Human resources specialists specialize in one particular area of human resources management. In small businesses, a human resources specialist can be a human resources generalist and manage all aspects of human resources for a given business. Human resources specialists can specialize in areas like training, employee retention, labor relations, and benefits management.

Educational Requirements

Graduate College Certification in Human Resources (1 to 2 years beyond Bachelor’s degree)
Master’s Degree (2 years beyond bachelor’s degree) in Human Resources
A human resources specialist will generally need a bachelor’s degree just to get hired but even better is a master’s degree in business or human resources or at least a graduate certification in human resources.  Human resources specialists generally have several years of experience working in the HR industry and this allows them to specialize in a specific area.

Educational Courses

Benefits Management
Employment Law and Ethics
Employee Hiring and Management
Employee Training Programs
Employee Evaluation and Improvement

Employment Statistics

Number of Human Resources Specialists in 2008: 770,900
Projected Employment of Human Resources Specialists through 2018: 955,500
Average Annual Pay for Human Resources Specialists in 2008: $45,470

Top Colleges for Human Resources Programs

Western Governor’s University
Capella University
Walden University
University of Phoenix
Grand Canyon University

Related Careers

Counselors
Education administrators
Lawyers
Psychologists
Public relations specialists
Article Reference: Bureau of Labor Statistics