, before enrolling in such a course, understand who an HR professional is. Read on to learn everything from HR courses, universities, career prospects, and more!

 

Who is an HR?

An HR or Human Resource executive is responsible for managing the employee life cycle within their respective organization. Talking about the employee life cycle, it is the entire duration an employee works in an organization. Hence, HR duties include everything from recruitment and selection of an employee to their retirement and/or termination.

What does an HR executive do?

While some people think HR professionals only show up during company parties and other events, the responsibilities of HR extend beyond that. HR courses can teach you all about these duties and much more. In these courses, you will learn about the different functions of human resource management, such as- 

• Recruitment
• Onboarding
• Training and development
• Job analysis, etc. 

Best HR courses

If you think your goals are aligned with the responsibilities of HR, then consider enrolling in a course that qualifies you for this designation. While there may be several institutions offering various levels of HR courses, opt for a university/course that aligns with your interests. Having said that, completing this course from a foreign university can give you an edge and open up opportunities for international employment. 

Top 15 HR courses

Take a look at this curated list of top 15 HR management courses offered by some prestigious universities abroad. 

No.	University Name	Course Name	Fees (annually)	Duration
1	Trent University, Canada	Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) with specialization in Human Resources	CA$ 22,454	4 years
2	Lambton College, Canada	Business Management – Human Resources	Undisclosed	2 years
3	Conestoga College, Canada	Graduate Certificate in Human Resources Management	CA$13,000	1 year
4	Michigan State University, USA	BA in Human Resource Management	$42,226	120 credit hours
5	The George Washington University, USA	Graduate Certificate in Human Capital	$32,850	12 credit hours
6	James Cook University, Australia	Bachelor of Business Majoring in Human Resource Management	A$30,960	3 years
7	Northeastern University, USA	Graduate Certificate in Human Leadership and Capital	Undisclosed	8 months
8	The University of Queensland, Australia	Bachelor of Business Management Major in Human Resources	A$43,200	3 years
9	Bath Spa University, UK	Business and Management (Human Resource Management)	#13,910	4 years
10	University of Western Australia	Bachelor of Commerce – Human Resources Management	A$39,500	3 years
11	Oxford Brookes University, UK	MSc in Human Resource Management	#15,900	12 months
12	Singapore Management Institute, Singapore	Ph.D. in Business (Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management)	SG$22,050	4 years
13	University of Leicester, UK	Management Ph.D./MPhil – Work, Industrial and Employment Relations	#15,520	3 years
14	Singapore Polytechnic, Singapore	Diploma in Human Resource Management with Psychology	SG$9,050	3 years
15	East Asia Institute of Management, Singapore	Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Business and Management Studies (Human Resource Management)	SG$12,400	12 months

Subjects taught in HR courses

With such an exhaustive list of graduate, diploma, certificate, and MBA HR courses, you now have several options to choose from. But before you choose one, check out the primary and secondary subjects taught in these courses. Then, you can streamline your choice and make a decision. 

Since there are five different types of HR courses based on academic level and types of disciplines, the subjects in the courses will differ. Let’s look at these course levels and the subjects taught in various HR professional courses.

1. Certificate-level courses

Some of the subjects taught in HR certification courses include – 

• Work health and safety 
• Human resource functions
• Building and developing talent
• Measuring HR effectiveness, etc. 

You can enroll in these courses right after completing your secondary school examinations. Alternatively, you can also pursue this course while working to have an additional qualification. 

2. Diploma-level subjects

The subjects in the HR diploma courses include-

• Management theory and practice
• Organizational culture
• Essentials of human resource management
• Organizational behavior  
• Industrial relations and labor laws, etc. 

You can enroll in HR diploma courses after completing your 10th grade.

3. HR Graduate-level subjects

The subjects taught in an HR graduate-level course are more advanced than those in an HR diploma course. For example, in a BBA (Human Resource Management) course, you will learn subjects, such as- 

• Business Maths
• Human value & ethics
• Leadership
• Organizational behavior, 
• Corporate social responsibility 
• Advanced skillset development, and much more.

4. Postgraduate subjects

At the postgraduate level, like the MBA in HR course, you will learn subjects like- 

• Management process and organization theory 
• Individual behavior in an organization 
• Strategic management 
• Human resource information system
• Fundamentals of Industrial relations 
• Human resource planning and development
• Training and development
• Compensation and reward management, etc.

5. Doctoral (Ph.D./MPhil) subjects

Most doctoral courses in human resource management are a combination of taught courses and resource work. When engaging in this type of course, you will be tasked with preparing and submitting your research paper, which can get you into the hall of fame of management academia. 

Jobs after Human Resource Management course

While some may choose the academic path, most aspirants seek to secure a highly paid job after completing HR courses. If you come under the latter category, then you are in luck because job opportunities are abundant after completing any of the HR courses mentioned here. 

Here’s a list of some of the most promising job prospects-

• Human Resource Officer
• Office Manager
• Occupational Psychologist
• Training and Development Officer
• Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Officer
• Human Resources Manager
• Career Advisor
• Health Service Manager
• Human Resources Consultant
• Recruiting Officer
• Hiring Manager
• Staffing Director
• Compensation Manager
• Employee Relations Manager
• Technical Recruiter
• Employee Education Consultant
• Executive Recruiter, and much more.

Salary of an HR Executive

While the pay scales differ from region to region, here is a list of the average annual wages of HR Executives (also known as HR Generalists) across the world. 

• USA: $61,416
• UK: #38,428 
• Canada: C$55,442 
• Australia: A$90,675
• Singapore: SG$72,000 

What’s next?

Now that you have an in-depth knowledge of the HR career and the HR courses to choose, you can make an informed decision. The daily life of an HR generalist is filled with challenges and if you feel you are up for it, then opt for one of these courses to become a professional.

If you need any help choosing the best course or university for you, reach out to us. We’d be happy to help! 

Liked this post? Read next: Seneca College | 4 Things you need to know before applying!

FAQs

Q1. How long is an HR course?

Answer- The duration of such a course depends on the course you are pursuing. Most HR certification courses are for a few weeks, while diploma courses can be 12 months or two years long. Similarly, the graduate and postgraduate courses can be two to four years. 

Q2. Why should I pursue HR courses?

Answer- Human Resources as a career is in high demand, especially with the upcoming leadership challenges in hybrid working models. Also, there is a need for talented HR personnel to help transition employees between work from office and from home. Hence, it can be a lucrative career option for you.

Q3. What are the best HR courses?

Answer- The best HR courses include classroom-based study, a bit of research work, off-campus fieldwork, workshops, and seminars. Besides, the courses provided here are some of the best in the world as most of them offer a wholesome learning experience to HR aspirants.