Human resources lead education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a human resources lead. Human resources leads usually study business, human resources management, or psychology. 66% of human resources leads hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 3,538 real human resources lead resumes to see exactly what human resources lead education sections show.

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

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

There are certain human resources lead certifications that you should consider. These human resources lead certifications include Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP) and Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).

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

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

The most common degree for human resources leads is bachelor's degree, with 66% of human resources leads earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 17% and master's degree degree at 9%.

Bachelor's, 66%

Master's, 17%

Associate, 9%

High School Diploma, 4%

Other Degrees, 4%

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

You should major in business to become a human resources lead. 33% of human resources leads major in business. Other common majors for a human resources lead include human resources management and psychology.

Business, 33%

Human Resources Management, 18%

Psychology, 10%

Management, 6%

Other Majors, 33%

Most common colleges for human resources leads

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

Human resources lead common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	19.05%
Michigan State University	7.14%
Purdue University	5.78%
Pennsylvania State University	5.10%
University of Wisconsin Colleges	5.10%

Show more common human resources lead colleges

Best majors for human resources leads

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	33.1%
2	Human Resources Management	17.8%
3	Psychology	10.1%
4	Management	5.7%
5	Communication	3.4%

Show more common human resources lead majors

Best colleges for human resources leads

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

A human resources lead 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 leads. 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 leads.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

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. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

8. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

9. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,230

Enrollment

12,161

10. SUNY College at Oswego

Oswego, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,440

Enrollment

7,039

20 best online courses for human resources leads

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4. Effective Human Resource Administration

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5. Introduction to Human Resource Concepts

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(3,624)

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7. Certification Course in Human Resource Management

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(1,337)

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

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

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(1,485)

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19. Master Course: HR Fundamentals and HR Leadership (101 level)

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HR Fundamentals, HR Leadership, Human resources, Human resource management, SHRM, HRP, Human resource development...

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

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

Top 10 most affordable universities for human resources leads

The most affordable schools for human resources leads are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and university of florida.

If the best universities for human resources leads 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 leads.

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. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

7. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for human resources leads

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

Some great schools for human resources leads 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 leads 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 Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

4. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

9. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

10. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

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

The easiest schools for human resources leads to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and holy names university.

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

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

6. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

7. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

8. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

9. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

10. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

Average human resources lead salary by education level

Human resources leads with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $136,881 annually. With a Master's degree, human resources leads earn a median annual income of $130,301 compared to $113,602 for human resources leads with an Bachelor's degree.

Human resources lead education level	Human resources lead salary
Master's Degree	$130,301
Bachelor's Degree	$113,602
Doctorate Degree	$136,881
Some College/ Associate Degree	$92,159

Human resources lead education FAQs

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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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