Human Resources (HR) Courses Online

Working in HR places you as the link person between workers and management. To perform well, you need strong people skills. You are likely to thrive if enjoy a role that requires listening, having empathy, guiding, advocating and being firm when required.

Caring about people's welfare and development is perhaps what matters most for a successful career. All the relevant skills can be developed. Ultimately, though, you must want to overcome challenges involved with managing employee relations.

People are the most important asset to any business or non-profit enterprise. As a qualified HR professional, you're responsible for managing people to achieve organisation objectives. You might handle jobs such as workforce planning, recruitment, training, performance management, conflict resolution and workplace relations.

A good HR manager makes a big contribution to an organisation's performance. You may play a pivotal role in successful employee recruitment, development, morale building and retention. Human resource managers can help build a high performing team. The impact you have on people and the business is often direct and significant.

You also operate in a dynamic environment with constant variety. Every employee and team is different. Organisations also evolve. There is no way to predict what issues may arise from one day to the next.

Every organisation has HR tasks and every large organisation has an HR department. That means professionals in this field have access to diverse jobs in every city. Human resources management is one of the most flexible jobs around.

You also have the ability to keep advancing your career, which provides an ongoing source of motivation.

As a graduate, you may do things such as processing employee paperwork, drafting job descriptions, and compiling staff statistics. As you move up, you may concentrate on a discipline such as training, performance and salaries, risk management or employee relations. At a senior level, you may handle grievances, procure training programs, do contract negotiations and manage teams.

Whatever type of program you're interested in, you're able to study online. The range of HR courses is considerable at vocational education and training (VET), bachelor and postgraduate levels.

Certificate IV, diploma and advanced diploma are commonly available for online learning. Relatively few providers limit study to on-campus only.

HR bachelor degrees are available from many of Australia's leading universities, especially those specialising in online study. You'll typically study in a semester format, similar to on-campus students, but with virtual classes. A third semester (trimester) may be available over the summer months.

If you have a degree and relevant job experience, the main options are a graduate certificate or masters in human resources management. These courses are designed for part-time study by working professionals. You'll normally complete a single subject every two months. Often, graduate certificates are worth it in their own right, while also forming part of an optional master's degree.

By studying year-round (accelerated), you can complete up to six subjects each year. Different types of graduate certificates in business are available depending on your skill development requirements.

Online courses are structured for maximum convenience and flexibility. Many students combine study with full-time or part-time work. Human resources degrees and courses are often accelerated, meaning you're able to finish quicker by studying year-round.

Whatever your background and qualifications, you can find a suitable program. Here are guidelines for course admission. Please check with individual providers for detailed entry requirements for any given course.

Certificate IV: No entry requirements

Diploma: You need either two years of relevant professional experience or to have completed some relevant subjects contained in the Certificate IV HR course.

Advanced diploma: Four years of relevant work experience or the HR diploma qualification.

Bachelor degree: Entry to business school is normally based on ATAR scores.

Postgraduate programs: Any bachelor degree OR extensive professional experience (e.g. 5 years).

Course fees

Vocational education and training (VET) courses in HR tend to be significantly cheaper than university-level courses. But the disadvantage is that the career opportunities they create may also be significantly less.

Tuition fees for undergraduate and postgraduate university courses are covered by HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP respectively. That means you're not required to pay anything up front and only gradually pay off the loans based on your annual income tax returns.