“It starts from the top down.”  We hear this expression used in so many ways.  Whether it’s referring to a manager’s need to supply the fun, positive attitude at the office in order for their staff to reciprocate, or how business tax cuts are supposed to, in turn, create more jobs.  Currently, the HR industry is failing to follow this time-proven model.  Starting at the top with corporate America, we as HR professionals need to encourage companies to demand graduate degrees from their exempt-level HR staff.  This will filter down, benefiting all HR professionals, current and future, by earning us more respect, more decision making power, and by helping to recruit the best and brightest college students who may still be undecided about which field to enter.

If corporate America does not encourage its exempt-level HR staff to earn graduate degrees, then the HR profession will be severely limited in how far it can develop and grow.  In its current form, the HR function will never be considered as an equal by the other facets of business, most of which are required to have those graduate degrees for employment consideration and promotion (i.e. finance, accounting, marketing, etc.)  This transition needs to take place before we get left behind just like bookkeepers have.  Before the college degree boom 10-20 years ago, a bookkeeper was a prominent, respected occupation that did not require any education, just experience with ledgers.  Times have changed.  Nowadays, who would hire someone to handle your ledger without a college degree?  Businesses used to value experience over education, but that view has reversed and industry-specific knowledge and formal education training are essential. 

Welcome to my conundrum.  As a soon to be Florida State University grad, majoring in HR, I am looking for graduate schools that offer an MBA with an HR concentration.  Unfortunately, out of more than 2000 universities in the country, there are only 13 HR graduate degree programs that are fully aligned with the curriculum standards established by SHRM!  How can this be possible you ask?  There is a direct correlation between what degrees businesses demand from their employees to what universities offer.  Because most companies are not promoting the pursuit of HR graduate degrees by not demanding it from their staff, schools do not offer it.  In turn, students are not encouraged to further their education HR.

This is preventing us from lassoing the best and brightest college students into our field.  They might end up choosing safer, more well defined routes such as finance and accounting.  After graduation from a top program, finance professionals are offered an average starting salary of $20,000-$30,000 more than someone with a degree in HR, depending on prior experience.

In order for our profession to be respected as equal and for us to be trusted with the decision making power we so deserve, this change needs to take place.  Whether personally considering earning a graduate degree or not, all HR professionals should encourage their companies to start demanding these degrees from their HR staff.  Otherwise, we may end up obsolete,  just like the bookkeepers.