Human Resources Management

The greatest asset of any business is its people. Human resources professionals help guide organizations with sound practices – hiring the right people, training them to be effective, and developing strategies to meet the needs of the organization and its employees.

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Credential
Ontario College Graduate Certificate
Duration
One year or less
Start Date(s)
January (Winter)
September (Fall)
Locations
Belleville
Open to
International Students
Domestic Students

Find your career

As businesses get more competitive and legislative changes become more complex, the demand for human resources professionals who can help guide organizational change continues to rise. 

  • Prepare for a career as an HR Manager, HR Advisor ,  Learning and Development Coordinator, HR Information System (HRIS) specialist, Compensation Analyst or Health and Safety Advisor. 
  • Graduates find positions in business, government, and not-for-profit organizations, as well as private consulting. 
  • Loyalist grads meet the academic requirements to write the Comprehensive Knowledge Exam (CKE) and apply for the CHRP designation. 
  • Entry-level salaries for Human Resources Coordinator averages $42,100 to 53,700 (Randstad 2024 Salary Guide), with the potential to progress from a generalist to an HR manager earning about $88,700 – $140,800 (Robert Half 2024 Canada Salary Guide) 
  • Earning potential for a Vice-President or Chief Human Resources Officer $125,700 – $326,600 per year (Randstad 2024 Salary Guide)

Is it for you?

HR is the ultimate “people person” career. This program can lead to rewarding work for individuals who: 

  • Genuinely like working with people. 
  • Are good at motivating others. 
  • Enjoy a leadership role. 
  • Are adaptable to continuous change.

Loyalist College has surpassed my expectations by offering a well-rounded education that extends beyond academics. Its vibrant campus life, diverse community, and emphasis on real-world skills have enriched my educational journey and prepared me for my career. I’m proud to be a part of a college that values excellence, diversity and student success.

How you'll learn

Experiential learning 

Through this in-depth program, you will get a blend of theory and hands-on practical experience that goes beyond the classroom: 

  • Expert faculty teach students to anticipate what’s coming next in training and development, occupational health and safety, benefits and compensation, and other areas within human resources. 
  • Projects emphasize learning by doing, such as performing a health and safety inspection for a real-world organization. 
  • Learn about current issues and trends from guest speakers working in the field. 
  • Interaction with faculty and other post-grad students coming from university, college and workplace backgrounds helps prepare students to appreciate different perspectives. 
  • Students earn field experience one day a week throughout the second semester where they apply theoretical and practical knowledge in a workplace setting and make valuable industry contacts.

Outstanding faculty make the difference 

  • Receive individual attention in small classes from faculty who are invested in your success. 
  • Instructors are experienced executives, professionals, and consultants working in a variety of industries. 
  • Faculty observe new trends as they are developing and bring that experience back to the classroom. 
  • The program is continually refined and kept up to date with the input of an advisory committee of industry leaders. 

Courses

HRPG1001 Advanced Employment Law

Human resource professionals need to understand how to navigate the ever-changing complexities of Canadian employment law. Students become knowledgeable about the legal framework, jurisdictional issues, and current legal trends by interpreting case law. Legislation is applied in developing sound and defensible human resource policies, practices and procedures.

HRPG3003 HR Administration

Management of human resources has become an essential business operation. Organizations everywhere realize that the cost of human capital is a tangible asset that needs to be managed effectively in order to stay competitive. This course explores the challenges and best-practices to ensuring domestic and global human resource assets meet organizational expectations.

HRPG3004 Management Accounting- Business Analytics

This course introduces students to the fundamentals of accounting, as well as management accounting concepts and practices. There is a focus on how management uses accounting information for decision making, planning, controlling, and performance measurement. Topics include cost allocation, cost-volume-profit analysis, relevant costs, and budgeting. Business analytics with a focus on Excel techniques such as pivot, sorting, formatting, and filtering data.

BUSI2010 Occupational Health & Safety

Employers are required by law to ensure that workers have a safe work environment. This course examines the related federal and provincial legislation required to ensure compliance. In addition, the course explores the technical aspects of health and safety, as well as trends and best practices used in the field today.

HRPG3002 Organizational Theory and Design

Organizations come in a variety of forms and structures. They also use different processes and have varying numbers of employees. All of these variables play an important role in helping the organization achieve its strategic objectives. This course examines the interplay of leadership and human behavior in the context of today’s workplaces including, organizational design principles, open tech systems, organizational effectiveness, intergroup dynamics, conflict power and political systems, effect of technology on human systems and how to design and implement effective organizational change.

PROF1030 Professional Portfolio

The Professional Portfolio prepares and positions individuals in finding an employer for hosting a HR Field Placement or a Service-Learning Project. Practical tips, tools, practices, and approaches are addressed to create an individual's unique portfolio of talents, professional skills, experience, and background.

BUSI3021 Recruitment and Selection

Finding the right employee with the right skills in order to do the right job is essential in today's organizations. This course focuses on developing recruitment strategies in order to find appropriate candidates and then explores methods to ensure effective employee selection through testing, interviewing, assessment centers, and background checks.

HRPG1004 Trends, Issues and Perspectives in HR 1

This seminar-based course surveys the practices and theory of human resource management. Students are equipped with critical and ethical thinking facing the challenges of people management within contemporary business and organizations.

HRPG1003 Analytics in HR Projects

HR professionals are required to fully understand and use meaningful and strategic data in supporting business operations and managing people at work. This course focuses on a variety of analytic tools and methods used in decision making by making sense of workforce analytics to answer critical questions about organizations and various human resource projects.

BUSI3026 Compensation

Organizations are looking at new ways of paying people. Most successful firms have now adopted the notion of 'total rewards' as a concept of compensation. This course examines the linkage of corporate strategy to compensation as a competitive tool. Specifically, pay and performance approaches, motivation, market conditions and other key variables are explored to create and design a strategic compensation program.

BUSI3023 Human Resources Planning

Planning to ensure the availability of the right people with the right skills at the right time has become an essential human resource competence for all organizations. This course focuses on strategic human resource planning, forecasting supply and demand, succession management strategies, development retention strategies and evaluation of human resources policies and programs.

BUSI3010 Industrial Relations

Union-management relations are important to a smooth running organization. This course examines the theory, practices, and principles of Industrial Relations in Canada. Students learn by simulation to negotiate and administer collective agreements, handle grievances, mediate disputes, and prepare for arbitrations.

BUSI3009 Training and Development

Workplace performance and ongoing skill development through training is a requirement of today's learning organizations. This course deals with the processes and theories required to build effective employees. Emphasis is placed on assessing learning and performance challenges, designing appropriate interventions, delivering solutions and assessing for organizational effectiveness.

HRPG1005 Trends & Issues in HR 2

This seminar-based course surveys the practices and theory of human resource management. Students are equipped with critical and ethical thinking facing the challenges of people management within contemporary business and organizations.

WKPL3002 Field Placement

Integration of formal learning practices with developmental learning opportunities helps to enhance and consolidate the knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes of emerging professionals. This course helps students develop appropriate human resources field practice in an area of their choosing. Students may choose between a field placement or field project with a private, public, not-for-profit or professional services organization.

HRPG1007 Service Learning

Service learning in the HRPG program is a strategy that integrates learners with community learning gained through “real life experience” in tandem with previous formal coursework to acquire new skills and learning. The process engages the learner in becoming a self-directive participant in community problem-solving, causing reflection, improved self-awareness and development of citizenry.

Notes

Select 1 courses from above

*Courses subject to change.

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Admission requirements

Required academic preparation 

A diploma or degree in any discipline from a recognized college or university. Applicants with significant related work experience will be considered on an individual basis. Transfer students from other institutions will also be considered on an individual basis. 

Prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR) 

Do you have work experience or other types of non-credentialed learning? Through Loyalist’s PLAR program, applicants and current students may be eligible to receive academic credit for relevant educational, work and life experiences.

International students  

Learn more about admission requirements for international applicants and how to apply.

Costs

Approximate costs (2024 – 25) 

  • Domestic Tuition: $2,722.08 
  • Full-Time Ancillary Fees:* $1,367 
  • Total: $4,089.08 

Additional costs, such as supplies, travel and parking, may be incurred during workplace visits, etc.   

*Fees related to programs that are less than or greater than two semesters will be adjusted accordingly. Fees are subject to change. Please visit the Tuition and fees page for a list of the many services, activities and items included within the ancillary fees, and the related policies.

Paying for college 

At Loyalist College, we believe that cost should never be a barrier to your success. We’re here to help you navigate the costs of college and connect you with a variety of financial aid programs, resources and donor-supported awards. Explore paying for college.   

Approximate costs (2024 – 25) 

  • International Tuition: $15,000 
  • Full-Time Ancillary Fees:* $1,367 
  • Mandatory Health Insurance: $659 
  • Total: $17,026 

Additional costs, such as supplies, travel and parking, may be incurred during workplace visits, etc.   

*Fees related to programs that are less than or greater than two semesters will be adjusted accordingly. Fees are subject to change. Please visit the Tuition and fees page for a list of the many services, activities and items included within the ancillary fees, and the related policies.

Paying for college 

At Loyalist College, we believe that cost should never be a barrier to your success. We’re here to help you navigate the costs of college and connect you with a variety of financial aid programs, resources and donor-supported awards. Explore paying for college.

What employers say

“Employers are increasingly looking for human resources professionals with specific skill sets – that’s what makes Loyalist’s post-graduate Human Resources Management program ideal. In addition to gaining the HR skills necessary to succeed in the field, students can build upon their previous post-secondary training – nurses make excellent wellness specialists, social service workers excel at employee relations and teachers are great at training and development. I think Loyalist’s post-grad program is extremely relevant – I’ll be watching for its grads.”

Cindy Wilson, CHRP 

Human Resources Coordinator, Pentair Technical Solutions