Best Online Master’s in Human Resources Programs 2024

Human resources is all about making things better — for everyone. As an HR professional, you will be in charge of managing the entire employee lifecycle, including recruitment, hiring, development, benefits, and programs.

In order to manage your organization’s most valuable asset (people), you’ll need to develop important HR soft skills like emotional intelligence, discernment, and communication. You’ll also need the right formal training. An online master’s in human resources is a great way to get it.

We’ve found the top online human resources master’s programs available. Read on to learn more and level up your career.

Human resources is the essential part of a business or organization in charge of managing personnel. A human resources department is typically responsible for hiring and training new employees, managing compensation and benefits, fostering company culture, monitoring employee performance, and performing other administrative tasks.

Source: NCES

There are many ways you can choose to fund your master’s degree. Traditional options like loans and financial aid will be available to most. And there are many scholarships available for human resources graduate students. For example, the Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarship or a PSHRA Graduate Study Fellowship.

Students should also look into employer-funded programs. Your employer may help fund your master’s degree or reimburse it if you work as a human resources professional.

Human resources graduates can pursue a variety of careers in people operations, leadership, and of course, human resources.

Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Human Resources professionals specialize within their field in order to advance their HR career opportunities.

An HR recruiter is responsible for managing the candidate experience. This person helps fill job vacancies by identifying individuals that align with the company or organization’s goals and needs. A recruiter’s individual responsibilities vary on the size of the organization.

A compensation and benefits specialist helps oversee an organization’s pay structure and compensation plan, ensures payroll is in compliance with federal and state regulations and works with benefits vendors to craft a competitive benefits package.

Someone who works in training and development recommends, designs, develops, and implements programs for onboarding new employees and helps develop current employees.

An HR information systems manager supports and maintains the internal HR systems the company uses, typically customizing the systems the business needs. This person also, at times, serves as a liaison between the organization and external stakeholders.

Your annual salary will depend on several factors like where you live and how much work experience you have, but you can generally expect to earn a six-figure wage.

With two scholarships, Matthew Burr, a seasoned HR professional, owed $74,000 in student loans after finishing his graduate degree. When he graduated, he doubled his salary. A master’s degree can quicken your path to high-paying leadership positions.

Human resource managers made an average annual salary of $136,350 in 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). But in New York, the annual mean wage was $198,830 during the same period. Other top-paying states include New Jersey, California, Massachusetts, and Washington.

Sources: BLS