Online Human Resources Certificate Program

Personalize your education by choosing from a variety of unique tracks within our certificate program while you continue to work.

How does the certificate program work?

The online certificate program consists of a variety of tracks and each track has three courses (12 credit hours total, four credit hours per course). Each course in the certificate program is only offered once a year, and each course is either six or eight weeks long. You can choose to engage in one or more of the certificate program tracks outlined below. Once you have received one or more certificates, and decide you are interested in the full Master of Human Resources and Industrial Relations (MHRIR) program, you are able to apply for the online master’s program and petition to have your credits transferred.

Each certificate program track takes between 7 to 10 months to complete. This is because you will only take one course at a time and some of the courses have small breaks between one another.

For more information or questions, please email Eden Haycraft, Associate Director of Online Graduate Programs.

How do I know if the certificate program is for me?

Are you….

  • working in HR with no HR background?
  • employed by an organization that provides tuition reimbursement, but the reimbursement amount isn’t equivalent to a full degree program?
  • seeking to gain more knowledge in HR but either unable to or prefer not to attend graduate school?
  • currently in HR and seeking to freshen-up your knowledge? This group may include, for example, individuals who started in HR, left HR for different reasons or even left the labor force.
  • seeking to enter the HR field or change positions within your organization to HR, but do not want to commit/can’t commit to a full degree?
  • an individual who wants to know more about HR in general prior to embarking on a full degree program?

If you answered ‘yes’ to one or more of these questions, then this certificate program may be the perfect fit for you.

What are my certificate program options?

Fundamentals of Human Resources:

Obtain a framework for the analysis of employment relationships including human resources management strategies and practices. Learn about the theoretical and practical issues surrounding the design of effective compensation systems and the practice of  identifying and recruiting a diverse workforce.

Compensation Best Practices:

Develop skills for the negotiation process as the interactive basis for union-management relations; conflict and conflict resolution as part of the negotiating process; wage and other effects of collective bargaining. Learn about hiring, promotion, evaluation, discrimination, raiding, job definition, pay schemes, benefits, and design of work.

Human Resources Management:

Topics include managing and motivating employees effectively as well as the core skills needed within HR regarding change management.

Human Resources Data Analytics:

Understand technical aspects of analysis in tools such as Excel including recruiting and staffing, hiring assessments, succession planning, compensation, non-exempt workforce/negotiations, and training measurement. Your learning experience will include case studies so you will be able to apply what you learn in real-world scenarios. Now, more than ever, making data-driven decisions is essential for HR professionals.

What is required to apply for one of these certificate programs?

Please note all applicants must have received a bachelor’s degree prior to starting one of our certificate program tracks. 

  • Application
  • Resume
  • Unofficial Transcript
  • Phone Interview – Contacted after application is reviewed for a phone conversation regarding interest in the certificate program.

How do I apply?

All applicants must:

  • Complete online application through the Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Select “Labor and Employment Relations” for your proposed program and “Human Resources and Industrial Relations Nondegree (Online) – NDEG” as your proposed degree.
  • Select your “Non-Degree Areas of Interest.”
  • No application fee will be applied since it’s for a nondegree program.
  • Upload appropriate documents outlined above.
  • Submit application.

What is the cost of each certificate track?

Each credit hour is $740, making each track within the certificate program of 12 hours cost $8,880. There are no scholarships or other financial assistance offered for the certificate program.

Who should I contact if I have more questions?

For more information or questions, please email Eden Haycraft, Associate Director of Online Graduate Programs.