Overview
Now Enrolling | On-Demand Access Begins Aug 5
Six courses. Two months. Career-ready.
You spoke. We listened!
The program is now completely self-paced for your convenience.
Earn the credential. Open the door to your next opportunity.
From Recruiting to People Operations, Total Rewards Specialist, and HR Business Partner, this program helps you to take your first step on your HR career ladder or prepares you with modern tools for your next advancement.
Direct Career Application
The entire program is written with the three skills employers report move HR careers forward:
- Strategic and Agentic AI use
- People analytics and data-literacy
- Capacity to connect HR decisions to business outcomes
Program Structure:
- Delivered across six practical modules with direct career application and portfolio building activities.
- Complete all six modules and earn an ‘HR Essentials Certificate’ from USF, a recognized credential by employers.
- Each module may also be taken individually, offering badges for completion.
- Register and start the same day!
Program Breakdown: Six Courses
AI for HR: Build Career-Ready Skills in People Operations
Step into the future of HR with a hands-on foundation in core functions through the lens of modern tools and strategic thinking. This isn't a theory course. You'll build real deliverables and walk away knowing how to leverage AI to work smarter from day one.
Walk away with:
- a ready-to-use AI prompt library
- HR templates for job descriptions and onboarding
- a scenario-based decision playbook for real workplace situations
Possible Career Path
Total Rewards That Drive Careers: Compensation & Benefits Decisions Supported with AI Insights
Compensation is one of the fastest-growing specializations in HR. This module teaches you to design rewards that attract talent, monitor for signs of pay disparity, and tie directly to business outcomes.
Walk away with: a policy template library, a workplace investigation checklist, and AI-assisted compliance tools.
Possible Career Path
Employment Law for HR: Make Confident, Compliant Decisions
Legal risk is everywhere in HR, and the professionals who understand it earn trust fast. This module gives you a working knowledge of employment law (FLSA, ADA, Title VII, FMLA) and the tools to navigate investigations, compliance questions, and complex employee relations with confidence.
Walk away with: salary benchmarking templates, AI-powered compensation modeling tools, and ROI forecasting frameworks.
Possible Career Path
Strong Hiring Decisions: Talent Acquisition in the Era of AI
Great hires don't happen by accident. This module walks you through the full recruiting lifecycle – from building workforce strategies and writing job descriptions to structured interviews and offer negotiations – using modern tools that make you faster, fairer, and more effective.
Walk away with: a job description toolkit, a legal vs. illegal interview question guide, and candidate scoring tools.
Possible Career Path
Performance Management: Tools for High-Impact HR Professionals
Performance management is one of the most powerful areas tied to business outcomes in HR. This module moves you beyond annual reviews to continuous, meaningful feedback systems, with practical tools to handle tough conversations and develop employees who actually grow.
Walk away with: a performance management blueprint, SMART goal toolkit, feedback scripts, and thorough evaluation templates.
Possible Career Path
Workforce Analytics in an Evolving World of Work
Data literacy is now a daily requirement in HR. This module teaches you to collect, analyze, and visualize workforce data such as tracking turnover, engagement, hiring, and performance; and present insights that drive strategic decisions at the leadership table.
Walk away with: HR analytics dashboard templates, a KPI metrics library, and predictive turnover modeling examples.
Possible Career Path
Rich Learner Experience
- Recommended pacing checkpoints are provided, but the course is self-paced, designed for working professionals.
- No live or in-person components are required.
- Real-world scenario-based instruction.
- Portfolio-building activities.
- Mixture of video, text, and interactive elements for high engagement.