Yes. In order to be admitted to the Human Resources Management program, you must have:

1. - An Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent;
2. - Be a mature student as defined in the Undergraduate Calendar of McMaster University, or;
3. - Be deemed an exceptional case

Refer to the Admission Requirements page for more information.

The Human Resources Management program is an open enrolment program, meaning there is no formal admission procedure. Simply enrol online well in advance to ensure you secure a spot. Students must have:

1. - An Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent;
2. - Be a mature student as defined in the Undergraduate Calendar of McMaster University, or;
3. - Be deemed an exceptional case

Refer to the Admission Requirements page for more information.

The Human Resources Management program is available every Fall (September start), Winter (January start) and Spring (May start) terms. Refer to our Schedule & Fees page for specific dates.

Enrol online using our Course Search tool. Use the drop-down menu under “Program” to select “Human Resources”, then use the drop-down menu under “Program Plan” to select “Human Resources Mgt Diploma” and click “Go”.

From there you will see the list of courses populate for each available term. Be sure to select in-person, online or blended. Once your course is selected it will bring you to a check out page.

At the check-out page, ensure you are enrolling in the correct course and click “Select” to add to your shopping cart. When you’re ready to enrol, click “Checkout”.

By completing the Human Resources Management program, you will receive a diploma from McMaster University Continuing Education. In addition to this, many of the Human Resources Management courses offered by McMaster Continuing Education satisfy the academic requirements of the Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA™). The designations issued by professional associations can further enhance your career potential.

With the Human Resources Management diploma, you could earn your HRPA™ designation and work in fields such as:

1. - Human Resources (Generalist or Manager)
2. - Labour Relations
3. - Organizational Development
4. - Training and Development
5. - Compensation
6. - Occupational Health and Safety
7. - Recruitment and Talent Acquisition
8. - Workplace Accommodations

For information on tuition, please refer to our Schedule & Fees page.

The program can be completed on your own schedule, either in-person, online or a blended format which encompasses a mixture of in-person and online. Each course takes three to six hours per week to complete over the span of 12-13 weeks. Many of our students take between one to two courses per term. With this workload, you could finish in as little as 16 months. Other students take a full-time load and enrol in 3-4 classes per term, finishing the program in a year.

The Human Resources Management program offers four different learning formats: in-person, online or blended.

1. - In-Person format requires you to meet at our downtown Hamilton campus once per week for three hours over the span of 12-13 weeks per course.
3. - Online format requires you to participate in weekly readings, online discussion boards, recorded webinars and assignments. You do not need to login at a specific time and can complete the work when it suits your schedule so long as you meet deadlines.
5. - Blended format requires you to meet with your instructor and classmates each week online, as well as in-person three to four times throughout the term at our downtown Hamilton campus.

You may be eligible to receive transfer of credit from preview post-secondary studies and receive advanced standing in the Human Resources Management program. A maximum of three equivalent courses taken at another institution may be transferred into this program, subject to approval by the Program Manager. Please refer to our Transfer Credit Conditions for more information.

McMaster University Continuing Education ensures to hire experienced instructors who are knowledgeable in their field, accessible and transparent. We have a variety of instructors for the Human Resources Management program. Please refer to our Instructors page to learn more.

This depends on what you end up branching out to. Jobs in training, recruitment and labour relations are all very different when it comes to the day-to-day. Feel free to ​Contact Us to learn more about what you can expect in the role you’re pursuing.

By taking the Human Resources Management program, you will be able to:

1. - Use effective communication strategies
3. - Demonstrate awareness of ethical principles as applied to the human resources profession
5. - Recognize appropriate organizational, legal, and professional policies that regulate human resources professionals
7. - Appreciate the connection of human resources practices with organizational structure, strategy and culture
9. - Identify tools, techniques and processes to collect, use and analyze human resources information and data
11. - Apply innovative and critical approaches to business and human resources issues

Additionally, through the different activities of each course, you will develop a variety of skills important to the workplace: writing for the workplace, teamwork, critical thinking, reflection, project management and organizational skills.

You could consider taking Business Administration, Payroll, Accounting, Project Management or Lean Six Sigma to specialize your skills in your area of interest or fill a knowledge gap to differentiate you from your peers.

The average base pay for Human Resources and Recruitment Officers in Ontario with a university diploma or above earn $61K per year.

The average base pay for Human Resources Managers in Canada with a university diploma or above is $95K per year.

There was a 10% increase in the number of Human Resources professionals’ jobs posted in Ontario between 2016 and 2018.

The HR department plays 3 main key roles in an organization: a strategic partner, an employee advocate and a change champion.

1. 1) As strategic partners, HR professionals work together with other teams to develop and accomplish the business plan and objectives. This is done by designing the right positions, hiring the right people, recognizing and developing staff, rewarding and paying strategically as well as appraising and planning for succession. In this role, HR professionals have to think like business people.
3. 2) As employee advocates, HR professionals ensure that the organization is successful by creating a working environment where employees are happy and engaged. This is done by creating the right culture and climate for the organization, making employees feel empowered and supported while having safe and clear channels of communication where complaints and problems can be solved and addressed.
5. 3) As change champions, HR professionals lead large organizational change to meet the strategic needs of organization in achieving its mission, vision, values and goals. They can measure how organizations succeed in this and come up with strategies to minimize employee dissatisfaction and resistance to change.

You can visit the Human Resources Management program website or watch a recorded Human Resources Management Program Preview Webinar at the bottom of the program page which outlines all of the program details in a short video.