MiraCosta College Community Services
Human Resources (HR) Certificate Program
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should enroll in this certificate program?
Anyone with an interest in HR is welcome! We typically have four types of people who
enroll in this program:
1) Employees who are not HR professionals, but have some responsibility for HR
within their organization (finance, accounting, office managers, etc.).
2) Small business owners who do not have a full-time HR staff and want to make
sure they are up to date on all compliance-related HR issues.
3) People who are transitioning from their current career into HR.
4) HR professionals who have not had formal (classroom) HR education and are
seeking a certificate.
What is the difference between the MiraCosta HR Certificate program and the
programs at CSUSM, UCSD, and SDSU?
This program is a non-credit program. Your certificate documents that you have
completed 24 hours of instruction in HR. For-credit programs like the ones at the
universities mentioned take much longer to complete (typically 2-4 years), are more
expensive, and have credit requirements like required reading, homework, and exams.
Some people who have completed the program at MiraCosta and would like to continue
their formal HR education go on to complete credit certificates as well. Please refer to
those organizations for any specific questions about their programs.
If I complete this certificate program, will I be able to take the PHR exam?
The PHR certification exam is offered through the Human Resources Certification
Institute, which is not affiliated with MiraCosta. You may find out more about
eligibility, test dates, and how to sign up for the exam here.
This certificate program is designed as an overview of the human resources body of
knowledge set out by the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM). While
completing the certificate will help you in your understanding of the material covered on
the exam, this is not a test preparation course. The PHR exam is quite difficult and
requires significant study time. There are self-study materials, test preparation courses,
and study groups that can help you to study for and pass the exam.