Learn About HR Certification

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Learn

HR certification is a career-long commitment. It shows your peers, your employees and your organization that you have mastered the core HR principles and are committed to your profession. Certified HR professionals around the world have received job offers, promotions and respect from their peers.

Choose the Right Certification for You

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Choose

Deciding which HR certification is best for you is an important decision. To help you determine which certification exam is right for you we suggest that you

  •  become familiar with the exam content
  •  take the FREE HR knowledge quizzes  
  •  purchase an Online Assessment Exam  

Renew Your Certification

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Recertification shows that you

  • keep current on changing HR laws, best practices and innovative labor strategies
  • ensure that your organization and its employees work at peak performance
  • remain a strategic business partner in your organization’s success

By recertifying your PHR, SPHR, GPHR or California credentials you show that you are committed to being the best you can be in your profession.

Recertification

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Calculating Recertification Credit



In addition to being HR-related, qualifying activities must be at least one hour in length. To find the number of recertification credit hours for each activity, count only the educational time spent. Do not include registration, meals, breaks, "pre-work," homework or other non-educational parts of the activity.

Recertification credit hours are calculated to the nearest quarter hour. For example, if a one-day workshop includes five hours and 20 minutes of actual educational time, the number of recertification credit hours awarded would be rounded to 5.25. 

Calculating Credit for CEUs, CLEs and College and University Courses

We recognize continuing education units (CEUs), continuing legal education (CLEs) and college and university courses as recertification credits.

If an activity earns you
recertification credits

1 CEU,for every 10 hours of classroom time (based on International Association for Continuing Education and Training [IACET])

10
1 15-week course*
15
1 12-week course*
12
1 audited course*
10

* in person or online at an accredited college or university 

Calculating Credit for Conferences and Seminars

You earn one recertification credit hour for every hour of concurrent session time, excluding meals and breaks. For example, a 75-minute session equals 1.25 recertification credit hours.

You also earn credit for general sessions if the speech lasts at least one hour and is HR-related. Activities during a meal do not count toward recertification credit. 

You will typically earn:

  • 12 credit hours for attending all of the educational sessions during a three-day HR conference. You may earn additional credit hours for a pre-conference workshop. 
  • 6 hours for a day-long seminar. (To find the number of recertification credit hours for each activity, count only the educational time spent. Do not include registration, meals, breaks, "pre-work," homework, or other non-educational parts of the activity.)

Calculating Credit for Videoconferences, Audiotapes, Webcasts and Podcasts

You will earn one credit hour for every hour to a maximum of 20 credit hours over your three-year recertification cycle.  

Calculating Credit for E-Learning/Online Courses

You will earn one credit hour for every hour. There is no credit-hour limit because e-Learning activities are interactive and typically assess the user at the end of the online session.

Calculating Credit for Chapter Meetings

Only pre-approved continuing-education activities during HR association chapter meetings qualify for recertification credit. When you report the activity on your recertification application, use the Program ID distributed by the meeting host.