The human resources management degree program is designed to provide the academic foundation required by professional human resource practitioners and researchers. In addition to those courses required for everyone in the University and the courses in the Common Body of Knowledge, specialized courses in human resources management provide the individual with the foundation for a professional leadership career in the human resources area as well as for further work in graduate education. An important component of the curriculum is the preparation for and the qualifying of graduates to sit for the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification examination, which is administered by the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI).