Program Overview

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Program Overview

The Bachelor of Science in Labor and Human Resources is a 100% online program that is SHRM-aligned, making it an ideal choice for those preparing for professional certification. The program focuses on the critical content areas outlined in SHRM's HR Curriculum Guidebook, ensuring that students can gain the core competencies to tackle today's most pressing workplace challenges.

Program Details

• The program requires a minimum of 123 credits.
• Students must receive a grade of C or better in all courses required for the major.
• The program includes prescribed courses, additional courses, and supporting courses.

Prescribed Courses

The following prescribed courses are required:

• LHR 100: Exploring Work and Employment
• LHR 201: Employment Relationship: Law and Policy
• LHR 304: Labor and Employment Relations Fundamentals
• LHR 305: Human Resources Fundamentals
• LHR 312: Research Methods in Labor Studies and Employment Relations
• LHR 460: Ethics in the Workplace

Additional Courses

The following additional courses are required:

• ECON 102: Introductory Microeconomic Analysis and Policy
• LHR 202: Understanding Employee Behavior
• STAT 200: Elementary Statistics
• LHR 136: Race, Gender, and Employment
• LHR 458: History of Work in America

Elective Courses

Elective courses should be chosen in consultation with an adviser. Students should incorporate at least:

• 3 credits in U.S. cultures
• 3 credits in international (IL) cultures
• 3 credits in writing-across-the-curriculum courses

Option Courses

The program offers two options: Human Resources and Labor and Employment Relations.

Human Resources Option

• Prescribed courses:
  • LHR 403: International Human Resource Studies
  • LHR 426: Staffing and Training Strategies in Organizations
  • LHR 427: Understanding Business Processes for LHR Professionals
  • LHR 428: Total Rewards
• Supporting and related courses:
  • ACCTG 211: Financial and Managerial Accounting for Decision-Making
  • AFAM 100: Living While Black: Themes in African American Thought and Experience
  • BA 243: Social, Legal, and Ethical Environment of Business
  • CAS 203: Interpersonal Communication
  • CAS 352: Organizational Communication
  • MGMT 100: Survey of Management
  • MGMT 301: Basic Management Concepts
  • MGMT 321: Leadership and Motivation
  • OLEAD 100: Introduction to Leadership
  • OLEAD 409: Leadership Development: A Lifelong Learning Perspective
  • OLEAD 464: Communication Skills for Leaders in Groups and Organizations
  • OLEAD 465: Collective Decision-Making
  • SOC 119: Race, Ethnicity, and Culture

Labor and Employment Relations Option

• Prescribed courses:
  • LHR 400: Comparative Employment Relations Systems
  • LHR 401: The Law of Labor-Management Relations
• Additional courses:
  • LHR 428: Total Rewards
  • LHR 434: Advanced Collective Bargaining and Contract Administration
  • LHR 435: Labor Relations in the Public Sector
  • LHR 437: Workplace Dispute Resolution
  • LHR 444: Workplace Safety and Health: Principles and Practices
  • LHR 466: Labor Union Structure, Administration, and Governance
  • LHR 468: American Labor Unions
  • LHR 472: Work-Life Practices and Policies
• Supporting and related courses:
  • ACCTG 211: Financial and Managerial Accounting for Decision-Making
  • AFAM 100: Living While Black: Themes in African American Thought and Experience
  • BA 243: Social, Legal, and Ethical Environment of Business
  • BLAW 243: Legal Environment of Business
  • CAS 203: Interpersonal Communication
  • CAS 352: Organizational Communication
  • MGMT 100: Survey of Management
  • MGMT 301: Basic Management Concepts
  • MGMT 321: Leadership and Motivation
  • OLEAD 100: Introduction to Leadership
  • OLEAD 409: Leadership Development: A Lifelong Learning Perspective
  • OLEAD 464: Communication Skills for Leaders in Groups and Organizations
  • OLEAD 465: Collective Decision-Making
  • SOC 119: Race, Ethnicity, and Culture

General Education Requirements

Some General Education requirements may be satisfied by courses required for the major. Students should work with an adviser to select courses.

• Foundations: 15 credits
  • Writing/Speaking: 9 credits
  • Quantification: 6 credits
• Knowledge Domains: 15 credits
  • Health and Wellness (GHW): 3 credits
  • Natural Sciences (GN): 3 credits
  • Arts (GA): 3 credits
  • Humanities (GH): 3 credits
  • Social and Behavioral Sciences (GS): 3 credits
• Integrative Studies: 6 credits
  • Inter-Domain course work: 6 credits
• Exploration: 9 credits
  • Natural Sciences (GN) (may be Inter-Domain): 3 credits
  • GA, GH, GN, GS, and Inter-Domain courses: 6 credits

Career Opportunities

The program prepares students for various roles in human resources, recruitment, placement management, compensation and benefits, and other labor environments. Graduates may also pursue a master's or doctoral degree.

Tuition and Financial Aid

• Undergraduate tuition is calculated based on the number of credits for which you register and the number of total credits you have accrued at or transferred to Penn State.
• Tuition rates for the 2025-26 academic year:
  • If you have 59 or fewer credits: $638 per credit
  • If you have 60 or more credits: $685 per credit
• Financial aid and military benefits are available.

Application Instructions

• Apply by March 15 to start May 18.
• Complete the online application and submit all required materials.
• Review the admission requirements and gather required materials.
• Create a Penn State login account and complete the application.

Faculty

The program is taught by highly regarded faculty from the School of Labor and Employment Relations, part of the Penn State College of the Liberal Arts. The faculty members have an extensive range of expertise in fields such as employment and labor law, international human resources and employment relations, organizational behavior, and workforce diversity.

News

Penn State featured in U.S. News' 2025 'Best Online Programs' rankings.

Student Success Story

Penn State gave me the confidence to start my own business, and really work for me, and do the things as passionately as I do everything in my life. - Erin Griffith, Bachelor of Science in Labor and Employment Relations.