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Good human resource management is vital to all businesses, regardless of size. HR professionals optimize the workplace to allow for better work and management. No matter how many years you’ve been in HR, online human resource courses can offer you some new information to chew on.
Quick Look: Best Human Resource Courses
- Administrative Human Resources (HR) for Beginners by Udemy
- Human Resource Management: HR for People Managers Specialization by The University of Minnesota
- Human Resources Foundations by LinkedIn Learning
- Leading: Human Resource Management and Leadership Specialization by Macquarie University
- Strategic Human Resources by LinkedIn Learning
- Developing Emotional Intelligence in Teams by Udemy
- Advanced Human Resources Management: People and Organization by Skillsoft
- Certification Prep: Professional in Human Resources (PHR) by LinkedIn Learning
- HR Transformation Certificate by Cornell University
What Makes a Human Resource Course Great?
Each online human resource course is different. Some fit your learning style better than others. Be sure that you find the right one for you and your needs. Look at three things before you commit to a course — curriculum, instructor and strategies.
Curriculum
Each online human resource course handles either a comprehensive overview of the HR industry or dives deeply into 1 or 2 topics. Do you need help with recruitment and selection? Or would a course designed to teach you compensation and benefits be more useful to you? As you gain more experience in the human resource industry, you might be able to identify your weaker areas. Find a class that helps you close your knowledge gaps and allows you to get the most out of your online HR course.
Knowledgeable Instructor
Who is the course instructor? How many years has he or she worked in the human resource industry — and where? Analyze the instructor’s background to ensure that he or she has the necessary experience and can convey valuable industry knowledge to you.
Recent Strategies
What might have worked 10 years for recruiting, performance management and compensating employees might not work now. Company cultures have changed and HR needs to stay on top of current trends. Artificial intelligence (AI) now serves a bigger role in the HR industry, so find a class that embraces these recent trends and strategies.
Our Top Picks
Here are Benzinga’s top picks for the best online human resource courses. The courses are sorted by price point and skill level (beginner, intermediate and advanced). Depending on your budget and skill level, you can find the right course for you.
Some of the best online human resource courses can be found on the following platforms:
- Udemy
- LinkedIn Learning
- University of Minnesota
- Macquarie University
- Skillsoft
- University of Utah
Human Resource Course for Beginners
These beginner HR courses are best for people just entering the HR field. You might also work at a startup or smart business and might have had to incorporate more HR duties into your everyday tasks. The course will cover the basic things you would have to know to be successful in HR.
Administrative Human Resources (HR) for Beginners by Udemy
- Who it's for: Beginners
- Price: $74.99
This best-selling course from Udemy is a great option for people who want to learn more about Human Resources administration. Over the 1-hour course, you’ll explore the HR roles, including administration tasks, strategy, compliance and business growth. You’ll also learn helpful tips on recruiting talent, including job analysis, writing interview questions and posting jobs.
Current reviews compliment the instructor on her clear and simple style and how she helps students feel more confident about their knowledge of the subject area.
Human Resource Management: HR for People Managers Specialization by The University of Minnesota
- Who it's for: Beginners
- Price: Free
When you take the Human Resource Management: HR for People Manager Specialization course, you’ll be introduced to a variety of topics, including the essential methods, policies and practices of human resource management. This course builds a strong foundation to manage human resources and a better understanding of how to motivate workers. You’ll also be able to identify key mistakes that some HR professionals make and how to avoid them.
This course takes approximately 5 months to complete — as long as you spend about 6 hours a week on the course material. It is 100% online and you can complete the modules and assignments whenever you choose to fit your schedule.
Human Resources Foundations by LinkedIn Learning
- Who it's for: Beginners
- Price: $14.99
The Human Resources Foundations course will teach you the necessary tools you need to help support your work environment. This class provides a guide to attracting, interviewing and hiring top candidates and can help you establish a pay strategy to create a better system for internal training.
By the end of the 1-hour course, you’ll have a better understanding of the role that HR plays in performance management, career development and managing an international workforce. Once you’ve completed the course, you’ll be able to add a certification of completion course to your LinkedIn profile.
Intermediate Human Resource Courses
It’s not necessary to have HR experience to excel at intermediate courses but you should have some work or college experience. These courses are meant for people who are still new to learning about HR but have some foundational knowledge.
Leading: Human Resource Management and Leadership Specialization by Macquarie University
- Who it's for: Intermediate learners
- Price: Free
Do you want to become an adaptable leader who can handle challenges as they occur? Then this course, Leading: Human Resource Management and Leadership Specialization, might be right for you. You’ll learn how to motivate your staff, deliver strategic objectives, work with a diverse team and increase your personal leadership skills.
The specialization takes about 6 months to complete, but the timeline is customizable to your schedule. The instructors recommend that you spend about 5 hours per week to complete the work in a timely manner.
Strategic Human Resources by LinkedIn Learning
- Who it's for: Intermediate learners
- Price: $19.99
Brought to you by LinkedIn Learning, the Strategic Human Resources class shows you how you can impact human resources for the rest of the company.
You’ll move beyond just basic administrative HR tasks and learn how to work more strategically with your team throughout the 1-hour course. You’ll be able to identify how HR planning can help your company achieve its objectives. The course places a heavy emphasis on building the company’s overall vision and how you can support that goal.
Developing Emotional Intelligence in Teams by Udemy
- Who it's for: Intermediate learners
- Price: $179.99
This course on emotional intelligence helps you to create better outcomes as you work on teams. You’ll learn how to have healthy conflicts and understand the different behavioral styles that some people might employ in the workforce. By the end of the course, you should have more fully-developed social skills and a better awareness of your emotional intelligence.
You’ll also get lifetime access to 15 downloadable resources and 10 articles to help you understand the material when you purchase this 2-hour course. You’ll also get a certificate of completion.
Advanced Human Resource Course
Have you been working in human resources for a few years but want to learn more about recent strategies? Or do you have questions about a few niche concerns? If this applies to you, you might want to consider these advanced online human resource courses.
Advanced Human Resources Management: People and Organization by Skillsoft
- Who it's for: Advanced learners, especially senior HR professionals
- Price: Free
This course, designed for senior-level human resource professionals, helps people improve the effectiveness of their workplace. The objectives of the course include how to align HR function with a strategic plan, build stronger employee engagement and how to appraise students better.
If you are preparing for the SHRM-SCP certification examinations of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), this course will adequately prepare you for it.
Certification Prep: Professional in Human Resources (PHR) by LinkedIn Learning
- Who it's for: Advanced learners
- Price: $34.99
Do you want to distinguish yourself from others in the HR field? Consider taking Certification Prep: Professional in Human Resources (PHR) to help you understand both the operational and technical aspects of HR. It will prepare you for the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certificate and it covers 5 areas: talent acquisition, business management, business development, rewards and employee and labor relations.
Some of the skills you’ll learn include the 4 steps of the Kirkpatrick Model, understanding the concept of “managing up” and learning how to provide better feedback to employees. The instructor also will provide study tips and show you how to make an effective study plan.
HR Transformation Certificate by Cornell University
- Who it's for: Advanced learners
- Price: Price available upon request
The HR industry is about learning how to utilize the company’s most critical asset: people. Cornell University teaches an HR Transformation Certificate entirely online and helps to add value and insights to different organizations.
The 3-month course will teach you how to use design thinking in HR, find and manage talent through social media and create effectively remote work programs in every industry. This certificate program is meant for CEOs and business executives who work with HR leaders, HR managers and directors or HR professionals who want to move to a manager position.
Get the Best Human Resource Course for You
The human resource industry changes all the time — new technology, resources and work culture expectations appear every year. An online human resource course can be a helpful tool to help you learn, whether you’re new to the industry or want to learn more about the HR field.
Related content: Best Online HR Degree Programs
Southern New Hampshire University Online
SNHU Online Offers:
- Flexible schedules
- Affordable tuition
- Online tutoring
- Access to electronic research materials
- Specialized academic advising
- Supportive online community