| INTRODUCTION
Human resource managers help organizations achieve their goals by:
- establishing and maintaining employee recruitment systems;
- ensuring employees' career growth and personal dignity in the workplace;
- hiring and firing employees when necessary; and
- ensuring that their employers are in compliance with state and federal laws.
Sounds kind of boring, but human resources (HR for short) is anything but boring. It is usually
one of the more exciting jobs in a business. Human resource managers do many essential things:
- they recruit, hire, and train new workers;
- they often determine wage levels paid to employees;
- they are often in charge of worker safety;
- they ensure compliance with equal employment opportunity laws; and,
- many personnel workers deal with labor relations problems.
The Human Resource Option at SDSU is for sociology majors who want to link employers with their
employees. Our program provides students with the basic principles and skills of human
resources and provides employers with competent, professional workers.
top
of page
DEMAND FOR
HUMAN SERVICE PERSONNEL
Recent social developments have
increased the need for individuals with skills in human relations.
Among these are:
- increased complexity in
employer-employee relations;
- improved education level of the
work force;
- demands for more humane treatment
of employees;
- greater complexity in government
regulations;
- greater competition for employees.
top
of page
OCCUPATIONAL
TITLES
Human resource personnel are usually
generalists in small organizations. In large bureaucratic
organizations they may specialize in any of the following:
- employee counselor
- wage administer
- personnel recruiter
- EEO compliance officer
- human resource specialist
- job analyst
- employee opinion analyst
- safety director
- training director
- organization development specialist
- personnel research manager
- benefits & services manager
- labor relations specialist
top
of page
FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS & THEIR ANSWERS
- What should I do to test my
interest in this area?
You can test your interest in
personnel management by taking Sociology of Work (SOC 353),
which is an overview of the field of human resource management. You
will also gain insight into the field by attending meetings of the
Human Resources Club.
- Are their any minors that would
compliment this option?
Most students in this option minor
in economics or business administration, but some students have
minored in political science and psychology. The selection of a
minor often depends on one's interests.
top
of page
REQUIRED
COURSES & ELECTIVES
Over and beyond the university and
college requirements, the required and elective courses in this option
are:
- SOC 100--Introduction to Sociology
- SOC 307--Research Methods I
- SOC 308--Research Methods II
- SOC 353--Sociology of Work
- SOC 403--Social Theory
- SOC 453--Industrial Sociology
- ACTG 210--Principles of Accounting
I
- three credits with a BUS, ADM, or
ECON prefix
- eight credits outside sociology
(see adviser)
- SOC 494--Internship in Sociology
(8-12 credit hours)
- fourteen credit hours in sociology or
anthropology
top
of page
FOR MORE
INFORMATION
Geoffrey Grant is the adviser of the
human resources option; you can reach him at this e-mail
address:
geoffrey_grant@sdstate.edu.
The department's internship coordinator is Joe Faltemier; e-mail him at this address:
patricia_joffer@sdstate.edu.
To learn more about internships
click
here.
top
of page
|
