SHRM Aligned Human Resources Degrees in Alabama

The career field of human resources spans all industries, and since the southeastern region of the United States has heavily courted industries, many of its inhabitants seek to participate in Human Resources degree programs in Alabama.

Alabama is known for tourism, which is anchored by its excellent Gulf coast beaches and rich southern history. It also is becoming known as a place that welcomes businesses operating in a variety of industries that include agriculture, energy, mining and aerospace. These businesses operating in Alabama present invaluable opportunities for students in the form of internships and future employment; they also provide important feedback to academia and professional organizations like the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) that helps shape course curriculum at many of the state’s colleges and universities.

Auburn University

Raymond J. Harbert College of Business

Auburn’s College of Business offers comprehensive business programs at both the undergraduate and graduate school level that have garnered recognition from many higher education publications. The School of Accountancy, Aviation and Supply Chain Management, Finance, Marketing and Management are the five main departments within the College of Business. Besides outstanding foundational undergraduate business degree programs, the school also has highly ranked graduate programs that include traditional, online and executive level degrees. Some great features of the business school are its student organizations and its commitment to developing global business leaders through its study abroad and international internship programs. Through its challenging course offerings, the College of Business lives up to the ideals of its namesake Raymond J. Harbert, CEO of Harbert Management Corporation, an international investment firm.

Human Resource Management

Students enrolled in Auburn’s undergraduate Human Resource Management degree program study every aspect of the human resource management career field to include planning, labor relations, recruitment, talent selection, training, compensation and benefits. The coursework is taught in an engaging fashion that promotes creativity, critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills. Lower level courses within the program focus on laying a solid business management foundation so that future human resource managers may view human resource related issues from an enterprise level. Other core courses include introductions to the various concepts associated with all the business specialties like finance, marketing, accounting and management information systems. Human resource management specialty courses include ones pertaining to labor law, organizational behavior and human resource planning, development and appraisal. Students are further aided in their studies through voluntary membership and participation in the SHRM student organization on campus. The SHRM club attempts to bring a touch of realism to classroom theoretical concepts by sponsoring special events, trips and knowledgeable guest speakers.

Accreditation

  • Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International

Contact

405 W. Magnolia Ave.
Auburn, AL 36849
334-844-6511
adamsg1@auburn.edu
Program Website

Auburn University at Montgomery

College of Business, Department of Management

Auburn University at Montgomery’s (AUM) College of Business contains the school’s Accounting, Economics and Finance, Information Systems and Decision Science, Management and Marketing departments. Some of the expected outcomes of the school’s Department of Management are the development of theoretical knowledge as well as technical and interpersonal skills. The Department of Management contains both Management and Human Resource Management degree majors. Each degree program offers students the opportunity to pursue valuable internships related to their concentration areas and interests. The two main student organizations that round out the educational experience offered by the Department of Management are the Society for Advancement of Management and the student chapter of the SHRM.

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Human Resource Management

The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (B.S.B.A.) in Human Resource Management program was constructed using SHRM guidance that helps ensure students are taught about the latest challenges within the human resource management field. The curriculum includes traditional topics like recruitment, occupational health and safety, compensation, and benefits and labor relations. The program also allows students to choose among general management courses. The skills learned during the Human Resource Management program are applicable for all managers within businesses operating across all industries. In addition to utilizing SHRM for curriculum development, the school also encourages students to participate in the SHRM student chapter hosted on campus. This club has student officers and a professional human resource management advisor that introduces the student body to real world human resources management topics like the latest on labor relations management and organizational behavior. The club facilitates special events and invites guest speakers who help bring human resource management theoretical concepts to life as they describe actual experiences.

Accreditation

  • AACSB International

Contact

7071 Senators Drive
Montgomery, AL 36117
334-244-3308
vriley@aum.edu
Program Website

Columbia Southern University

College of Business

The Columbia Southern University’s (CSU) College of Business offers students an extensive array of degree programs and concentration specialties that reflect industry demand. Students may take Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree programs in business administration (B.A.), health care administration, human resource management, information technology and organizational leadership. In addition to these programs, the College of Business allows students to choose a concentration area when they enroll in the B.S.B.A. degree program. These concentration areas include finance, hospitality and tourism, human resource management, information technology, international management, management, marketing, project management and sport management. Students who want to pursue a graduate level business related degree also have many choices of programs and concentration areas.

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Human Resource Management

CSU’s B.S.B.A. in Human Resource Management is a comprehensive undergraduate degree program that helps prepare students to be competent managers in an ever-changing work place environment. CSU students begin the curriculum by taking 60 hours of general studies required and elective courses in subjects like humanities, English, mathematics, natural and social sciences. These courses help students develop interpersonal, critical thinking and analytical skills that they will use throughout their careers as human resource managers. The next set of courses that Human Resource Management students take are classes related to the business administration major like finance, marketing and accounting. These courses give students the business background needed for them to conduct their work as human resource managers with the company strategic objectives in mind. The last set of courses pertain directly to the concentration area of human resource management, and they help students to develop the knowledge and technical competency to function directly in human resource management roles.

Accreditation

  • The Distance Education Training Council (DETC) is the accrediting agency for CSU.

Contact
21982 University Lane
Orange Beach, AL 36561
800-977-8449
sonya.kopp@columbiasouthern.edu
Program Website

Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management

CSU’s B.S. in Human Resource Management degree program is designed to prepare students to become business leaders who promote the career field of human resource management within their organizations by creating value added solutions for complex workforce management issues. Because the curriculum aligns with SHRM guidelines, goals and objectives for human resource management educational programs, students enrolled in this degree program learn about the latest challenges faced by companies striving to derive the most benefit out of their talented staff. The challenging coursework and engaging projects included in the B.S. in Human Resource Management degree program provide students with a framework for adequately addressing labor management issues within the context of the business environment in which they work.

Accreditation

  • DETC

Contact
21982 University Lane
Orange Beach, AL 36561
800-977-8449
sonya.kopp@columbiasouthern.edu
Program Website

Master of Business Administration Human Resource Management

CSU’s Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) in Human Resource Management builds on the knowledge and skills that students learned in lower level business related degree programs. The program’s curriculum is also based on SHRM guidelines but offers students more in-depth instruction on both traditional and contemporary human resource management topics. Students who master the skills associated with the prestigious M.B.A. credential are prepared to embark upon a human resource management career path that leads to executive level leadership positions within companies operating across all industries. Examples of the courses that students enrolled in the M.B.A. in Human Resource Management expect to take are human resource management techniques, analytical research, labor relations management and collective bargaining methods.

Accreditation

  • DETC

Contact
21982 University Lane
Orange Beach, AL 36561
800-977-8449
sonya.kopp@columbiasouthern.edu
Program Website

Troy University

Sorrell College of Business

The Sorrell College of Business at Troy University strives to prepare students to become dynamic leaders in the global business environment. The faculty and staff at the college attempt to meet this objective through rigorous business degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels that are based on theoretical and applied business knowledge. The business degree programs at the Sorrell College of Business are also developed using results from advanced academic research and invaluable industry feedback. The college’s faculty members are able to fully engage students based upon their extensive industry experiences and solid academic backgrounds.

Master of Science in Human Resource Management

Troy University’s Master of Science (M.S.) in Human Resource Management is a prime example of curriculum development based upon industry research, feedback and trends. The SHRM is the primary source of guidance used to align human resource management instruction in academia, with the ideals drawn directly from industry, and it is used to construct and update the M.S. in Human Resource Management curriculum at Troy University. Students enrolled in the M.S. in Human Resource Management are presented with the tools to help them become effective leaders as departmental human resource managers as well as senior level managers at the enterprise level. The focus of the learning outcomes of the M.S. in Human Resource Management degree program is on excellence in talent management, policy development and workforce development. Some of the courses students take during this 30 semester hour degree program are workforce planning, legal environment of the workforce and international human resource management.

Accreditation

  • Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs

Contact
117 Adams Hall
Dothan, AL 36303
1-800-414-5756
wheisler@troy.edu
Program Website

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Collat School of Business

The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s (UAB) Collat School of Business leverages its outstanding faculty and industry contacts with community businesses to bring students outstanding educational experiences at the undergraduate and graduate degree levels. Faculty at the Collat School of Business practice the principles of life long learning that they strive to instill in the students they instruct by participating in professional conferences, events and workshops that are relevant to their areas of interest. The knowledge that they gain is incorporated into the college’s business degree curricula as well as the stimulating class room discussions.

Management With Human Resource Management Concentration

UAB students who want to pursue careers in human resource management do so through the Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) in Management with a concentration in Human Resource Management degree program. Recognizing that effective human resource managers need a solid background in all business areas, including general and strategic management training, the school’s curriculum begins with these foundational courses. Some of the required courses included in the degree program for the human resource management concentration area are related to labor law, talent recruitment, compensation administration and leadership. Students have opportunities to enrich their educational experience through voluntary participation in the school’s SHRM student chapter. The student led organization facilitates workshops and invites guest speakers who are subject matter experts to promote discussions about the latest developments in the human resource management career field. A recent topic covered by the SHRM student chapter is the use of social media like LinkedIn as a powerful professional networking tool.

Related: The Ultimate Recruiter’s Guide to LinkedIn

Accreditation

  • AACSB International

Contact

UAB School of Business
BEC 305
1720 2nd Ave. S.
Birmingham, AL 35294-4460
205-934-8813
catalog@uab.edu
Program Website

University of Alabama in Huntsville

College of Business Administration

The University of Alabama in Huntsville’s (UAH) College of Business Administration is making a name for itself as an innovative business school that takes academic instruction beyond the confines of the classroom as students participate in projects that provide recognized value to industry businesses in real-time. Located in the heart of Alabama’s aerospace industry, UAH’s business school students have opportunities to work on exciting projects that help them to develop their scientific and technological skills as they learn proven theoretical business concepts.

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Management With a Concentration in Human Resource Management

Human Resource Management is one of five relevant business concentration areas offered within the B.S.B.A. in Management degree program. While general management coursework prepares students to coordinate the activities of people and processes, the human resource management concentration focuses on managing one of the greatest assets a company has in today’s service driven market. Besides the general and strategic management coursework required for the management major, students take 21 semester hours of human resource concentration area courses in topics like employment law, labor market economics and staffing to successfully complete the program. The degree program is also known for its association with the prominent UAH SHRM student chapter that holds monthly meetings related to human resource management.

Accreditation

  • AACSB International

Contact

301 Sparkman Drive
Huntsville, AL 35899
256-824-6680
grammc@uah.edu
Program Website

While students certainly have a variety of business schools from which to choose, those pursuing careers in human resource management particularly look for accredited programs that align with SHRM principles. Innovative programs, the association with SHRM and links to industry are just some reasons why students pursue Human Resources degree programs in Alabama.