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Human Resources Management Essentials Certificate Program Details

Penn Foster’s Online Certificate Program in Human Resources Management Essentials consists of courses that will cover HR basics with an overview of business. Discover how to plan training methods to bring out the best in employees, understand salaries, benefits, and bonuses, gain a foundational knowledge of management skills.

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Program Goal and Outcomes

Program Goal

To enhance the skills and knowledge required to contribute to a human resources team.

Program Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to...

  • Identify features, founders, and benefits of various management perspectives, skills required by managers, and the need for an ethical business structure and a diverse business environment
  • Explain specific responsibilities of and skills needed for human resource management (HRM), types of illegal discrimination, and techniques to conduct successful interviews and choose prospective employees appropriately
  • Discuss the features and examples of various compensation strategies, calculate appropriate pay increases, and analyze features of total compensation
  • Describe the legally required social insurance programs for employees in the United States, the difference between group and individual insurance, the requirements for qualified pension plans, and evaluate benefit packages to determine comprehensive plan coverage
Starting Your Program

Succeed by learning how to use your Penn Foster program.

Objectives:

  • Understand how to use your Student Portal.
  • Access the Penn Foster Community and use it to find answers.
  • Connect with Penn Foster on various social media sites.
Principles of Management
This course familiarizes the student with both the business environment and the manager’s role within it. It covers decision making, planning, organizing, leading, and controlling, as well as developing an ethical perspective. 

Objectives:

  • Summarize the functions of management and the basic steps in various planning processes.
  • Explain how to make effective decisions as a manager and a leader.
  • Describe the fundamental elements of an organization’s structure and the components of an organization’s competitive environment.
  • Explain principles for setting goals that motivate employees, why companies develop control systems, and why teamwork is beneficial.
  • Analyze why diversity is a critical organizational and managerial issue, and describe the criteria for technology decisions and managing change.

Additional Course Material:
Textbook: M: Management, 6th Edition

Human Resources Management

This course provides an overview of Human Resources Management (HRM) as it's understood today. It illustrates the dynamic interaction of the personnel functions with each other and with the objectives of an organization.

Objectives:

  • Describe the elements of human resource management, including labor considerations, regulation, and management of workflow
  • Explain how companies should prepare for and implement HRM to hire new employees and create training programs
  • Identify the aspects of employee, career, and turnover management
  • Summarize how employees are paid, including legal requirements, performance-based pay, commissions, salaries, and benefits
  • Describe other HRM functions including collective bargaining, labor relations, global HRM, and building a high-performance organization

Additional Course Materials:
Textbook: Fundamentals of Human Resource Management

Compensation Management

The course covers the basic components of a total compensation package (salary, bonus, and benefits), the development, implementation, and maintenance of a program, the impact of internal and external equity, and additional factors which must be considered for the overall success of a program.

Objectives:

  • Explain the factors and methods included in compensation strategies
  • Describe how to evaluate employee performance and motivate workers using compensation strategies
  • Explain how unions, laws, and special groups affect compensation
  • Discuss labor regulation locally and globally
  • Compare job postings for different pay models

Additional Course Material:
Textbook: Compensation

Employee Benefits

This course examines employer and employee objectives for benefit plans.

Objectives:

  • Discover legally required social insurance programs for employees in the United States.
  • Learn about the characteristics of group insurance and individual insurance in the categories of life, medical, dental, and disability.
  • Compare managed care plans with traditional medical expense plans.
  • Study the general requirements that must be met by qualified pension plans with respect to eligibility and plan coverage; nondiscrimination in benefits and contributions; funding; vesting; limitations on benefits and contributions; payout restrictions; and top-heavy rules.
  • Learn the difference in pension benefit formulas.
  • Discover general features of pension funding instruments and when each might best be used.
  • Interpret qualified and nonqualified pension plans.

Research Assignment: Employee Benefits

Additional Course Material:
Textbook: Employee Benefits

Additional Details

Licensing and/or certification requirements for jobs in this field are not the same in every state and may include educational, testing, and/or experiential requirements beyond those offered in the Penn Foster Program. Prospective students should contact the state professional licensing board or similar regulatory body in the state(s) where they plan to work to determine their requirements before enrolling in this Program. Click here for contact information for state licensing/regulatory boards and certain industry licensing information.
Please review your state board requirements that are applicable to your field of study. State boards may impose a variety of different requirements.

Penn Foster Career School Accreditation & Licensing Details

Penn Foster has been accredited for over 50 years. Penn Foster Career School has been thoroughly reviewed and has earned several important accreditations, certifications, and licensing. Most importantly, Penn Foster Career School is both regionally and nationally accredited.

Accreditation
DEAC
MSA
Short Lessons
Easy-to-Access Lessons
Each lesson is broken into short chapters that allow you to fit learning into whatever time you have available. Don’t have time to finish a lesson? Not a problem - pick up where you left off next time!
Digital Flashcards
Digital Flashcards
A fun and interactive way to test your knowledge before your exams. Find out what information you've mastered, and what material needs additional review.
Discussion Boards
Discussion Boards
With Penn Foster Career School, you are never alone! Our learning platform includes discussion boards so you can connect with instructors and other students in the Human Resources Management program.

Sample Human Resources Management Lesson

Penn Foster courses are written in a way that is easy to understand, and materials are broken down into manageable lessons. Take a look at what a Human Resources Management course would look like.
View Sample Lesson
Sample Human Resources Management Lesson
Computer Specifications
As you know this is an online academic program. This means you will need access to high-speed internet to begin your program. In addition, you will need access to a Microsoft® Windows® based computer running Windows 10® or later or an Apple® Mac® computer running macOS® or later, and an email account to complete this program.
We reserve the right to change program content and materials when it becomes necessary.
Microsoft and Windows are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation registered in the United States of America and/or other jurisdictions.
Apple, Mac, and macOS are trademarks of Apple, Inc. registered in the United States of America and/or other jurisdictions.
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