The Best Bachelor's in Human Resources Programs in Ohio for 2027

The page we captured for John Carroll University's human resources listing describes the university's own Office of Human Resources, the department handling recruitment, onboarding, benefits, payroll, employee relations, and professional development for JCU staff, rather than a public academic curriculum page. JCU is a Jesuit, private nonprofit university in University Heights, a Cleveland suburb, with 2,864 total enrollment, the smallest campus on this list by a wide margin.

JCU carries a Program Score of 82, built on a 79% graduation rate and an 81% admit rate, the least selective school on this list. Tuition is flat at $48,700 whether a student lives in Ohio or out of state, $36,520 more than Ohio State's in-state price and $9,742 more than Ohio State's own out-of-state price. Nationally, BLS puts human resources pay at a $99,080 median (BLS Occupational Outlook: Human Resources Managers); about six months of that national-median paycheck would cover one year of JCU's $48,700 sticker price, and prospective students should confirm the current curriculum directly with JCU admissions.

The University of Akron's Leadership and Human Resources major runs through the College of Business as a BBA requiring at least 120 credit hours, with required coursework in Human Resources Selection and Staffing, Organizational Behavior and Leadership Skills, Employee and Labor Relations, Training and Development, and Business Information Systems. The college holds dual accreditation from AACSB, a distinction held by only 188 business schools worldwide, and the program lists graduate placements at The J.M. Smucker Co., Goodyear, Google, Sherwin-Williams, and InfoCision.

Akron earns a Program Score of 78.6, the No. 5 human resources program in Ohio for 2027, built on a 52% graduation rate and a 60% admit rate across 13,332 students. In-state tuition runs $10,735 a year against $18,415 out-of-state, a $7,680 gap that makes Ohio residency the biggest lever on total cost. It fits Ohio residents who want an AACSB dual-accredited HR degree at public-school pricing without leaving the state.

Walsh University's online BBA in Human Resources Management is a degree-completion program built for transfer and adult students, with a typical 12-24 month timeline. Admission requires applicants to be 21 or older, hold a 2.0 GPA or better, and bring in transfer coursework graded C- or higher. Core coursework includes BUS 318 Human Resource Management, BUS 385 Business Internship, and BUS 418 Leadership Seminar, and the program lists graduate placements as Human Resources Specialist, Talent Acquisition Coordinator, Benefits Analyst, and Employee Relations Assistant.

The program page advertises an average total cost of $18,000 after factoring in work experience, transfer credits, and aid, well below the school's published tuition of $31,515 a year (Walsh charges the same rate in-state and out-of-state). Walsh's Program Score of 78 ranks it No. 6 among Ohio human resources programs for 2027, with a 58% graduation rate and a 71% admit rate across 2,192 students. It fits adult learners with existing college credit or work experience who want a fast, structured finish over a four-year start-to-finish build.

Xavier University's Strategic Human Resource Management program is a minor offered through the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, not a standalone major. Its curriculum is built to align with SHRM's recommended guidelines and covers staffing, compensation, training and development, change management, international human resources, and labor relations. Recent graduates have taken roles as HR Generalists, Recruitment Specialists, Employee Benefit Specialists, and Talent Acquisition Coordinators at employers including Macy's, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Western and Southern Financial, and Clark Schaefer Hackett.

Xavier posts a Program Score of 77.7, good for No. 7 in Ohio for 2027, anchored by a 69% graduation rate, the highest of this group, and an 86% admit rate, the least selective of the four. Tuition is a flat $49,195 across all 5,501 students, the highest sticker price on this list. It fits students who want HR expertise as a minor alongside a primary business major at a high-completion, low-selectivity private university, and who can absorb the tuition premium.

Mount Vernon Nazarene University's BBA with a Human Resource Management concentration runs 100% online through a Christ-centered curriculum, priced at $398 per credit hour. Building on a 40-credit-hour BBA core, the HR concentration adds 15 credit hours in Training and Development, Performance and Reward Systems, Employee Relations and Services, Diversity for Organizational Performance, and Human Resource Strategy. For a student entering with 56 transferable credits, MVNU models a 55-credit, 26-month path totaling $21,857, with completion possible in as few as 21 months using prior-learning credit.

MVNU's Program Score of 76.8 ranks it No. 8 among Ohio's human resources programs for 2027, supported by a 68% graduation rate and an 84% admit rate across 1,671 students. Published annual tuition is a flat $26,719, higher than the modeled $21,857 completion-path total because that figure assumes substantial transfer credit going in. It fits transfer-heavy and working adult students who want a religiously affiliated, fully online finish and can bring existing credit to shorten the timeline.

Kent State University at Kent offers a Bachelor of Business Administration in Human Resource Management, listed with an online option. Students study compensation and benefits, human resource planning, training and development, performance management, staffing, job analysis and design, HR analytics, enterprise resource planning systems, global human resource management and employee relations. The page says the program is aligned with Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) certification. A required internship gives students work experience, and the HR Forum Series brings HR leaders to campus twice each semester. Students may apply early to the M.B.A. and double count 9 credit hours of graduate courses toward both degrees.

Federal figures show a 64% graduation rate and an 86% admit rate. Tuition at this public university is $12,742 in-state and $21,397 out-of-state. The Program Score is 72.5 out of 100, the basis of the program's ranking. The degree suits students aiming for HR generalist, compensation or training roles who want an internship built into the plan and a possible head start on an MBA.

The University of Toledo's Bachelor of Business Administration in Human Resource Management is a four-year, 120-credit degree in the Neff College of Business and Innovation. The page says majors study the full scope of HR: compensation and benefits, recruiting and selection, staff retention, conflict resolution and team building. Students consult with local companies on real HR issues through class projects, and many courses are offered online or face to face. The school reports that the majority of students earn credit and a paycheck through internships arranged with the college's career programs office, and that many lead to full-time jobs. It also says most graduates pass the optional SPHR certification exam on their first try. Students can join the Society for Human Resource Management and add a leadership minor.

The federal data show a 57% graduation rate and a 92% admit rate. In-state tuition is $10,102 and out-of-state tuition is $19,462. The program holds a Program Score of 72.1 out of 100, which is the basis of its ranking. It suits students who want a flexible schedule with an online option, practical HR project experience and paid internship credit, and who plan to work as generalists or as specialists in recruitment, compensation or benefits.