Human Resource Management

Fast Facts

• Mercyhurst's Human Resource Management program is aligned with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) through 2025. This connection ensures the program stays current with industry changes and provides students access to valuable resources. Moreover, students in this program can apply for the SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) exam while still students vs. waiting until they are in industry.
• According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for human resource managers will grow faster than the average for all occupations — by 5% each year for the next decade. The bureau reports a median salary of $130,000 per year for human resource managers. Human resource managers and specialists are the fastest growing jobs in Human Resources for recent years.

Human Resource Management students have held internships at corporations and organizations such as Modern Industries, Country Fair Corporate Headquarters, Chautauqua Institution, and Peek n’ Peak Resort, Federal Resources Corporation, Erie Homes for Children and Adults, Constellation Brands, Westlake Woods Assisted Living, MacLean-Fogg Company, Scott Enterprises, Caplugs, and Aramark.

As per Business Insider’s report in September 2023, Human Resource Specialists rank among the top high-paying and rapidly expanding occupations for the upcoming decade.

Program Overview

The Human Resource Management program at Mercyhurst offers an environment with smaller class sizes that encourages more discussion and engagement between students, allowing for more individual attention and the opportunity to complete more involved exercises and projects. Some examples of the projects that are undertaken by students in Human Resource Management classes include:

• Students create job descriptions for different roles, specifying tasks, duties, responsibilities, and the required knowledge, skills, and abilities. Following this, they craft authentic recruitment advertisements, ensuring compliance with current legal language, avoiding discrimination, and promoting them effectively.
• Creating a personal LinkedIn profile following preset requirements to join groups, connect with others, and network.
• Planning and writing a training program which includes selecting the topic of the training, choosing presenters/speakers for the keynote and break-out sessions, picking a training facility, and planning each event, including the type of seating and training materials to be used. 
• Forming a budgeted training event at a specific facility for their given firm’s employees, with selections of real-world facilities such as the Marriott City Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, or the Kimpton Hotel Wilshire in Los Angeles, California. Students plan all aspects of the training from obtaining nationally recognized speakers, planning general and break-out sessions, and organizing seating and food arrangements. 

Students in the program are also given the opportunity to attend conferences with faculty, including recently the Society for Human Resource Management Conference, the Women in Leadership Conference, and the Diversity in Leadership Conference.

Learning Outcomes

• Competency in both oral and written communication
• The ability to work effectively in groups and teams
• The ability to apply ethical principles in solving business problems
• The ability to critically apply theory and practice in the functional areas of business to identify, analyze, and solve business problems

Business Core Curriculum

The defining element of a Mercyhurst business degree is a series of core courses that all business majors take, which provide a curriculum designed to foster well-rounded business leaders through hands-on learning in a variety of disciplines. Business students will build a foundation in six different areas of study, which prepares our graduates to be adaptable, collaborative leaders that are ready for today’s market. Adding a double major or minor in another area can also add marketability across industries! 

In the Classroom

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To connect classroom concepts with real-world experiences, Ms. Zacherl takes students to conferences, including Society for Human Resource Management, Women in Leadership, and National Diversity. Included are some photos of Ms. Zacherl and the students.