You have one year after your purchase date to complete all elements.
SHRM Specialty Credentials
Prove Your Proficiency. Demonstrate Your Passion.
SHRM Specialty Credentials are the optimal way to prove to your organization and network your credibility and dedication.
What's Your Specialty?
Build specialized knowledge and expand your influence by earning a SHRM Specialty Credential. These credentials allow HR professionals to demonstrate targeted competence in several key areas while enhancing credibility among peers and employers. Earning a SHRM Specialty Credential is an investment in your continued career development and can be accomplished by engaging in content-specific, competency-based education and achieving a successful score on an online assessment.
Specialty Credentials are an approved professional development activity for recertification credits towards your SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® certification.
Specialty Credentials
Launch your AI journey with the comprehensive, hands-on course. This intensive program features a structured learning approach, with each level building upon the previous one. You'll progress through three stages, gaining a strong foundation in AI concepts through interactive exercises and practical applications.
If you are SHRM-certified, completing this credential will earn you 30 Professional Development Credits (PDCs), which will automatically be added to your SHRM Certification profile.
In a rapidly evolving world of work, traditional hiring methods based solely on degrees and titles often miss out on qualified talent and limit organizational agility. The SHRM Foundation Skills First Specialty Credential is a cutting-edge, 16-hour, self-paced learning experience that empowers HR professionals to shift from legacy practices to a modern, skills-first approach to workforce strategy.
If you are SHRM-certified, completing this credential will earn you 16 Professional Development Credits (PDCs), which will automatically be added to your SHRM Certification profile.
HR professionals who are solo practitioners in their organizations face unique challenges. They must bring a full range of HR expertise, balance competing priorities, and work extensively through their non-HR counterparts. The SHRM HR Department of One Specialty Credential addresses these unique challenges, highlighting key areas, identifying best practices, and aiding in maximizing success in smaller organizations.
If you are SHRM-certified, completing this credential will earn you 17 Professional Development Credits (PDCs), which will automatically be added to your SHRM Certification profile.
Talent represents the largest and most significant ongoing investment for successful organizations, yet most decisions about people are still made based on intuition and instinct. Today's workplaces offer an abundance of information, enabling HR professionals to leverage data and analytics to drive business decisions and provide evidence-based recommendations. The SHRM People Analytics Specialty Credential equips HR professionals to start their journey in people analytics, allowing them to explore real-world business challenges and effectively communicate findings supported by data.
If you are SHRM-Certified, completing this credential will earn you 22 Professional Development Credits (PDCs), which will automatically be added to your SHRM Certification profile.
Sourcing, engaging, and retaining the best talent are top priorities for organizations. The SHRM Talent Acquisition Specialty Credential recognizes the crucial role of talent acquisition professionals in today's challenging business environment and validates your expertise as a strategic talent acquisition partner.
This credential addresses the specialized and rapidly evolving field of talent acquisition. It is designed to develop the skills of participants, ensuring that their talent acquisition efforts contribute to the creation of a sustainable, high-performing workforce.
If you are SHRM-certified, completing this credential will earn you 22 Professional Development Credits (PDCs), which will automatically be added to your SHRM Certification profile.
In today’s job market, the number of available positions significantly exceeds the pool of qualified talent. Workers are seeking more than just competitive salaries, and every compensation plan has its limits. How can your organization effectively access talent under these circumstances? The answer lies in SHRM’s Total Rewards Specialty Credential. This program offers the knowledge and guidance needed to create a comprehensive Total Rewards strategy, enabling your organization to attract and retain top talent. Now more than ever, it’s essential to inspire and reward workers to realize their full potential. Register now and enhance your credibility in developing a Total Rewards package that meets the demands of the modern workforce.
If you are SHRM-certified, completing this credential will earn you 21 Professional Development Credits (PDCs), which will automatically be added to your SHRM Certification profile.
Even the best-run organizations may face situations that necessitate an investigation to mitigate workplace risk. Addressing complaints demands meticulous attention from HR professionals. This includes understanding when and how to engage external counsel, determining what justifies a formal investigation, mastering effective interviewing and data gathering techniques, analyzing results, drawing conclusions, and formulating recommendations for resolution.
By earning SHRM’s Workplace Investigation Specialty Credential, you empower yourself to operate effectively and accurately as an investigator. This credential provides the skills and knowledge necessary to lead workplace investigations within your organization, ensuring both compliance and resolution.
If you are SHRM-certified, completing this credential will earn you 13.5 Professional Development Credits (PDCs), which will automatically be added to your SHRM Certification profile.
- Kaitlyn Reeves, SHRM-CP
- Jennifer Currence
- Ifedapo Adeleye, SHRM-SCP
Specialty Credentials FAQs
Please see our Accessibility policy page for the complete details on what is supported and how to request accommodations.
Specialty Credential programs are available in in-person and virtual formats (pending availability). Please view the program offerings to determine scheduling availability, as they vary.
Yes, you will be given downloadable details when you receive the Welcome Letter for the program.
The test is not timed, but should be completed in one sitting. You will have 3 attempts. This is a non-proctored test that you can take remotely.
Test results are not disclosed. You either pass or fail.
A SHRM Specialty Credential is evergreen and does not expire once it is obtained
A SHRM Specialty Credential recognizes competency-based professional development accomplished in a focused practice field. Those completing a SHRM Specialty Credential have demonstrated specialized knowledge in a complex and continually evolving topic area. Once earned, practitioners will receive a certificate of accomplishment and a digital badge verifying their specialty. In addition, SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP credential-holders who complete a SHRM Specialty Credential will have the designated set of professional development credits (PDCs) allotted to the specialty credential automatically uploaded to their SHRM Certification Portal.
The SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) and SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) are the most comprehensive competency-based certifications for HR professionals. Based upon a core set of competency and knowledge, the SHRM Body of Applied Skills and Knowledge™ (SHRM BASK), the SHRM-CP, and the SHRM-SCP provide certificants with a roadmap for achieving vital personal outcomes leading to successes such as leadership opportunities and career growth, as well as organizational successes that could include increased staff engagement, improvement of overall effectiveness and operational efficiency.
SHRM has discontinued the Caltech Specialty Credentials as part of our ongoing efforts to refine and update our credentialing portfolio, ensuring alignment with the evolving demands of the HR profession and the dynamic landscape of the workplace. However, it is important to note that existing Caltech Specialty Credentials remain valid and fully recognized by SHRM. Holders of these credentials continue to benefit from their professional value and recognition within the HR community.