OVERVIEW

George Mason University offers the Human Resource Certificate Program in partnership with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). If you’ve been planning to earn your Professional Human Resources (PHR^®) or Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR^®) designation, now is the time to enroll in our updated and expanded the HR Certification Institute exam preparation course based on the SHRM Learning System^®. The curriculum, designed by subject matter experts, covers the HR Certification Institute Body of Knowledge and includes application exercises that develop specific competencies and decision-making skills. As a certification preparation program, it consistently beats the national pass rate.

By successfully completing our course, you will develop new knowledge and skills that will improve your workplace effectiveness immediately.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

By attending our course, you will develop new knowledge and skills that will improve your workplace effectiveness immediately and prepare you to take the PHR^® or SPHR^® certification exam. By enrolling in this course, you also get the added benefit of:

• A structured online classroom environment that enhances learning and helps you stay on track
• An experienced instructor to explain concepts and apply them to your industry
• Opportunities to virtually network and share real-world experiences with other HR professionals
• Eliminating travel and maximizing employer tuition assistance

In addition to being a powerful tool for PHR^® or SPHR^® certification preparation, this strategic course fosters professional advancement and builds confidence for managing HR challenges.

There's never been a better time to pursue your PHR^® or SPHR^® designation. With our blended approach, you'll learn from printed workbooks, online tools and a dynamic classroom experience. In addition, you can earn 3.6 continuing education units (CEUs) for completing this course.

Strategic Management

• Role of HR in organizations
• Strategic planning process
• Assessing the internal environment
• Scanning the external environment
• Evaluating HR's strategic contributions
• Ethical issues affecting organizations
• HR and the legislative and regulatory environment

Human Resource Development

• Key legislation
• HRD and the organization
• Organizational development initiatives
• Adult learning and motivation
• Training and development
• Talent management
• Developing leaders
• Performance management

Employee and Labor Relations

• Laws affecting employee and labor relations
• Employee relations and organizational culture
• Employee involvement strategies, measuring employee attitudes
• Policies, procedures, and work rules
• Discipline and complaint resolution
• Labor relations legislation and union organizing
• Unfair labor practices
• Collective bargaining
• Strikes and secondary boycotts

Workforce Planning and Employment

• Key legislation affecting employee rights
• Privacy and consumer protection
• EEO/Affirmative Action
• Gender discrimination and harassment
• Organizational staffing requirements
• Job analysis and documentation
• Recruitment
• Flexible staffing
• Selection and retention
• Organizational exit
• Employee records management

Total Rewards

• Key compensation legislation
• Total rewards and the strategic focus of the organization
• Compensation structure
• Compensation systems
• Introduction to benefit programs and key benefits legislation
• Government-mandated benefits
• Deferred compensation plans
• Health-care benefits
• Other non statutory benefits
• Compensation and benefits for international employees
• Evaluating the total rewards system and communicating it to employees

Risk Management

• Examining organizational risk
• Key legislation
• Safety
• Health
• Security
• Privacy

Course materials include six extensive print modules that correspond to the six functional areas, responsibilities, and associated knowledge defined by the HR Certification Institute. The SHRM Learning System^® also offers a variety of study features that reinforce concepts and help you prepare for the certification exam:

• Periodic online updates cover significant changes in legislation and HR policies
• Comprehensive bank of test questions - more than 1,600 in all
• Practice tests formatted to mimic the current HR Certification Institute exam experience
• An interactive case study featuring real-life scenarios to test students' ability to apply concepts learned throughout the course
• SPHR^® Preparation Book to help students take a more strategic approach to apply information across functional areas.
• Access to the SHRM Learning System^® eResource Center, featuring HR updates, webcasts, test-taking tips, related links, and eFlashcards that can be printed or downloaded to a PDA.
• Two new free webcasts on union organizing and collective bargaining available through the resource center. Other archived webcasts highlighting essential topics are available 24 hours a day.

Multimedia Preparation Includes:

• Pre-test to gauge current knowledge
• Print-based reading and progress checks
• Two module-specific tests for each module to check mastery of key information
• eFlashcards to review key HR terms, and legislation can be printed or downloaded to a Pocket PC or Palm hand-held device
• Post-test that mirrors the HR Certification Institute testing format

The SHRM Advantage

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is the world's largest association devoted to human resource management. The Society serves the needs of HR professionals and advances the interests of the HR profession. Founded in 1948, SHRM has more than 225,000 members in over 125 countries and more than 575 affiliated chapters.

• You must login to your course site at least once a week. For purposes of our course, the week will begin and end on Tuesdays at noon.
• You will be expected to read and respond to discussion questions posted in the week's lecture and to reply to your colleagues' comments.
• You are expected to post at least 50 responses in the discussion area by the end of the course. These should preferably be done on a weekly basis (four or five per week).
• Your response to the initial post in the discussion area should be substantive: that is to say, usually no less than 50 words per reply for each response.
• Complete the post-module exams.
• You also must complete the Pre-Test & Post-Test and all Module tests on www.learnhrm.com by the deadline specified by your instructor.

• HR professionals planning to take the PHR^® or SPHR^® certification exam
• PHR^® professionals seeking to "upgrade" their certification to SPHR^®
• Certified HR professionals who need credits for PHR^®/SPHR^® recertification
• HR practitioners seeking professional development to advance their careers
• Experienced managers who are new to the HR field
• Other mid-level managers pursuing a career change or promotion
• Individuals who need education credits for other designations or certification renewals

• "To date, this is the best online course that I have taken. I felt as if I actually had a teacher (which I did)." -Fall 2008 student
• "This course is the real deal… This course covers it all. I actually feel qualified to do my job now!" -Fall 2008 student
• "Toni was very friendly, knowledgeable and extremely encouraging." -Fall 2007 Student
• "Thanks to this course, I have a deeper respect and understanding of how important a well-trained human resources department can be for a company or organization. I recommend it to new and seasoned HR professionals alike!" -Fall 2006 Student
• "I really enjoyed the online format both for flexibility and for the chance to go back and revisit topics and discussions. The classmates and the instructor made it enjoyable and worth sticking with!" -Fall 2006 Student

This program has been approved for 33 recertification credit hours toward PHR^®, SPHR^®, and GPHR recertification through HR Certification Institute.

For more information about certification or recertification, please visit the HR Certification Institute web site at www.hrci.org, call the HR Certification Institute at 866-898-4724, or send an e-mail to info@hrci.org.

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• Payroll Professional- Online
• Business Ethics for the HR Professional
• SPHR^® Intensive Review