Human Resource Minor Aligns with Worldwide HR Organization

The Society of Human Resource Management offers new opportunities for students

Sacred Heart University has aligned its human resource management minor with the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), opening up new opportunities for students. With this distinction, Sacred Heart joins more than 500 programs in approximately 425 educational institutions worldwide that are aligned with SHRM’s suggested curriculum. 

The SHRM curriculum, which includes a guidebook and templates, defines the minimum content areas HR students should study at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The guidelines—created in 2006 and revised in 2010, 2013 and 2017—are part of SHRM’s academic initiative to define HR education standards taught in university business schools. 

Sacred Heart’s involvement with SHRM enables students enrolled in the HR minor to attend seminars and conferences, join online communities and become part of a highly respected network of professionals. Elected student officers would be able to run Sacred Heart’s SHRM chapter with the assistance of a chapter adviser. Local business professionals will be invited to speak to chapter members about current HR developments and their potential effects in the future. The chapter also will organize various activities such as company tours, student conferences, résumé-writing and interview workshops, fundraisers, internships and social events. These activities will enable students to learn more about human resource management while building relationships with local professionals and each other. 

Interested students will be able to take an exam to become an SHRM certified professional (SHRM-CP), joining more than 100,000 peers worldwide. Earning the SHRM-CP credential provides students with a competitive edge once they begin their careers. According to SHRM data between 2015 and 2017, most HR professionals who have passed the SHRM-CP exam reported an increase in their potential earnings, a greater understanding of necessary skills in their field, enhanced credibility as HR professionals and a correlation between their certification and work promotions. 

For students to be eligible for the certification exam, they must be enrolled in their final year of an HR degree program at an SHRM-aligned institution, such as Sacred Heart. Students also must have at least 500 hours of relevant HR field experience. These hours can consist of internships, related work-study assignments, directed work or research-related projects, supervised independent study and part- or full-time work in the field. Specific to Sacred Heart students, work related to the Welch Experience should count as relevant field experience, as should working as a resident assistant. 

For information on SHRM and its certification exam, go to SHRM's official website.