Human resources professionals play a crucial role in an organization’s success: They attract, motivate, develop and retain employees. If you enjoy a high level of personal interaction and have a healthy amount of empathy and patience, advancing in this field is for you.
In the UW–Madison Online BBA in Human Resources you will learn about leadership, strategy, and decision-making that will land you in a demanding yet rewarding field. Through the highly ranked School of Business, you will gain valuable skills in communication, collaboration, problem solving, research and planning. You will learn to analyze an organization’s compensation strategy, discern the best staffing techniques, address challenges facing labor and employment relations, use the best negotiation tactics and design work systems that help employees contribute to an organization’s performance.
After you graduate, you’ll attract top national employers in a variety of industries, such as finance and insurance, health care and social assistance, professional/scientific/technical services and manufacturing. The BBA in Business Administration: Human Resources offered through UW–Madison Online will equip you for a broad array of careers, from human resources manager to compensation analyst or compliance manager.
How to Get in
Students applying to the BBA in Business Administration-Human Resources program apply through UW-Madison Online. UW–Madison Online undergraduate programs are for those applying as transfer students (i.e., those transferring at least 12 college credits). UW-Madison re-entry students may also be considered. For more information, visit the UW-Madison Online admissions website.
University Requirements
All undergraduate students must complete both the following Core General Education (Core GenEd) and University Degree and Quality of Work requirements. The requirements below apply to students whose first term at UW-Madison or whose earliest post-high school college attendance at any institution is Summer 2026 or later.
Students whose first term at UW-Madison or whose earliest post-high school college attendance at any institution occurred before Summer 2026 should refer to the archived Guide for the requirements that apply to them.
Core General Education (Core GenEd) Requirements
| Civics & Perspectives | 3 credits of Civics & Perspectives coursework. |
| Communication & Literacy | 6 credits of Communication & Literacy coursework. This requirement may be partially satisfied by a qualifying placement test score. For more information see this tiny url: https://go.wisc.edu/qualifyingenglishplacement |
| Humanities & Arts | 6 credits of Humanities & Arts coursework. |
| Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning | 6 credits of Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning coursework. This requirement may be partially satisfied by a qualifying placement test score. For more information see this tiny url: https://go.wisc.edu/qualifyingmathplacement |
| Natural Science & Wellness | Complete both:
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| Social & Behavioral Science | 3 credits of Social & Behavioral Science coursework. |
| Total Credits | 30 credits. |
For more information see the policy.
University Degree and Quality of Work Requirements
All undergraduate degree recipients must complete the following minimum requirements. Requirements for some programs will exceed these requirements; see program requirements for additional information.
| Total Degree | 120 degree credits. |
| Residency | Complete 30 credits in residence. A course is considered “in residence” if it is taken when in undergraduate degree-seeking status and:
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| Quality of Work | Achieve at least the minimum grade point average specified by the school, college, and/or academic program. |
| Math | Demonstrate minimal mathematics competence by: |
| English Language | If required to take the UW-Madison English as a Second Language Assessment Test (MSN-ESLAT), demonstrate minimal English language competence by:
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| Language | Complete one:
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| Major Declaration | Declare and complete the requirements for at least one major. |
School of Business BBA Requirements
The Wisconsin Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Business Administration online degree program combines core general education requirements with a broad coverage of core business disciplines to create a strong academic foundation upon which students delve deeply into their majors.
Liberal Studies
Liberal studies requirements must be completed prior to graduation.
| Communications A | Complete either:
|
| Microeconomics | Complete one: |
| Macroeconomics | Complete either: |
| Social Science | One 3+ credit course with the Social Science designation. |
| Math | Complete one: |
| Humanities, Literature and Arts | Two 3+ credit courses with the Humanities or Literature designations. |
| Science | 6 credits with the Biological, Natural, or Physical Science designations. Courses in or cross-listed with MATH or STAT cannot be used to meet this requirement. |
| Ethnic Studies | One 3+ credit course with the Ethnic Studies designation. |
| Ethics | Complete one: |
Business Fundamentals
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| GEN BUS 110 | Personal and Professional Foundations in Business | 1 |
| GEN BUS 106 | Foundational Skills for Business Analysis | 1 |
| GEN BUS 206 | Beginning Data Analysis for Business | 3 |
| GEN BUS 207 | Intermediate Data Analysis for Business | 3 |
| GEN BUS 301 | Business Law | 3 |
| GEN BUS 360 | Workplace Writing and Communication | 3 |
| ACCT I S 100 | Introductory Financial Accounting | 3 |
| Total Credits | 17 | |
Business Core
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ACCT I S 211 | Introductory Managerial Accounting | 3 |
| FINANCE/ECON 300 | Introduction to Finance | 3 |
| MARKETNG 300 | Marketing Management | 3 |
| M H R 300 | Managing Organizations | 3 |
| OTM 300 | Operations and Supply Chain Management | 3 |
| Total Credits | 15 | |
Business Graduation Requirements
| Cumulative Credits | Students must earn 120 degree credits. |
| Quality of Work | Students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.000. |
| Residency | Students must complete 30 degree credits in residence at UW–Madison. |
BBA in Business Administration - Human Resources Major Requirements
The BBA in Business Administration–Human Resources major is a total of 15 credits consisting of the following 3 required courses and 6 credits of M H R electives.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| M H R 305 | Human Resource Management | 3 |
| M H R 610 | Compensation: Theory and Administration | 3 |
| M H R 611 | Strategic Talent Management | 3 |
| Elective Coursework | ||
| Select a minimum of 6 additional M H R credits | 6 | |
| Total Credits | 15 | |
Learning Outcomes
- Understand that the management of human resources is vital to a successful business strategy and organizational effectiveness.
- Analyze organization compensation strategy to identify problems and develop solutions that support the organization's strategy.
- Discern which staffing techniques are poor, fair, and good predictors of employees' future job performance.
- Identify and address the various challenges currently facing labor and employment relations.
- Apply appropriate tactics in competitive and cooperative negotiations individually and as part of a negotiation team.
- Design work systems and roles that allow employees to contribute to organizational performance.
Four-Year Plan
This program is designed for transfer students, most of whom will enroll on a part-time basis. As such, there is not a four-year plan for this program. Please refer to the Requirements tab for more information about the curriculum and program plan.
Advising and Careers
Accessing Advising
Each UW-Madison Online student is assigned an academic advisor. The academic advisor will support the academic and personal success of each student including assisting students as they identify and clarify their educational goals, develop meaningful academic plans, and pursue their own Wisconsin experience.
Accreditation
AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
Accreditation status: Accredited. Next accreditation review: 2026–2027.