Human resources generalist education requirements

Q: What degree do you need to be an HR generalist?

You need a bachelor's degree in HR management to be an HR generalist. HR generalists are expected to hold a bachelor's degree in human resources or a related area. This degree includes collaborative work, critical thinking skills, and problem-solving. Some candidates will further pursue a master's degree, which can enhance their opportunities to obtain higher-paying positions.

Q: What degree do you need to work in human resources?

You need at least an associate's degree to work in human resources. There are a variety of positions within a human resources department, some of which require additional education. Most entry-level HR positions can be obtained by having earned an associate's degree. This two-year degree can be obtained through a community college or online learning institution.

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a human resources generalist. Human resources generalists usually study business, human resources management, or psychology. 70% of human resources generalists hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 50,251 real human resources generalist resumes to see exactly what human resources generalist education sections show.

The most common colleges for human resources generalists are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online human resources generalist courses to help get the education required to be a human resources generalist.

There are certain human resources generalist certifications that you should consider. These human resources generalist certifications include Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP) and Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP).

What education do you need to become a human resources generalist?

What degree do you need to be a human resources generalist?

The most common degree for human resources generalists is bachelor's degree, with 70% of human resources generalists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 14% and master's degree degree at 11%.

Bachelor's, 70%

Master's, 14%

Associate, 11%

High School Diploma, 2%

Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a human resources generalist?

You should major in business to become a human resources generalist. 34% of human resources generalists major in business. Other common majors for a human resources generalist include human resources management and psychology.

Business, 34%

Human Resources Management, 23%

Psychology, 9%

Communication, 4%

Other Majors, 30%

Most common colleges for human resources generalists

Human resources generalists often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Strayer University, and Michigan State University. Here are the most common colleges for human resources generalists in the US based on their resumes.

Human resources generalist common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	27.71%
Strayer University	5.42%
Michigan State University	5.03%
DeVry University	4.79%
Pennsylvania State University	4.79%

Show more common human resources generalist colleges

Best majors for human resources generalists

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	33.7%
2	Human Resources Management	23.2%
3	Psychology	9.5%
4	Communication	4.4%
5	Management	4.4%

Show more common human resources generalist majors

Best colleges for human resources generalists

The best colleges for human resources generalists are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

A human resources generalist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for human resources generalists. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become human resources generalists.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

6. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

9. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

10. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

20 best online courses for human resources generalists

Advertising disclosure

1. Ultimate HR Generalist and Human Resource Management Course

4.3

(1,866)

Hands-on HR Certification: All HRM topics. Master Employee Life Cycle, Payroll, Recruitment, Engagement, EXDesign and AI...

2. Master Course in Human Resources 2.0

4.3

(312)

Strategic human resource management, strategic planning, recruiting, training, HR management,Labour welfare...

3. Effective Human Resource Administration

4.5

(2,351)

Effective Human Resource Administration...

4. Ultimate Payroll Management with Income Tax & Year-End 23-24

4.2

(351)

Basic to Advanced: Certification in Payroll, Compensation Benefits, Income Tax,Year Ending for Payroll & Human Resources...

5. Certification Course in Human Resource Management

4.3

(1,337)

Curriculum commensurate to Top B School's Management Program : with downloadable resources, quiz, assessments & exercise...

6. Human Resources For Beginners

4.4

(1,664)

A guide to learning the fundamentals of human resource management...

7. Administrative Human Resources (HR) for Beginners

4.5

(5,746)

This course is an introduction to the role and duties of Human Resources (HR)...

8. HR,HR Analytics, Human Resource Management, Black Friday Ed

4.6

(1,691)

HR Analytics ,HR Courses, human resource management, ,HR certification, HRM, hr payroll, people management, 2022...

9. Introduction to Human Resource Concepts

4.5

(3,624)

Introduction to Human Resource Concepts...

10. The Human Resources Certification Program (HRCI - PHR/SPHR)

4.2

(1,485)

An Exam Preparation Guide to the Human Resource Body of Knowledge...

11. HR - Agile HR Fundamentals ( Human Resources )

4.2

(1,085)

Human Resources - Paradigm Shift Agile Movement in Human Resources HR Courses HR Certification...

12. Prep to Pass the Professional in Human Resources (PHR)® Exam

4.4

(332)

The Complete Preparation Course for the Professional in Human Resources (PHR)® Exam 2022-2023...

13. Diploma Course in Human Resource Management (HRM)

4.3

(5,169)

Become top-notch HRM Practitioner - Get Live Projects, Ready-to-use Templates, Demos, Quizzes, Articles, Case studies...

14. Hands-On HR Analytics Online Course for Human Resources

4.4

(948)

People Analytics & Analytical Process to Human Capital XL & Open Source Data Mining & ML Tools 6 Data Assignments...

15. Human Resources (HR) as a Business Partner

4.1

(758)

This course provides valuable information on how Human Resource Business Partnering (HRBP) operates in practice...

16. Compensation and Benefits for Beginners

4.3

(486)

This course is a beginners guide to understanding compensation and benefits...

17. Human Resources 101: Learning HR fundamentals today

4.4

(550)

Learn the basics in Human Resources Management through HR involvement in different stages in the employee lifecycle...

18. Certification Course in Human Resource Management (HRM)

4.3

(1,028)

Excel in the HR domain!...

19. Human Resources (HR) Training for Entry Level Professionals

4.2

(257)

How To Get Your First Job As An HR Assistant...

20. HR Analytics using MS Excel for Human Resource Management

4.4

(5,335)

Use Excel for HR Analytics, calculate HR metrics, build HR dashboards & ML models for Human Resource & People Analytics...

Top 10 most affordable universities for human resources generalists

The most affordable schools for human resources generalists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for human resources generalists are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for human resources generalists.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

10. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for human resources generalists

The hardest universities for human resources generalists to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for human resources generalists are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for human resources generalists based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

9. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

10. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for human resources generalists

The easiest schools for human resources generalists to get into are Barry University, holy names university, and university of north texas at dallas.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a human resources generalist without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for human resources generalists.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

3. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

4. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

5. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

6. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

7. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

8. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

9. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

10. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

Average human resources generalist salary by education level

Human resources generalists with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $70,022 annually. With a Master's degree, human resources generalists earn a median annual income of $66,032 compared to $60,702 for human resources generalists with an Bachelor's degree.

Human resources generalist education level	Human resources generalist salary
Master's Degree	$66,032
High School Diploma or Less	$52,394
Bachelor's Degree	$60,702
Doctorate Degree	$70,022
Some College/ Associate Degree	$52,539

Human resources generalist education FAQs

What degree do you need to be an HR generalist?

What degree do you need to work in human resources?

What is the best college for Human Resources Generalists?

Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.

Search for human resources generalist jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs