6 Human Resource Management Courses to Help You Excel in Your Career

As the Human Resources field continues to evolve, aspiring and seasoned HR professionals alike must expand their knowledge to stay relevant and thrive. Courses in Human Resource Management (HRM) offer the opportunity to develop wide-ranging competencies in areas such as employee relations, talent management, and business acumen.

As the Human Resources field continues to evolve, aspiring and seasoned HR professionals alike must expand their knowledge to stay relevant and thrive. Courses in Human Resource Management (HRM) offer the opportunity to develop wide-ranging competencies in areas such as employee relations, talent management, and business acumen.

The best human resource management course for you depends on your career stage, budget, and goals. If you want practical, self-paced skills you can apply at work right away, an online certificate program such as AIHR’s HR Manager Certificate Program is a strong fit. Shorter courses on platforms such as edX and Udemy work well as an introduction. University programs from eCornell and Wharton Online carry academic weight but usually cost more.

In this article, we’ll cover the key components of HR management training you should look for and provide a list of viable Human Resource Management courses online that you can explore.

Contents
How to choose a human resource management course
6 top Human Resource Management courses
1. AIHR – HR Manager Certificate Program
2. Coursera – Leading: Human Resource Management and Leadership Specialization
3. eCornell – Human Resources Management Certificate
4. edX – Introduction to Human Resources (HR) Leadership and HR Management Strategies
5. Udemy – Diploma Course in Human Resource Management (HRM)
6. Wharton Online – HR Management and Analytics
FAQ

How to choose a human resource management course

Courses for HR are abundantly available. However, what they offer varies, and they’re not all suitable for everyone. Determining which is right for you will depend on your situation, such as the type of organization you work for and your personal goals, needs, and preferences.

As with any other kind of Human Resources training, it’s necessary to understand the content before choosing a course. Be sure it contains the elements that distinguish it as an HR management course rather than general HR instruction.

HRM courses will typically incorporate two core areas:

• Leadership skills: In addition to understanding the key Human Resources roles (such as recruitment and selection, performance management, compensation and benefits, etc.), HRM professionals must have strong leadership skills. By learning communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, relationship building, and other such skills, they can productively influence leadership and guide their teams in supporting organizational objectives. 
• Vision and strategy: The overall function of HR is to support an organization in achieving its long-term goals. HRM professionals need a clear sense of direction and an action plan to motivate their teams and other stakeholders to coalesce in a shared purpose. Comprehensive HRM courses incorporate strategic human resource management.

To ensure a Human Resource Management course is the right fit for you, consider these practical factors:

• Practical or theoretical: Decide whether you want skills you can apply at work right away or a broader, more theoretical grounding in HR management. Look at what you’ll do during the course. Assignments, roleplays, case studies, and templates point to practice. A course made up mostly of lectures and readings leans toward theory.
• Course content: Human Resource Management is about optimizing company performance through better management of human resources. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing in a small firm as it does in a large international organization. Knowing whether you want to focus more on the people management aspects or strategic topics can help narrow down your HRM course options. 
• Instructor expertise: A facilitator’s methods can make or break a course for individual learners. It’s a good idea to research the instructor’s expertise and teaching approach. Instructors who still work in HR keep lessons close to the problems HR managers face. Read some reviews and watch some course material to get a feel for what the instruction will be like. It can also be beneficial if there is a team of instructors who provide multiple styles and points of view.
• Budget: Certain HRM courses require a significant financial investment. Be sure you know upfront exactly what a course will cost. If your employer reimburses for this type of education, verify that your desired course will be covered. 
• Time (learning on-demand): The amount of time you’ll need to allocate throughout the course is another important consideration. Be realistic about what your schedule permits you to commit to and whether you have control over when it happens. Put simply, is the course self-paced? Do you have the option of learning when, where, and how you want? Is the material available on all sorts of devices? Can you stop and start during each module? 
• Offline vs. online: Some of us learn best in a more traditional classroom setting and might prefer an actual Human Resource Management class. Others prefer learning online, using videos and other types of digital content. Try to find a course with the content and a format that suits you best.
• Community availability: Being an HR Manager comes with unique challenges and issues that sometimes only a fellow HR professional can understand. Having access to an online community of other HR managers enriches the learning process by providing a place to share experiences, ask questions, solve problems, and celebrate victories together.     

When course instructors participate in these communities, you get the bonus of being able to ask questions about the course and exchange opinions with subject matter experts.

6 top Human Resource Management courses

If you’re on a quest to build knowledge and proficiency in HR practices, a structured course is a proven pathway to get you there. Below we’ve listed six high-quality Human Resource Management courses. This collection includes a range of online courses from learning platforms and universities, with enough variety to meet the needs of both entry-level and experienced HR professionals.

Here’s how the options compare at a glance.

Prices are in USD and correct at the time of writing.

1. AIHR – HR Manager Certificate Program

The HR Manager Certificate Program from the Academy to Innovate HR (AIHR) is designed for new and aspiring HR managers who want to lead HR with more strategic impact. It focuses on the business and leadership skills you need to align HR strategy with business goals, make big-picture decisions, and design an effective HR function.

The program brings together five courses: HR Management, Mini MBA for HR, HR Strategy, Lean Management, and HR Operating Models. Each video lesson is followed by a quiz, assignment, or roleplay, so you practice as you learn. You also work through real-world case studies, such as real-life examples of Hofstede’s six cultural dimensions, and use tools like a stakeholder management toolkit and a RACI chart guidebook. The courses are taught by HR practitioners, so the examples come from real HR work.

When you finish, you’ll have a stronger grasp of these areas.

• Business, organizational design, and HR operating models
• Aligning HR strategies with business goals
• Championing culture and change, getting buy-in, and building trust
• Running HR with an agile, project-based approach.

There are no eligibility requirements, and the program is 100% online and self-paced, so you can fit it around your job. It ends with a capstone project. Pass the capstone exam to earn a digital certificate you can share and verify on LinkedIn. There’s no testing window to wait for, and you can retake the exam as often as you need.

The program earns 22 SHRM PDCs, 22 HRCI Business credits, and 34 HRPA PDCs. AIHR is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities. The program costs $1,125 on its own and is included in Full Academy Access at $1,850 per year. Prices are in USD and correct at the time of writing. See current pricing on the AIHR pricing page.

2. Coursera – Leading: Human Resource Management and Leadership Specialization

Coursera offers the Leading: Human Resource Management and Leadership Specialization program through Macquarie University. 

This self-paced four-course series covers organizational design, organizational behavior, adapting your leadership style, and visionary leadership. Each module emphasizes how organizational science addresses real-world organizational and leadership challenges. 

Participants learn how to:

• Motivate staff with meaningful work
• Support an organization’s ability to achieve its strategic objectives
• Harness diversity and teamwork to innovate and improve productivity
• Understand leadership theories and build personal leadership skills.

Achieving this intermediate-level specialization takes about three months at 10 hours per week.

Achieving this intermediate-level specialization takes about three months at 10 hours per week, and Coursera recommends some related experience.

What to consider: The specialization is grounded in organizational science and leadership theory. If you want hands-on practice in running an HR function, check how much of each course asks you to apply what you learn.

3. eCornell – Human Resources Management Certificate

Internationally recognized Cornell University provides professional certificates through its eCornell learning program. Courses are developed by Cornell faculty and conducted both online and in person.

The Human Resources Management Certificate consists of seven practical and results-oriented online courses that include real-world examples and exercises. Among the topics covered are employee performance, compensation, training and development, labor relations, and driving engagement.

Earning this certificate equips you to shape and implement HR practices that result in better overall people management to enhance your organization’s performance.

This program targets aspiring and career HR professionals with fewer than five years of experience, as well as career changers. It takes months, at 3 to 10 hours per week, with courses starting on fixed dates. The cost is $3,900.

What to consider: eCornell brings the weight of a university name. If you’d rather start right away and set your own pace, or you’re working with a smaller budget, compare it with self-paced programs.

4. edX – Introduction to Human Resources (HR) Leadership and HR Management Strategies

edX is an online learning platform that offers courses from universities and institutions around the world.

Developed by Stellenbosch University in South Africa, Introduction to Human Resources (HR) Leadership and HR Management Strategies introduces strategic HR as a value-adding function that helps an organization reach its business objectives. The self-paced course is aimed at working professionals who want to understand HR management strategies better and build their HR leadership skills.

The course looks at core HR concepts through a strategic lens, including ethics and governance, HR risk management, and digital HR strategy. It closes with the future of work and what a global HR strategy involves.

By the end of the course, you’ll have a clearer understanding of these areas.

• What a strategic approach to HR management involves
• International approaches to HR competencies and how they compare to your own context
• Why HR ethics and governance matter
• How to approach HR risk management strategically
• What digitizing HR means for the HR function
• How new technologies are changing HR practices
• The pitfalls and opportunities of a global HR strategy.

You can work through case studies and resources at your own pace and join discussion forums to learn from other professionals’ experiences. The course is also part of StellenboschX’s four-course Strategic Human Resources Management Professional Certificate, which draws on the university’s postgraduate qualification in strategic HR.

Check edX for the current time commitment and price.

What to consider: This is a short introduction to strategic HR. It’s a useful first look, but you’ll need a longer program to build HR management skills you can apply at work.

5. Udemy – Diploma Course in Human Resource Management (HRM)

Udemy is a global education technology company with a vast collection of online business and technical courses that are accessible via individual, team, and enterprise membership plans.

The Diploma Course in Human Resource Management (HRM) covers all HRM functions in detail through online learning sessions, case studies, live projects, demos, articles, and templates. Its 17 sections entail a breadth of material, including:

• End-to-end HR functions
• Competency-based job analysis
• Performance management
• Disciplinary inquiries
• Industrial and Organizational Psychology concepts.

This course spans beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels and is suitable for anyone with a vested interest in the HR domain. It consists of about 12 hours of on-demand video across 162 lectures, with practice tests and ready-to-use templates such as an employee manual, leave policy, and offer letter. Check Udemy for the current price.

What to consider: Udemy courses are created by individual instructors, so depth and format vary from course to course. Check the instructor’s HR experience and recent reviews before you buy.

6. Wharton Online – HR Management and Analytics

Wharton Online is part of The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. It delivers live, online, and hybrid courses that are taught by the same world-renowned leaders who teach in Wharton’s on-campus programs.

The HR Management and Analytics online course is a combination of theory and practical application, with case studies, individual assignments, and peer discussion groups. It aims to give you a holistic view of strategic HR management, including an overview of People Analytics. Participants learn (among other things):

• The basic principles of using HR analytics.
• How to initiate and manage people analytics projects.
• How to design an effective organizational structure.

The course is geared toward mid- to senior-level HR and L&D professionals. It requires a commitment of two months at 4-6 hours per week, with a digital certificate awarded upon completion. Check Wharton Online for the current fee.

What to consider: Wharton brings academic depth, especially in people analytics. If your focus is running and leading an HR function day to day, weigh that against a program built around HR management practice.

A final word

No matter what stage of your HR career you’re in, expanding your knowledge and capabilities is a worthwhile venture. Acquiring theoretical knowledge and practical skills will help you sustain challenges and add value to your current and future organizations.

With the extensive online HRM course options, you can access dynamic learning opportunities that fit your needs and schedule. If you want skills you can use as an HR manager right away, start with a program built around assignments, case studies, and tools you’ll reuse at work, like AIHR’s HR Manager Certificate Program. We hope this list inspires you to pursue professional education and thrive in the rewarding field of HR.

FAQ