Business & Finance
HR Manager
HR managers handle recruiting, employee relations, benefits, and workplace culture. A people-centered management track present in every organization.
Median salary (BLS)
$130,000
10th–90th percentile (BLS)
$80k – $190k
Job outlook
+5% (faster than average)
AI exposure
Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $112,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.
Plan a path to HR Manager
Education
Typical entry: Bachelor's degree
Plan my path to this →How to qualify
EstimateCost to qualify
$40,500–$153,000
Time to qualify
4.5 yr
Renewal
—
- 1
Bachelor's degree
DegreeFour years at public in-state rates — average published tuition & fees ≈ $11,610/yr, plus books. Private and out-of-state run higher; grant aid lowers most students' actual net price.
$40,000–$150,000 · 4 years source
- 2
Industry certification (optional for many roles)
CertificationRole-dependent — e.g. CPA, Series 7/65, PMP, SHRM. Not always required, but often expected for advancement.
$500–$3,000 · 6 months source
Estimated typical U.S. route for "HR Manager" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.
Typical progression
HR Manager Intern
Internship
$40,000
~4 mos to advance
Junior HR Manager
Entry / Junior
$80,000
~2 yrs to advance
HR Manager
Established
$130,000
~3 yrs to advance
Senior HR Manager
Senior
$160,000
Internships are a common on-ramp here — they speed up landing that first role and improve your odds, which is why the Safe and High-ceiling plans build one in.
Key skills
A typical day
- •Manage hiring and onboarding
- •Handle employee relations
- •Oversee benefits and policy
Fields of study
Human Resources · Business · Psychology
Top colleges for Business & Finance
Explore all- University of Pennsylvania6% admit · $112,000 grad pay
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology4% admit · $124,000 grad pay
- Harvard University4% admit · $119,000 grad pay
- University of California, Berkeley11% admit · $97,000 grad pay
- New York University12% admit · $84,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.
Related careers
Other careers from this field of study
Mapped by field-of-study code (Human Resources, Business, Psychology), not by job-title guessing.