Associate degree programs in human resources management

Many organizations employ large numbers of people, and they need managers who can hire and handle employees. If you have excellent people and organizational skills, and a strong interest in efficiency and problem solving, human resources management might be a good career for you.

No experience? No education? No problem. When you enroll in an online associate degree program, you spend two years learning the skills necesary to enter the field of human resources management. What happens after that is up to you.

Associate degree in human resources management

A two-year associate degree can help you step into a solid career in human resources. Human resources is an important department in nearly every company, because it takes care of the people employed by that company. A human resources manager will need to have an understanding of several areas, including:

• Training and development
• Career management
• Employee performance
• Employee information
• Company growth issues and benefits
• Hiring
• Complaints

Candidates with experience often have a leg up, but a degree can also put you above and beyond the competition. An associate degree only takes two years to complete, and it can launch a lifetime of opportunities.

Jobs in human resources management

Keeping track of employees, both their information and credentials, as well as their concerns and needs, is a full-time job that takes a considerable amount of work and organization. Some of the different positions and responsibilities that graduates with human resources degrees may find, include the following:

• Recruitment specialists: Maintain relationships within the community, participate in job fairs, seek employment candidates from schools, check references, and discuss opportunities with job seekers
• Employment interviewers: Conduct interviews of potential employees, manage expectations, determine qualifications, organize employment strata
• Directors of human resources: Oversee the human resources departments of larger companies, which may include managing several branches within the company
• Occupation analysts: Study trends and influence hiring and employment policies within the company
• Compensation managers: Control payroll and other compensation issues, organize the protocol of employee payment
• Employee benefits managers: Organize the company's benefits packages, including anything not under payroll

Human resources management salaries

Annual earnings for human resource managers and specialists vary based on position, company, experience and education. With higher degrees come higher positions and better pay, but also more responsibility.

For the year 2009, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports these median annual salaries:

• Employment, recruitment and placement specialists: $46,200
• Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists: $55,620
• Compensation and benefits managers: $88,050
• Training and development managers: $88,090

Whether you need a job, or you want to grow at the company you are with, an online associate degree program in human resources management is a good first step to getting there. You can find more information on degree programs in human resources management at WorldWideLearn's Guide to Majors where you'll find in-depth information on hundreds of degree programs in dozens of areas. When you find a degree program that interests you, just fill out that school's form, and an admissions representative will contact you.

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