The Best HR Programs in Pennsylvania for 2026

The Labor and Human Resources B.S. is Penn State's most directly HR-titled degree, offered at University Park and through World Campus with two tracks: a Human Resources Option and a Labor and Employment Relations Option. The HR option (30-31 credits) requires International Human Resource Studies (LHR 403), Staffing and Training Strategies in Organizations (LHR 426), Understanding Business Processes for LHR Professionals (LHR 427), and Total Rewards (LHR 428), on top of shared major courses like Human Resources Fundamentals (LHR 305) and Ethics in the Workplace (LHR 460). The page lists graduates going into labor relations, personnel and HR specialist roles, and mediation and arbitration, and it flags the major as preparation for graduate study or law school.

Numbers track its sister Organizational Leadership program closely: 86% graduation rate, 61% admit rate, and $20,066 in-state tuition against $41,212 out-of-state. Its Hakia Score of 89.4 lands fourth in Pennsylvania for 2026, just behind Organizational Leadership's 89.6, the gap reflecting the narrower, more HR-specific course load against OLEAD's broader leadership focus. Nationally, human resources roles carry a median salary of $99,080 per BLS wage data, context worth weighing against this program's public, in-state price.

Grove City College's B.S. in Human Resource Management sits inside the ACBSP-accredited Winklevoss School of Business and runs 67 major credit hours covering personnel recruitment and selection, EEO law and regulations, performance management, workplace psychology, dispute resolution, and employee compensation and benefits. Students can layer on certifications in Excel (Microsoft Office Specialist and Expert), the Project Management Institute's CAPM, Tableau, and Google Digital Marketing, and the program lists internship placements at Liberty Mutual, Westinghouse, the Pittsburgh Steelers, UPMC, and PNC. An accelerated track lets HRM majors take graduate-level classes as undergrads and finish a Grove City MBA in less time.

The numbers fit a small, mission-driven campus: an 83% graduation rate and a 72% admit rate back a Hakia Score of 86.1, good for 5th among Pennsylvania HR programs. Tuition is flat at $21,700 whether a student lives in Pennsylvania or out of state, a structure none of the three public or larger private schools on this list can match, serving a compact 2,383-student body rather than a large university. Nationally, HR roles carry a $99,080 median salary per BLS, the same benchmark that applies to every program here, not a Grove City-specific outcome.

Temple's Fox School of Business runs a 124-credit Bachelor of Business Administration in Human Resource Management covering compensation management, human resource management and public policy, and organizational staffing and career management. The program is built as a direct path to the SHRM Certified Professional exam, a Buros Center for Testing-accredited credential, and Fox has held AACSB accreditation since 1934. Motivated students can compress the degree into an accelerated 3-year BBA, and Temple also offers an online BBA track.

Temple posts a 75% graduation rate and an 80% admit rate, the most accessible admit rate of the four schools here, feeding a Hakia Score of 85.9 and a 6th-place rank. The tuition gap is the real decision point for Pennsylvania residents: $21,989 in-state versus $37,789 out-of-state, a $15,800 annual savings for staying in-state at a 29,640-student public research university. Nationally, HR roles carry a $99,080 median salary per BLS, a fixed benchmark that applies the same way to every school on this list.

Pitt Business's Human Resources Management major requires 120 total credits, including 21 credits in HRM and Organizational Behavior, with a required Organizational Behavior course (BUSORG 1020) as the gateway. Core requirements cover Staffing, Training and Development, Compensation and Performance Management, and Employment and Labor Relations, and HR analytics is woven into every course using Excel and Tableau. Electives include Human Resource Analytics, Negotiating in Business, and Global Workforce Management and Change, and the curriculum is aligned with the SHRM CP Exam program.

Pitt's 85% graduation rate is the highest of the four Pennsylvania programs here, but its 58% admit rate is also the most selective, together producing a Hakia Score of 85.4 and a 7th-place rank. In-state tuition is $20,556 against $40,060 out-of-state, a $19,504 annual gap at a 35,724-student flagship, the largest enrollment on this list. Nationally, HR roles carry a $99,080 median salary per BLS, the same national benchmark used across every program here, not a Pitt-specific figure.

Saint Joseph's offers Human Resources and People Management as a minor inside the Haub School of Business rather than a standalone major, delivered on-campus and formally aligned with SHRM guidelines. The school's own page cites an HR.com ranking of second in the country for the program, and coursework covers workforce planning, talent acquisition, compensation, HR analytics, and employee development, preparing students for roles like generalist, employee relations specialist, compensation specialist, and human capital analyst. Graduates can continue into SJU's HR Management MS or stack a Human Resource Management Certificate onto an MBA.

SJU's 79% graduation rate and 89% admit rate, the most accessible of the four schools here, sit behind a Hakia Score of 82 and an 8th-place rank among a 7,159-student private university. Tuition is flat at $53,060 for every student regardless of residency, well above Grove City's $21,700 flat rate and the highest sticker price on this list. Nationally, HR roles carry a $99,080 median salary per BLS, a fixed national benchmark, so the return here rests on pairing the minor with a stronger business major rather than judging it alone.

University of Scranton is a private, nonprofit institution in Scranton, PA. Its Bachelor's in Human Resources program ranks #9 of the 11 analyzed here with an 81.6 Hakia Score, a composite of graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and graduate outcomes. That sits below the 86.5 group average, in the lower third of the 11 ranked programs. The program graduates 80% of its students, below the 81% average across the ranked schools. University of Scranton admits 81% of applicants, less selective than the 62% average for the group. That is more open than the 5% rate at University of Pennsylvania, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands in the middle of the pack in a group where graduation runs from 56% to 97%.

On cost, University of Scranton charges $53,208 a year in-state. Over four years that totals about $212,832 in tuition. That puts it at the higher end on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $20,066 at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus to $66,838 at Villanova University. As a private institution, its tuition does not change with residency, unlike the public universities on this list. Graduates step into a field with a $99,080 national median salary reported by the BLS. For prospective students, the main draw here is its an online option.

Based in Immaculata, PA, Immaculata University is a private, nonprofit institution. Its Bachelor's in Human Resources program lands at #10 of the 11 ranked here, earning an 80.9 Hakia Score that weighs graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and outcomes. That sits below the 86.5 group average, in the lower third of the 11 ranked programs. The program graduates 71% of its students, below the 81% average across the ranked schools. Immaculata University admits 86% of applicants, less selective than the 62% average for the group. That is more open than the 5% rate at University of Pennsylvania, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands in the middle of the pack in a group where graduation runs from 56% to 97%.

On cost, Immaculata University charges $28,130 a year in-state. Over four years that totals about $112,520 in tuition. That puts it mid-pack on price on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $20,066 at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus to $66,838 at Villanova University. As a private institution, its tuition does not change with residency, unlike the public universities on this list. Graduates step into a field with a $99,080 national median salary reported by the BLS. It earns its place in the top 11 on the balance of cost, completion, and outcomes.

Based in Reading, PA, Alvernia University is a private, nonprofit institution. Its Bachelor's in Human Resources program lands at #11 of the 11 ranked here, earning an 80.2 Hakia Score that weighs graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and outcomes. That sits below the 86.5 group average, in the lower third of the 11 ranked programs. The program graduates 56% of its students, below the 81% average across the ranked schools. Alvernia University admits 58% of applicants, more selective than the 62% average for the group. That is more open than the 5% rate at University of Pennsylvania, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands toward the lower end in a group where graduation runs from 56% to 97%.

On cost, Alvernia University charges $43,000 a year in-state. Over four years that totals about $172,000 in tuition. That puts it mid-pack on price on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $20,066 at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus to $66,838 at Villanova University. As a private institution, its tuition does not change with residency, unlike the public universities on this list. Graduates step into a field with a $99,080 national median salary reported by the BLS. For prospective students, the main draw here is its genuine selectivity.