Human resources internship education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a human resources internship. Human resources interns usually study business, human resources management, or psychology. 75% of human resources interns hold a bachelor's degree, and 11% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 38,579 real human resources internship resumes to see exactly what human resources internship education sections show.

The most common colleges for human resources interns are the Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and the Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

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

There are certain human resources internship certifications that you should consider. These human resources internship 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 internship?

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

The most common degree for human resources interns is bachelor's degree, with 75% of human resources interns earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 11% and associate degree degree at 10%.

Bachelor's, 75%

Associate, 11%

Master's, 10%

High School Diploma, 2%

Other Degrees, 2%

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

You should major in business to become a human resources internship. 27% of human resources interns major in business. Other common majors for a human resources internship include human resources management and psychology.

Business, 27%

Human Resources Management, 22%

Psychology, 14%

Management, 5%

Other Majors, 32%

Most common colleges for human resources interns

Human resources interns often get their degrees at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Oakland University, and Pennsylvania State University. Here are the most common colleges for human resources interns in the US based on their resumes.

Human resources internship common college	Percentages
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey	7.71%
Oakland University	7.54%
Pennsylvania State University	6.96%
University of Wisconsin Colleges	6.93%
Michigan State University	6.43%

Show more common human resources internship colleges

Best majors for human resources interns

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	26.9%
2	Human Resources Management	22.0%
3	Psychology	14.5%
4	Management	4.9%
5	Communication	4.2%

Show more common human resources internship majors

Best colleges for human resources interns

The best colleges for human resources interns are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Carnegie Mellon University.

A human resources internship 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 interns. 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 interns.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

6. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

7. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

8. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

9. SUNY College at Oswego

Oswego, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,440

Enrollment

7,039

10. University of Maryland - Baltimore County

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$11,778

Enrollment

11,156

20 best online courses for human resources interns

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Top 10 most affordable universities for human resources interns

The most affordable schools for human resources interns are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and university of puerto rico - mayaguez.

If the best universities for human resources interns 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 interns.

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. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

6. Dickinson State University

Dickinson, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$6,768

Cost of attendance

15,506

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

10. University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras Campus

San Juan, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

11,299

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for human resources interns

The hardest universities for human resources interns to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Carnegie Mellon University.

Some great schools for human resources interns 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 interns 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. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

5. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

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

The easiest schools for human resources interns to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, gwynedd mercy university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a human resources internship 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 interns.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

5. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

8. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

9. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

10. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

Average human resources internship salary by education level

Human resources interns with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $39,853 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, human resources interns earn a median annual income of $35,508 compared to $32,869 for human resources interns with an Associate degree.

Human resources internship education level	Human resources internship salary
Master's Degree	$39,853
High School Diploma or Less	$32,404
Bachelor's Degree	$35,508
Some College/ Associate Degree	$32,869

Human resources internship education FAQs

What is the best college for Human Resources Interns?

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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

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