Bachelor of Arts in Human Relations

Format: Online
Application Deadlines
  • Spring 2026 Priority Deadline: November 3, 2025
  • Spring 2026 Regular Deadline: December 1, 2025

Human Relations is a field of study for those who enjoy working with people, and have good ideas about how to make the workplace more effective and satisfying. The BA in Human Relations degree prepares students to understand and skillfully respond to various challenges of human behavior, interaction, and relationships in our evolving and increasingly global, diverse, and technologically oriented world of work. Additionally, students gain the leadership, managerial, and supervisory skills to advance within their organizations.

Drawing on the fields of psychology, sociology, business, communications, and the humanities, students examine the organizational forms, practices, and policies that can foster or hinder the development of productive relationships and organizational success.  Students develop the necessary knowledge and skills to make these relations and their workplaces more effective.

Students in the program:

  • Evaluate workplace problems, and construct and communicate well-researched and relevant solutions.
  • Utilize key human relations, sociological, and psychological concepts to foster collaboration, motivation, and employee engagement.
  • Investigate how various forms of social inequality and difference impact human relations in the workplace, and contribute to efforts to improve organizational policy and culture.
  • Develop relevant strategies for conflict prevention, negotiation, and resolution in workplace settings.

For Information About This Program

Please contact Lianna Scull at lianna.scull@cuny.edu.

As of Spring 2022, all courses in the HRL program are offered fully online and asynchronously. Any questions pertaining to the program should be directed to Lianna Scull, Assistant Director, Sociology and Human Relations programs.

Career Prospects

Students of the program are prepared to enter or further their careers in a wide spectrum of government, corporate, and non-profit organizations in areas such as health care, human and social services, education, public administration, business, coaching, and human resources. The degree also offers students a solid foundation to pursue graduate studies in organizational behavior and development, industrial/organizational psychology, human resources, social work, healthcare management, business and public administration, and applied sociology.

Articulation Agreements

Articulation agreements are formal agreements between CUNY School of Professional Studies, (CUNY SPS) and two-year colleges and universities, allowing students to transfer the maximum number of credits with ease to our BA in Human Relations program from institutions with which we have an established transfer process in place.

Scholarship Opportunities

 

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Admissions Criteria

Applicants must possess at least 24 transferrable credits from an accredited institution with a minimum GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. Applicants need to demonstrate basic proficiency in reading, writing, and math.

Application Deadlines

  • Spring 2026 Priority Deadline: November 3, 2025
  • Spring 2026 Regular Deadline: December 1, 2025
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Student/Alumni Profiles

Nini Larkin

BA in Human Relations 2022

"I hope to participate in CUNY SPS events as a proud alumna. I already see how quickly our School is evolving and can't wait to see its impact in the next five years!"

Parshotam Lal

BA in Human Relations 2021

"Coming to CUNY SPS and finding my passion in the Human Relations program really helped me understand who I am and where I want my education to be applied."

Krystyna Audain

BA in Human Relations

"I chose the BA Human Relations degree at CUNY SPS because I believe it is a degree that STANDS OUT. The course structure will challenge, motivate, and inspire you to not just be a better professional, but also a better person."

Samaya Yashayeva

BA in Human Relations

"My inspiration for completing the bachelor’s degree in human relations is to show my four children and me that anything is possible."

Recent news about Bachelor of Arts in Human Relations

CUNY School of Professional Studies alumni who served as student leaders during their time at CUNY SPS. From left: Leonard Blades, Lennyn Jacob, and Asantee Mitchelln

Annual Leadership Retreat Offers Student Leaders Practical Solutions

September 24, 2025

CUNY SPS hosted a special series of workshops focused on providing tools for student leaders over a four-day period. The hybrid series featured numerous specialists in leadership who shared their advice on best practices.

Want to Try Driving a City Bus, Hauling Trash or Building a Skyscraper?

May 02, 2025

New York Times

CUNY SPS Sociology and Human Relations Instructor diana ballesteros is part of the New York Hall of Science's research and development team, which was recently covered in a New York Times article. The project reimagines how science centers can reach broader audiences through meaningful engagement and the design, make, and play approach. In particular, the current exhibition, CityWorks, showcases how our understanding of STEM is evolving, as we pay close attention to the way that cities change over time.
CUNY SPS Human Relations BA earns affordability ranking

Most Affordable Online Human Resources Degree Bachelor’s Program

January 28, 2025

Affordable Degree Guide

The CUNY SPS Human Relations bachelor's degree program has received a top ranking from the Affordable Degree Guide in recognition of its outstanding value. Named #11 on the registry of top-ranked online institutions, the Human Relations BA earned the high rating because of its academic rigor and enhanced curriculum.

23rd Annual CUNY IT Conference

November 25, 2024

City University of New York

CUNY SPS will be well represented at the 23rd Annual CUNY IT Conference: Advancing CUNY: Intentional Connections & Smart Collaborations, to be held on December 5 and 6, 2024. Presenters include faculty Joseph Foy (Business); Lilly Mathew, Olga Kagan, and Mary Joy Garcia (Nursing); and Lianna Scull (Sociology and Human Relations); as well as nine staff members from the School's Offices of Faculty Development and Instructional Technology, Student Financial Services, Institutional Research, and Academic Advisement.
Student with laptop

Circle of Success Expands Programming to Support SEEK Students

August 22, 2024

SEEK students participated in a three-part series of workshops presented by alums in the Circle of Success program during the Spring semester.