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General Human Resources Management

Types of Degrees General Human Resources Management Majors Are Earning

People majoring in General Human Resources Management can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	482
Associate’s Degree	784
Bachelor’s Degree	6,387
Master’s Degree	9,773
Doctor’s Degree	27

What General Human Resources Management Majors Need to Know

Studies in General Human Resources Management emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Human Resources Management graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in General Human Resources Management emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Personnel and Human Resources — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a General Human Resources Management program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to General Human Resources Management careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Human Resources Management graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Human Resources Management professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Oracle PeopleSoft	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Human Resources Management graduates include:

• Benefits Coordinator
• Personnel Officer
• Recruiting Coordinator
• Compliance Analyst
• Compliance Coordinator
• Regulatory Compliance Specialist
• Development Coordinator
• Development Associate
• HR Trainer (Human Resources Trainer)
• Training Supervisor
• Benefits Technician
• Identification Clerk
• Employment Assistant
• Human Resources Assistant (HR Assistant)
• Onboarding Coordinator

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to General Human Resources Management graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	56.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	10.3%
High school diploma or equivalent	9.2%
Master’s degree	7.4%
Some college courses	5.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	4.1%
Postsecondary certificate	3.5%
Doctoral degree	2.1%
First professional degree	0.7%
Less than a high school diploma	0.4%
Post-doctoral training	0.3%
Post-master’s certificate	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Human Resources Management?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 76.5% of General Human Resources Management degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	13,472	76.5%
Men	4,130	23.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of General Human Resources Management graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	7,678	43.6%
Asian	742	4.2%
Hispanic or Latino	3,365	19.1%
Black or African American	3,502	19.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	99	0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	64	0.4%
Two or More Races	610	3.5%
Race Unknown	1,047	5.9%
International Students	495	2.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Human Resources Management Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of General Human Resources Management graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$56,722
4 years	$57,321
5 years	$65,449

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $65,449 — roughly 15% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online General Human Resources Management Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for General Human Resources Management. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	41	8
Bachelor’s	90	48
Master’s	106	34
Doctoral (Research)	2	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in General Human Resources Management Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, General Human Resources Management graduates earn a median of $57,321 four years after completion — roughly 51% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Human Resources Management and Services	52.10
Executive/Career Coaching	52.1006
Human Resources Development	52.1005
Human Resources Management and Services, Other	52.1099
Labor and Industrial Relations	52.1002
Labor Studies	52.1004
Organizational Behavior Studies	52.1003
Business Administration and Management, General	52.0201
Insurance	52.1701
Organizational Leadership	52.0213
Finance, General	52.0801
Accounting and Business/Management	52.0305

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.