Certifications and Licensure - Management

Human Resources Certification

Certification is a voluntary action by a professional group to establish a system to grant recognition to professionals who have met a stated level of training and work experience. Certified individuals are usually issued a certificate attesting that they have met the standards of the credentialing organization and are entitled to make the public aware of their credentialed status, usually through the use of initials (i.e., PHR or SPHR) after their names.

Certifications differ from certificate programs because certifications include an experience component. Certificate programs, on the other hand, award certificates once a course of study has been completed and do not require previous work experience.

HRCI offers four certifications for HR professionals:

• PHR® (Professional in Human Resources)
• SPHR® (Senior Professional in Human Resources)
• GPHR® (Global Professional in Human Resources)
• PHR-CA and SPHR-CA (PHR with state certification in California and SPHR with state certification in California)