Elon’s Human Resource program was recognized by the professional association for human resource professionals to be fully aligned with the association’s curriculum guidelines.
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has recognized Elon’s Human Resource Management Career Track fully aligns with SHRM’s core curriculum guidelines.
Throughout the world, 464 programs in 351 educational institutions have been recognized by SHRM as being in alignment with its “HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates.” The guides and templates were developed by the global professional association for human resource professionals to define the minimum human resource (HR) content areas that should be studied by HR students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The guidelines – created in 2006 and revalidated in 2010 and 2013 – are part of SHRM’s Academic Initiative to define HR education standards taught in university business schools and help universities develop degree programs that follow these standards.
The Human Resource Management Career Track at Elon is offered by the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business. In addition to accumulating knowledge and skills in the B.S.B.A. core curriculum, students completing the career track will gain greater understanding of:
- The effects of external factors and organizational strategy on HR practices;
- Government legislation impacting HR practices;
- The impact of staffing on organizational performance;
- Developing effective training modules and evaluating their outcomes;
- The impact of various compensation and benefits plans on employee recruitment and retention;
- The importance of designing effective performance management systems to drive organizational performance;
- Using HR analytics to evaluate HR practices; and
- Creating and delivering HR products to clients.
Students also have the opportunity to apply for the SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) exam. Eligible students must be in their final year of study and have a minimum of 500 hours of relevant experience.
“Having this recognition from SHRM benefits our program twofold," said Brian Lyons, associate professor of management. "First, it explicitly shows that our course curriculum imparts knowledge and skills that aspiring HR professionals need upon graduation. Second, it enables our students to take the SHRM-CP exam, which provides them an opportunity to attain this prestigious certification before graduation and market it to potential employers. In fact, one of my previous studies (Lyons, Mueller, Gruys, & Meyers, 2012) on HR certifications showed that a growing number of organizations prefer or require their HR applicants to possess HR certification.”