Human Resources Concentration
As of March 2026, Northwestern University School of Professional Studies aligned its Bachelor's Degree in Science in Enterprise Leadership – HR Concentration with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates. Throughout the world, over 700 programs in approx. 582 educational institutions have been acknowledged by SHRM as being in alignment with its suggested guides and templates. The HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates were developed by SHRM to define the minimum HR content areas that should be studied by HR students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The guidelines — created in 2006 and revalidated in 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2022 — are part of SHRM’s Academic Initiative to define HR education standards taught in university business schools and help universities develop degree programs that follow these standards.
START YOUR CERTIFCATION JOURNEY
SHRM’s competency-based certifications, SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP, are the premier professional certifications in the HR field, with more than 110,000 HR professionals in 105 countries holding a SHRM credential. Built upon the SHRM BASK as derived from the SHRM Competency Model, the SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP are accredited by the Buros Center for Testing and are the global standard for HR certification. As part of its ongoing commitment to the HR profession, SHRM integrated its student eligibility program into its 2022 exam eligibility criteria updates. Eligible students interested in testing for the SHRM-CP certification are not required to hold an HR title and do not need a degree or previous HR experience to apply; however, a basic working knowledge of HR practices and principles or enrollment in a degree from an Academically Aligned program is recommended. At the time of application, students are encouraged to be in or near their final year of study and in good standing (as defined by the university). Although HR experience is not required to take the SHRM-CP certification exam, students are encouraged to seek out various HR employment opportunities within any of the following areas:
- Be enrolled in the final year of study in an HR undergraduate or graduate degree program that aligns with SHRM’s curriculum guidelines.
- Be a student in good standing (as defined by the University).
- Have a minimum of 500 hours of relevant HR experience. Relevant HR experiences include:
- Participating in an internship in HR.
- Completing an HR work-study assignment.
- Directed HR-related work projects.
- Directed HR-related research projects.
- Supervised an independent study in HR.
- Working part time or full time in HR.
Direct questions to SHRM via email or search for Student SHRM-CP Eligibility on the SHRM website.