Government & Economic Development Institute

HR Professional:

Required courses include:

1. Overview of Alabama Public Personnel Administration (16 hours);

2. Federal and State Laws in Human Resources (16 hours); and

3. FLSA and Other Federal Laws Administered by the DOL (16 hours)

1. Minimum 12 coursework hours from Group 2: Personnel Administration Track.

2. Minimum 12 coursework hours from Group 3: Human Resource Management Track.

3. Minimum 6 coursework hours from Group 4: Selected Issues course offerings

4. Minimum 12 elective coursework hours from Group 2, 3, or 4.

Total Required Hours: 90

HR Specialist:

Required courses include:

1. Overview of Alabama Public Personnel Administration (16 hours);

2. Federal and State Laws in Human Resources (16 hours); and

1. Minimum 18 coursework hours from Group 2: Personnel Administration Track or Group 3: Human Resource Management Track specialization.

2. Minimum 6 coursework hours from the Group 4: Selected Issues course offerings

3. Minimum 30 elective coursework hours from Group 1, 2, 3, or 4

Total Required Hours: 86

Curriculum Requirements

Application to Candidacy

Payroll Specialist:

Four required courses include:

1. The Legal Foundation of Payroll Processing

2. Payroll Processes Course 1

3. Payroll Processes Course 2

4. Accounting Foundation of Payroll Processes

Application to Candidacy

Risk Management Specialist:

Five required courses include:

1. Legal Foundations of Risk Management

2. Risk Management Basics

3. Workers’ Compensation

4. Benefits Administration

5. Occupational Safety and Health

Application to Candidacy

Registration:

Please find course offerings for Fiscal Year 2025 listed below. All classes are offered in Auburn, Alabama, and online through a Zoom platform. If you would like to attend a class through an online platform, please select the “Virtual Registration Fee” option instead of the “Registration Fee” option, which indicates in-person attendance. While in-person registrants are responsible for their own lodging and meal arrangements, a listing of nearby hotels can be found on the AO Tourism Bureau Site.

If paying by check, please make payable to Auburn University for class registration fees. Note that registration fees for classes within the Alabama Association of Public Personnel Administrators’ Certification programs are separate from AAPPA membership fees and AAPPA conference registration fees. However, AAPPA membership is required for certification and certification maintenance (continuing education).

To register for the annual AAPPA/PSHRA conference or find information about membership, please visit the Alabama Association of Public Personnel Administrators website.

2026 PSHRA Conference
August 24- August 27, 2026
Embassy Suites Gulf Shores, AL
112 West Beach Blvd. Gulf Shores, AL 36542
For information and to register

Online Registration

SCHEDULE

Developing Personnel Policies and Procedures
June 4-5, 2026 (12 hours); Auburn $290

Payroll Processes Course I
June 11, 2026 (6 hours); Auburn $230

Payroll Processes Course II
June 12, 2026 (6 hours); Auburn $230

Accounting Foundations of Payroll Processing
June 26, 2026 (6 hours); Auburn $230

Recruitment, Selection, & Retention
July 23-24, 2026 (12 hours); Auburn $290

Risk Management Basics
August 6, 2026 (6 hours); Auburn $230

Workers' Compensation
August 7, 2026 (6 hours); Auburn $230

Federal and State Laws
October 1-2, 2026 (16 hours); Auburn $230

FLSA, FMLA, USERRA and Other DOL Laws
October 15-16, 2026 (16 hours); Auburn $320

Online Registration

Continuing Education Reporting

After completion of the certification program and awarding of the certification designation, participants must maintain their certification by continuing education. The continuing education reporting is due on September 1st. All hours must be completed before the September 1st deadline of your designated reporting year. You are only required to report documentation of attendance for hours outside of GEDI and AAPPA. If you have outside hours that you would like to work toward your certification(s), you can email gedi@auburn.edu with the required documentation at any given time before your recertification deadline. If you are unsure of your recertification deadline or reporting year, you can reach out to the email listed above.

Continuing Education Requirements

HR Professional and Specialist

Twenty-four hours of approved courses must be successfully completed by September 1st every two years to maintain certification. These hours may consist of any courses described in the AAPPA, Payroll Certification, or Risk Management Certification curriculum, which have not already been taken within the last five years, and attendance and participation in the Annual Conference (six hours), and attendance and participation in the pre-conference courses/workshops (six hours).

For re-certification purposes, 12 hours of course credit must be completed through courses offered by the AAPPA, in accordance with guidelines as noted in the AAPPA Education Description. Participants may receive up to 12 hours of credit from courses recognized by the following national organizations: HRCI, SHRM, IPMA, CLE.

Payroll Specialist

Twelve hours of approved courses must be successfully completed every two years to maintain certification. These hours may consist of any courses described in the AAPPA, Risk Management or Payroll Certification curriculum, which have not already been taken within the last five years, or attendance and participation in the Annual Conference (six hours), and attendance and participation in the pre-conference courses/workshops (six hours).

For maintenance of certification purposes, 6 hours of course credit must be completed through courses offered by the AAPPA, the AAPPA Conference attendance or Pre-Conference attendance.

Participants may receive up to 6 hours of credit from courses recognized by the following national organizations: SHRM, HRCI, IPMA-HR, as well as approved CPE courses recognized by the American Payroll Association, National Association of State Boards of Public Accountancy, Government Finance Officers Association, Government Finance Officers Association of Alabama, and CLEs approved by the Alabama State Bar Association.

Risk Management Specialist

Twelve hours of approved courses must be successfully completed every two years to maintain certification. These hours may consist of any courses described in the AAPPA, Payroll or Risk Management curriculum, which have not already been taken within the last five years, or attendance and participation in the AAPPA Annual Conference (six hours), and attendance and participation in the pre-conference courses/workshops (six hours).

For maintenance of certification purposes, 6 hours of course credit must be completed through courses offered by the AAPPA, the AAPPA Conference attendance or Pre-Conference attendance.

Participants may receive up to 6 hours of credit from courses recognized by the following national organizations: HRCI, SHRM, IPMA-HR, PRIMA, NSC. Also, these programs will be accepted: Alabama Workers Comp Update, ACCA Safety Incentive Discount Program, ALM Loss Control Division Program, and the Governor’s Safety & Health Conference.

Policies

• Written registration cancellations received 15 working days prior to the course’s beginning will receive a partial refund of the registration fee, less an administrative fee of $50.00. Note that refunds are only allowed for credit card payments, as Auburn University will not refund check payments unless the agency is a registered vendor of the university.

• Due to commitments with instructors and meeting facilities, late cancellations or non-attendance will not be refunded. However, substitutions for registered participants may be made any time before the course’s registration deadline.

• Participants must attend the entirety of the course to receive its associated credits. A participant who misses any portion of the course will be required to retake it in its entirety to receive credit.

• Online participants must activate their anterior camera through Zoom for the entirety of the course, ensuring that they are present and visible for all sessions.