Ranked by graduate earnings
Best colleges for Human Resources Management
50 Human Resources Management programs ranked by real graduate earnings, debt, and completion - from the College Scorecard Field-of-Study data.
Quick answer
For Human Resources Management, Cornell University (New York) ranks #1 by our outcome score, with median graduate earnings of $112,713. Rankings reflect earnings, debt, and completion - not reputation or cost - across 50 programs with published outcome data.
| # | School | Credential | Median earnings | Median debt | Completers | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ![]() Ithaca, NY | Bachelor's Degree | $112,713 | $14,000 | 282 | 95 |
| 2 | Ann Arbor, MI | Bachelor's Degree | $99,594 | $14,225 | 50 | 89.4 |
| 3 | ![]() University of Richmond, VA | Bachelor's Degree | $92,389 | $19,500 | 80 | 85.5 |
| 4 | Stony Brook, NY | Master's Degree | $92,520 | $20,500 | 148 | 85.3 |
| 5 | Columbia, SC | Master's Degree | $136,605 | $30,442 | 38 | 84.7 |
| 6 | Washington, DC | Bachelor's Degree | $97,126 | $20,939 | 36 | 84.4 |
| 7 | ![]() Minneapolis, MN | Doctoral Degree | $159,344 | - | 17 | 84.2 |
| 8 | ![]() Villanova, PA | Master's Degree | $121,007 | $36,369 | 157 | 83.7 |
| 9 | Washington, DC | Doctoral Degree | $177,867 | - | 10 | 83.1 |
| 10 | ![]() South Orange, NJ | Master's Degree | $128,177 | $30,625 | 26 | 83.1 |
| 11 | Pittsburgh, PA | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $98,082 | $22,000 | 29 | 82.7 |
| 12 | Washington, DC | Master's Degree | $120,266 | $37,500 | 115 | 82.6 |
| 13 | College Station, TX | Master's Degree | $114,364 | $29,227 | 40 | 82.5 |
| 14 | ![]() San Francisco, CA | Master's Degree | $123,772 | $40,715 | 71 | 82 |
| 15 | ![]() Ithaca, NY | Master's Degree | $155,909 | $44,500 | 104 | 81.9 |
| 16 | Arlington, VA | Master's Degree | $115,963 | - | 20 | 81.7 |
| 17 | New York, NY | Master's Degree | $104,806 | - | 35 | 81.5 |
| 18 | Philadelphia, PA | Master's Degree | $102,306 | - | 40 | 81.3 |
| 19 | Nashville, TN | Master's Degree | $138,852 | $41,872 | 46 | 80.5 |
| 20 | ![]() Minneapolis, MN | Master's Degree | $121,475 | $43,750 | 92 | 80.4 |
| 21 | ![]() Logan, UT | Master's Degree | $116,772 | $38,120 | 53 | 80.4 |
| 22 | East Lansing, MI | Master's Degree | $127,481 | $41,000 | 47 | 80.3 |
| 23 | ![]() Waco, TX | Bachelor's Degree | $89,102 | $20,475 | 30 | 80.2 |
| 24 | Master's Degree | $100,997 | - | 37 | 80 | |
| 25 | Storrs, CT | Master's Degree | $117,844 | $36,929 | 35 | 80 |
| 26 | San Francisco, CA | Master's Degree | $153,058 | $41,000 | 34 | 79.8 |
| 27 | New York, NY | Master's Degree | $108,119 | - | 14 | 79.4 |
| 28 | FGU Santa Barbara, CA | Master's Degree | $100,734 | - | 31 | 79.3 |
| 29 | ![]() Athens, GA | Master's Degree | $102,809 | - | - | 79.1 |
| 30 | Provo, UT | Bachelor's Degree | $96,354 | - | 46 | 78.9 |
| 31 | San Jose, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $108,084 | - | 12 | 78.8 |
| 32 | Washington, DC | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $168,934 | $63,497 | 45 | 78.8 |
| 33 | ![]() Saratoga Springs, NY | Associate's Degree | $90,619 | - | 223 | 78.6 |
| 34 | Bachelor's Degree | $101,195 | $25,000 | 13 | 78.5 | |
| 35 | ![]() University of Richmond, VA | Master's Degree | $94,838 | - | 43 | 78.4 |
| 36 | Columbus, OH | Bachelor's Degree | $82,371 | $19,500 | 52 | 78.3 |
| 37 | ![]() Burlington, VT | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $103,592 | $31,279 | 30 | 78.3 |
| 38 | New York, NY | Master's Degree | $125,710 | $75,192 | 66 | 78.2 |
| 39 | Los Angeles, CA | Master's Degree | $116,471 | $53,261 | 218 | 78.1 |
| 40 | Houston, TX | Master's Degree | $86,381 | $21,525 | 40 | 78.1 |
| 41 | Arlington, TX | Master's Degree | $99,635 | - | 25 | 78.1 |
| 42 | ![]() University Park, PA | Master's Degree | $103,541 | $41,000 | 190 | 78 |
| 43 | Hamden, CT | Master's Degree | $100,421 | - | - | 77.9 |
| 44 | ![]() Forest City, IA | Bachelor's Degree | $94,822 | $28,125 | 48 | 77.9 |
| 45 | Champaign, IL | Master's Degree | $114,404 | $50,712 | 151 | 77.6 |
| 46 | ![]() Adelphi, MD | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $93,043 | - | 43 | 77.4 |
| 47 | ![]() Fairfield, CT | Master's Degree | $109,545 | $34,525 | 20 | 77.3 |
| 48 | East Lansing, MI | Bachelor's Degree | $85,886 | $23,250 | 147 | 77.3 |
| 49 | ![]() Malibu, CA | Master's Degree | $123,307 | $69,120 | 47 | 77.2 |
| 50 | ![]() Jersey City, NJ | Master's Degree | $106,327 | - | 4 | 77.2 |
Hidden Gems for Human Resources Management
Lower-profile schools with a genuinely strong outcome score for Human Resources Management - the famous brand names and mega-flagships are deliberately filtered out.
| # | School | Median earnings | Admit rate | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ![]() South Orange, NJ Strong Human Resources Management outcome score, accessible admissions, lower-profile than the field’s famous names | $128,177 | 73% | 83.1 |
| 2 | ![]() San Francisco, CA Strong Human Resources Management outcome score, smaller, lower-profile campus | $123,772 | - | 82 |
| 3 | Arlington, VA Strong Human Resources Management outcome score, accessible admissions, smaller, lower-profile campus | $115,963 | 93% | 81.7 |
| 4 | New York, NY Strong Human Resources Management outcome score, accessible admissions, lower-profile than the field’s famous names | $104,806 | 76% | 81.5 |
| 5 | FGU Santa Barbara, CA Strong Human Resources Management outcome score, lower-profile than the field’s famous names | $100,734 | - | 79.3 |
| 6 | ![]() Saratoga Springs, NY Strong Human Resources Management outcome score, lower-profile than the field’s famous names | $90,619 | - | 78.6 |
| 7 | ![]() Strong Human Resources Management outcome score, lower-profile than the field’s famous names | $101,195 | - | 78.5 |
| 8 | ![]() Burlington, VT Strong Human Resources Management outcome score, accessible admissions, smaller, lower-profile campus | $103,592 | 83% | 78.3 |
| 9 | ![]() University Park, PA Strong Human Resources Management outcome score, accessible admissions, lower-profile than the field’s famous names | $103,541 | 91% | 78 |
| 10 | Hamden, CT Strong Human Resources Management outcome score, accessible admissions, lower-profile than the field’s famous names | $100,421 | 72% | 77.9 |
| 11 | ![]() Forest City, IA Strong Human Resources Management outcome score, accessible admissions, smaller, lower-profile campus | $94,822 | 77% | 77.9 |
| 12 | ![]() Jersey City, NJ Strong Human Resources Management outcome score, accessible admissions, smaller, lower-profile campus | $106,327 | 90% | 77.2 |
Hidden Gems use the same College Scorecard outcome score, then drop the pool’s most-selective brands (bottom-quartile admit rate) and largest campuses (top-quartile enrollment). Schools that don’t report admit rate or enrollment are not dropped by that guard.
How we ranked this
Programs are scored 0-100 within the Human Resources Management field (CIP 52.10) using three College Scorecard figures: median graduate earnings (weighted 70%), median federal-loan debt (20%, inverted so lower debt scores higher), and completer count (10%, log-scaled). Each input is percentile-ranked against the other Human Resources Management programs, so the score is robust to outliers and comparable across schools. Programs with no published earnings are excluded - never given a fabricated number. This is the same engine that powers our interactive Major Rankings. Minimum 5 scorable programs required to publish.
Frequently asked questions
Which college has the best Human Resources Management program?+
By our outcome score, Cornell University (New York) ranks #1 for Human Resources Management, with median graduate earnings of $112,713.
How are these Human Resources Management programs ranked?+
Each program gets a 0-100 outcome score from three real College Scorecard figures: median graduate earnings (70%), median federal-loan debt (20%, lower is better), and completer count (10%). Programs are compared within the major so the score reflects the best schools for this field specifically.
Where does the earnings and debt data come from?+
The U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard Field-of-Study file, which publishes median earnings and median debt by institution and major (4-digit CIP). Figures are post-graduation medians; programs without published earnings are not scored and are omitted from this ranking.
Can I filter Human Resources Management programs by state or degree level?+
Yes. This page shows the national top programs; use the interactive Major Rankings tool to filter the same data by state, and by credential level (bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral).
Keep exploring
Data sources: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (Field of Study) · IPEDS Completions. Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “-” and never estimated. GetInto.College does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.



















