Human Resources Major Guide: Overview and RoEDU™ Opportunities 2025

The Human Resources major builds core foundations in this discipline and prepares students with practical, career-relevant skills. Use RoEDU™ to find programs that match your goals.

Within Business, students often explore key subfields and specializations that provide targeted expertise.

Graduates translate classroom knowledge into real-world impact across sectors through hands-on projects and internships.

As part of Business, this major connects to diverse, high-demand fields and interdisciplinary pathways.

Salary Outlook

Entry-level salary
$70,949

Typical starting pay soon after graduation.

Mid-career salary (10y)
$112,175

Estimated after a decade of experience.

Experienced salary (20y)
$150,754

Seasoned professionals at ~20 years.

Weighted median over last 5 years
CAGR 4.1%

CAGR (compound annual growth rate) summarizes average yearly change across the observed period.

Estimated lifetime earnings

40 years, present value
$2,837,960

Employment-weighted across mapped SOCs; entry ≈ 85% of median; historical CAGR shown for last 5y; projections capped at 3% CAGR; lifetime is 40-year present value at 3% discount.

Career Opportunities & Salaries

Data from Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024) • Median wages, employment, and growth projections

OccupationMedian WageTotal JobsGrowth RateEducation
Compensation and Benefits Managers
SOC: 11-3111
Occupation: Compensation and Benefits Managers
$140,360
20,070
N/A
N/A
Human Resources Managers
SOC: 11-3121
Occupation: Human Resources Managers
$140,030
215,520
N/A
N/A
Training and Development Managers
SOC: 11-3131
Occupation: Training and Development Managers
$127,090
44,960
N/A
N/A
Compliance Officers
SOC: 13-1041
Occupation: Compliance Officers
$78,420
397,770
N/A
N/A
Human Resources Specialists
SOC: 13-1071
Occupation: Human Resources Specialists
$72,910
917,460
N/A
N/A
Labor Relations Specialists
SOC: 13-1075
Occupation: Labor Relations Specialists
$93,500
64,590
N/A
N/A

Historical Career Trends (2020-2024)

Historical data from Bureau of Labor Statistics (2020-2024) • Salary trends and employment growth over 5 years

Human Resources Managers

15.5%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$140,030215,520
2023$136,350200,600
2022$130,000181,360
2021$126,230166,530
2020$121,220156,600

Human Resources Specialists

14.8%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$72,910917,460
2023$67,650895,970
2022$64,240835,360
2021$62,290740,830
2020$63,490647,810

Labor Relations Specialists

27.7%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$93,50064,590
2023$89,98062,800
2022$82,01062,200
2021$77,01063,810
2020$73,24070,050

Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping

14.3%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$49,44092,580
2023$47,710101,440
2022$45,930103,680
2021$45,630102,770
2020$43,250108,470

Colleges offering Human Resources

Florida Institute of Technology

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$37k

Earnings

$71k

Illinois Institute of Technology

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$26k

Earnings

$76k

Fairfield University

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$48k

Earnings

$77k

University of Southern California

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$42k

Earnings

$78k

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$15k

Earnings

$69k