Georgia·Business and Financial Operations Occupations·SOC 13-1071

Best Human Resources Specialist programs in Georgia, ranked by enrollment

Recruit, screen, interview, or place individuals within an organization.

82 schools in Georgia run programs that feed this job, graduating 8,828 people a year. The job pays a median of $70,570 in Georgia across about 32,110 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledRecruiterHR Generalist (Human Resources Generalist)Human Resources Specialist (HR Specialist)HR Coordinator (Human Resources Coordinator)HeadhunterJob DeveloperJob RecruiterResume Writer
Graduates / yr
8,828
in Georgia
Median pay · Georgia
$70,570
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
32,110
people employed
Schools
82
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
41%
across those schools
Median net price
$21,689
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Georgia that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

5 programs in Georgia that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Georgia (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Georgia page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 52.0201In Georgia
8,138
92.2%
80$43,506$25,000
2
CIP 52.1001In Georgia
655
7.4%
28$49,084$26,536
3
CIP 42.2804In Georgia
22
0.2%
2$33,805$27,000
4
CIP 52.1099In Georgia
9
0.1%
2$49,084$26,536
5
CIP 52.1003In Georgia
4
0.0%
1$49,084$26,536

Top 25 schools in Georgia

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 50 of the 82 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
599Business Administration and Management, General$52,76652%69%
2University of Georgia
Athens, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
554Business Administration and Management, General$56,63090%38%
3Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus
Atlanta, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
449Business Administration and Management, General$73,55794%14%
4Central Georgia Technical College
Warner Robins, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
365Business Administration and Management, General47%
5Georgia Southern University
Statesboro, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
344Business Administration and Management, General$48,37455%88%
6Georgia Northwestern Technical College
Rome, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
307Business Administration and Management, General$36,83943%
7Chattahoochee Technical College
Marietta, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
293Business Administration and Management, General$38,85738%
8Mercer University
Macon, GA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
293Business Administration and Management, General70%$22,64169%
9Southern Crescent Technical College
Griffin, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
244Business Administration and Management, General58%
10Gwinnett Technical College
Lawrenceville, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
221Business Administration and Management, General$35,16232%
11University of West Georgia
Carrollton, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
198Business Administration and Management, General$44,39243%52%
12Morehouse College
Atlanta, GA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
191Business Administration and Management, General$55,56759%$36,43144%
13Georgia State University
Atlanta, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
184Business Administration and Management, General$47,73053%55%
14Valdosta State University
Valdosta, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
181Business Administration and Management, General$41,37742%72%
15Albany Technical College
Albany, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
176Business Administration and Management, General42%
16American InterContinental University - Atlanta
Atlanta, GA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
176Business Administration and Management, General$43,52821%$17,531
17Clark Atlanta University
Atlanta, GA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
170Business Administration and Management, General$30,51849%$36,71764%
18South University - Savannah Online
Savannah, GA Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
167Business Administration and Management, General$43,7737%$28,691
19Middle Georgia State University
Macon, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
165Business Administration and Management, General$49,05225%100%
20University of North Georgia
Dahlonega, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
162Business Administration and Management, General$47,44437%68%
21Georgia Southwestern State University
Americus, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
153Business Administration and Management, General$49,76541%75%
22Lanier Technical College
Gainesville, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
148Business Administration and Management, General34%
23Clayton State University
Morrow, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
131Business Administration and Management, General$46,72140%68%
24North Georgia Technical College
Clarkesville, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
128Business Administration and Management, General$28,66839%
25Atlanta Technical College
Atlanta, GA Public · 3 feeder programs
124Business Administration and Management, General49%

All 82 schools in Georgia

Every school in Georgia with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Georgia that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Kennesaw State UniversityKennesawPublic5991
University of GeorgiaAthensPublic5542
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main CampusAtlantaPublic4491
Central Georgia Technical CollegeWarner RobinsPublic3652
Georgia Southern UniversityStatesboroPublic3441
Georgia Northwestern Technical CollegeRomePublic3072
Chattahoochee Technical CollegeMariettaPublic2932
Mercer UniversityMaconPrivate not-for-profit2932
Southern Crescent Technical CollegeGriffinPublic2442
Gwinnett Technical CollegeLawrencevillePublic2212
University of West GeorgiaCarrolltonPublic1981
Morehouse CollegeAtlantaPrivate not-for-profit1911
Georgia State UniversityAtlantaPublic1841
Valdosta State UniversityValdostaPublic1811
Albany Technical CollegeAlbanyPublic1762

What human resources specialists earn in Georgia

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Georgia
$70,570
Mean annual
$77,570
Jobs in state
32,110
What the range looks like
10th pct$44,580Median$70,57090th pct$125,540
Versus the national median
-7.1%

U.S. median $75,940. Georgia pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
1.12×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Georgia

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$75,410median
20,920 jobs
Warner Robins, GA
$77,920median
470 jobs
Hinesville, GA
$75,450median
110 jobs
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
$67,120median
1,210 jobs
Brunswick-St. Simons, GA
$62,870median
190 jobs
Columbus, GA-AL
$65,550median
700 jobs
Savannah, GA
$62,690median
1,050 jobs
Gainesville, GA
$63,330median
460 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+6.2%
Faster than average
Openings per year
81,800
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
58,400
944,300 → 1,002,700
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Human Resources Specialists page.

How to become a Human Resources Specialist

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Top skills

SpeakingReading ComprehensionActive ListeningCritical ThinkingWritingActive Learning

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Georgia

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 6 majors mapped to Human Resources Specialists6 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 42.2804Industrial and Organizational Psychology
  • 52.0201Business Administration and Management, General
  • 52.1001Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General
  • 52.1003Organizational Behavior Studies
  • 52.1006Executive/Career Coaching
  • 52.1099Human Resources Management and Services, Other

Common questions

Answers for people weighing human resources specialists programs in Georgia.

What degree do you need to become a Human Resources Specialist?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Business Administration and Management, General, which awarded 8,138 degrees in Georgia in 2024-25, 92.2% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Human Resources Specialist?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 5 programs to this occupation. The largest are Business Administration, Human Resources Management and Services, Clinical. Together they graduate about 8,828 people a year in Georgia.

How much do human resources specialists earn in Georgia?+

The median is $70,570 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 7.1% below the U.S. median of $75,940. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for human resources specialists growing?+

BLS projects a +6.2% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 81,800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Georgia?+

82 institutions in Georgia reported graduates from at least one of the 5 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do human resources specialists work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Recruiter, HR Generalist (Human Resources Generalist), Human Resources Specialist (HR Specialist), HR Coordinator (Human Resources Coordinator) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 13-1071.

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

All Clema data sources and release dates →

Explore every U.S. college in one conversation

Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card