SHRM Professional Certification

In 2015, SHRM established two new professional certifications for HR professionals: the SHRM-CP certification for practitioners who have primarily operational HR responsibilities, and the SHRM-SCP certification for HR practitioners who primarily work on strategic HR initiatives. SHRM certifications are highly valued by employers, and having one of these certifications increases an HR practitioner’s credibility, and enhances his/her value in the job market. Some employers specifically prefer or require HR certification for employment consideration.

HR professionals who wish to become SHRM certified must meet eligibility requirements set by SHRM, and they must pass a certification exam that assesses their mastery of 15 knowledge areas of Human Resources, and their level of performance on questions related to 8 behavioral HR competencies. For more information: Click here!

All HR students are strongly encouraged to become SHRM certified as soon as they are eligible to do so. A graduate with an HR-related Bachelors degree is eligible to take the SHRM-CP exam with one year of HR experience. An alumnus with the MS degree from our program is eligible for the SHRM-CP exam as soon as she/he graduates and has an HR position.

Recently, because NYIT’s MS-HR Management and Labor Relations degree has a curriculum aligned with SHRM guidelines, SHRM approved a special eligibility program for our Masters degree students. MS students in good standing will be eligible to take the SHRM-CP exam before graduation if: 1) they are in their final year of study and 2) can demonstrate that they have a minimum of 500 hours of documented HR experience through projects, internships, or work experiences. Interested MS students should contact Professor William Ninehan for details on this special eligibility program.

The SHRM certification exams are challenging. Approximately 70% of SHRM-CP applicants pass their exam, and 57% of candidates for SHRM-SCP pass their exam. NYIT’s Center for HR Studies offers a very effective and comprehensive certification preparation course at both campuses. The course can be taken as an MS elective for 3 graduate credits, or for no credit. SHRM certification-eligible students and alumni are strongly encouraged to take this course if they are considering sitting for either certification exam. Contact Professor William Ninehan or Patricia Brustman for details on this course.