Center for Executive and Professional Education

Human Resource Management Certificate Program

Professional women smiling at each other

About Human Resource Management

Human Resources plays an important role in helping companies cultivate a positive work culture, drive employee productivity, and achieve organizational goals. Human resources professionals are employed in a wide variety of industries and in organizations of all sizes. CEPE’s Human Resource Management certificate program is designed to offer participants a strong foundation in the human resources discipline and offer practical tools and takeaways that are immediately applicable in the workplace. Getting a certificate in Human Resource Management will give professionals of all backgrounds functional skills and a competitive advantage in today’s complex business world.  

HRCI Recertification Provider 2025 HRCI.ORG
Portland State University's Center for Executive and Professional Education (CEPE) is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities

 

 

Certificate Snapshot


Format
 

Courses are delivered remotely, with a blend of virtual live sessions and self-paced activities.


Frequency
 

4 times per year (Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall)

Length

Five 1-week-long classes (workload for each class is 15 hours)


Cost
 

Full certificate cost: $3,495
Use the discount code CHEER to save 20% when you register for Winter courses by 11:59 pm on December 23, 2025. Visit our Holiday Discount page here for more details.  

Click Here for the Course Schedule and Registration   

An icon of three torsos with lines connecting them


CEPE aspires to allow students up to 3 years to complete a certificate program; however, CEPE's program offerings can fluctuate due to market/community demand. Therefore, we reserve the right to cancel or revise a program at any time. This means that CEPE does not guarantee the completion of any certificate, so if certificate completion is a student's goal, we encourage completion as quickly as possible when courses are available.

I learned so much more about my own interests in the field, and really connected with instructors & fellow students in a very special way. Excellent, diverse courses, instructors & students - all of which made the entire experience incredible rich and valuable.

- Alexandra Eldridge

Who Should Attend

Professionals in any industry who are seeking to explore a career in human resources, or established human resources professionals who need to refresh and develop their skills.  

What You’ll Learn

Upon completion of this program, students will have gained the knowledge to:

  • Understand the philosophy and function of the HR discipline
  • Be familiar with laws that protect employees
  • Use increased business acumen to enhance HR’s role in organizational success
  • Understand the role of compensation and benefits as part of a total rewards system

5 Required Certificate Courses

Courses may be taken individually and in any order unless otherwise noted. If pursuing the certificate, all courses in the certificate program must be completed within three years. Please note, we recommend starting the program with BH101 if you are new to the HR field. 

  • BH101: HR Foundations & Leadership
    • This course provides a broad exploration of the HR discipline and examines the key competencies of an HR professional across different functional areas.
  • BH105: Employee and Labor Relations
    • This course explores the important subjects of employee and labor relations, Equal Employment Opportunity, and job safety and health in a historical and legal context.
  • BH315: Total Rewards
    • The course explores how HR professionals play a key role in attracting and retaining employees through the development and implementation of total rewards packages in regards to compensation and benefits.
  • BH314: Workplace Planning
    • This course leads participants through the talent acquisition process, focusing on selection principles, retention applications, and best practices to onboard and retain talent at all levels, with a special focus on employee engagement.
  • BH104: Business Acumen
    • This course offers HR professionals the opportunity to better understand the business in which they operate as a whole in order to contribute most effectively to organizational success.
How to Register about this content

Additional Human Resource Management Courses (non-certificate)

  • BH457: aPHR/PHR Exam Prep Course
    • This fully online course is designed by subject matter experts and includes discussion questions, case studies, and practice quizzes, as well as test-taking skills, to help students prepare for the PHR® and aPHR® exams. 
Course Schedule about this content
Meet the Instructors

Other Programs of Interest

Organizational Development
Change Management
Project Management