Training government since 1921

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Federal HR training built around how your agency works

Taught by federal HR practitioners, and delivered your way: onsite, live online, or self-paced.

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Trusted across the federal government

Since 1921
training the federal workforce
500,000+
government employees trained
125+
federal agencies served
200+
federally experienced instructors
400+
courses and certificates
Entry to advanced
every level of the HR career
U.S. Department of AgricultureU.S. Department of the TreasuryU.S. Department of CommerceU.S. Department of EnergyU.S. Department of Veterans AffairsU.S. Department of DefenseU.S. Department of Homeland SecurityU.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesU.S. Department of JusticeU.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Department of LaborU.S. Department of TransportationU.S. Office of Personnel ManagementU.S. General Services AdministrationU.S. Department of StateNASA

Agency seals reflect organizations Graduate School USA has trained. They do not imply endorsement by, or affiliation with, any federal agency.

Delivered your way

Every format draws on the same practitioner-built curriculum and federally experienced instructors. Choose what fits your headcount, timeline, and budget, or combine them.

A Graduate School USA instructor teaching a live online session

Live online

Send one HR specialist to a scheduled live online class on veterans' preference, category rating, or CSRS and FERS benefits

  • Ask questions and work real cases live
  • Cohort dates published for every program
  • One free retake within a year
A federal employee working through a self-paced Graduate School USA course

Self-paced eLearning

Staff keep moving on classification, staffing, and benefits coursework between hiring surges and case deadlines

  • No cohort to wait for
  • Same CEUs and credential at the end
  • Attend the live class free within a year
Federal staff working together in a training room

Onsite for your team

Bring classification, employee relations, and FLSA pay setting onsite, using your agency's own position descriptions

  • Delivered on your schedule
  • Tailored to your policies and real cases
  • One agreement covers the cohort
A Graduate School USA advisor meeting one-on-one with an agency client

Private group training

Bring a cohort onsite and the casework is yours: your own position descriptions and classification appeals, your adverse and performance-based action files, your veterans' preference and category rating decisions, and the labor agreement your negotiators actually have to administer.

  • Any course or certificate in our catalog, delivered onsite, live online, or blended
  • A new course built to your specification when nothing off-the-shelf fits
  • Scheduled around your calendar, for a cohort of any size
  • Rostering, progress, and completion reporting for the whole group
Request private trainingGet a group quote

Open enrollment

When one classifier needs Advanced Position Classification, or a single benefits specialist needs CSRS and FERS, register them into a scheduled public session and let them compare practice with HR specialists from other agencies.

  • A published schedule across the federal HR curriculum, entry to advanced
  • Live online, or in person at 1050 Connecticut Ave NW in Washington, DC
  • No minimum headcount and no setup: register and go
  • The same practitioner instructors and materials as our private cohorts
Browse the HR course schedule
A Graduate School USA instructor leading a federal HR class

Federal HR, end to end

From position classification to executive development, our curriculum covers the whole of federal HR. Explore the areas your team needs and the courses in each.

Browse all federal HR training

Classification

Position descriptions, position management, and classification appeals.
Basic Position Classification Intermediate Position Classification Advanced Position Classification Writing Position Descriptions Federal Position Management

Recruitment, Staffing, and Placement

Federal staffing, veterans' preference, job analysis, and category rating.
Introduction to Federal Staffing and Placement Job Analysis for Federal Hiring Adjudicating Veterans' Preference Category Rating and Selection

Employee Benefits

CSRS and FERS, health benefits, and SSA entitlements for administrators.
CSRS and FERS Retirement and Benefits Federal Employee Benefits for Administrators Federal Employee Health Benefits Benefits and SSA Entitlements

Foundational Federal HR

The three-level Certified Federal HR Practitioner ladder and HR processing.
Certified Federal HR Practitioner (Level I) Certified Federal HR Advisor (Level II) Certified Federal HR Business Partner (Level III) Federal HR Processing Certificate

Employee Relations

Adverse and performance-based actions, conduct, FMLA, and EEO.
Federal Employee Relations (Basic) Federal Employee Relations (Intermediate) Adverse Conduct and Performance-Based Actions FMLA for Supervisors and HR EEO in the Federal Government

Labor Relations

Negotiating and administering federal labor agreements.
Federal Labor Relations (Basic) Federal Labor Relations (Intermediate) Negotiating Federal Labor Agreements

Training and Development

Employee development, instructor training, and instructional design.
Federal Employee Development Instructor Training Instructional Design Essentials Briefing Techniques

HR for Supervisors and Managers

HR fundamentals, compliance, and decision-making for federal leaders.
HR Management for Supervisors and Managers HR Compliance and Risk Awareness HR Execution and Decision-Making Sexual Harassment Prevention for Supervisors

Performance Management

Federal performance management and performance-based actions.
Federal Performance Management Managing Employee Conduct and Performance AI for Employee Performance Management

Qualifications and Assessments

Qualifications analysis, job analysis, and category rating.
Qualifications Analysis Job Analysis for Federal Hiring Category Rating and Selection

Compensation

GS and FWS pay setting and the full FLSA suite.
FLSA Bootcamp Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Pay Setting: General Schedule Pay Setting: Federal Wage System Exempt/Nonexempt Determinations

AI for Federal HR

Applying AI to federal HR work, with the judgment, privacy, and compliance it requires.
AI for Federal HR Bootcamp AI for Federal HR AI for Federal HR Classification AI for Federal Employee Relations AI for Employee Performance Management AI for Federal Employee Benefits AI for Federal Employee Retirement AI Governance and Compliance for Federal HR

Competitive Examining

Examining, category rating, and selection for federal jobs.
Examining for Federal Wage System Jobs Category Rating and Selection Job Analysis for Federal Hiring

Executive Management

ECQ-aligned executive development and strategic human capital.
Executive Potential Program Strategic Human Capital Management Federal Workforce Analysis and Planning

HR IT Management and Systems

Workforce analytics, planning, and HR consulting skills.
Using and Presenting HR Data Federal Workforce Analysis and Planning Internal Consulting Skills for Federal HR

The federal HR certificate program, in three levels

Three stacked levels move a specialist from fundamentals to strategic business partner: Certified Federal HR Practitioner, Certified Federal HR Advisor, and Certified Federal HR Business Partner, six courses each, built on OPM's HR competency model.

Level I

Certified Federal HR Practitioner (Level I)

Federal HR fundamentals: classification, staffing, employee relations, EEO, performance, compensation, and HR data, built on OPM's HR competency model.

6 courses · 16 days · 10.8 CEUs
View the certificate
Level II

Certified Federal HR Advisor (Level II)

Advisor-level practice: employee development, FLSA determinations, intermediate employee relations, job analysis, GS pay setting, and qualifications analysis. Builds on Level I.

6 courses · 15 days · 9 CEUs
View the certificate
Level III

Certified Federal HR Business Partner (Level III)

Strategic business-partner skills: internal consulting, position management, workforce planning, strategic human capital, and behavioral interviewing. Completes the ladder.

6 courses · 13 days · 7.8 CEUs
View the certificate

Vetted procurement, right from the GSA Schedule

Graduate School USA is a GSA Multiple Award Schedule contract holder, allowing federal agencies and other qualifying organizations to confidently purchase our services.

  • GSA MAS contract 47QRAA24D004K, SINs 611430 (professional training) and 541611 (management/administrative consulting)
  • Held as American Public Training LLC d/b/a Graduate School USA; UEI LA83MCFN1ST3; CAGE 99AA0
  • We work with your training office on the paperwork, whether a Schedule order, purchase order, or an SF-182.
View our GSA Schedule on eLibrary Email the group training team
Graduate School USA staff welcoming agency colleagues
A historical Graduate School USA faculty and leadership gathering, reflecting the institution's roots as the USDA Graduate School since 1921

An established HR training institution

Graduate School USA's federal HR curriculum is designed and taught in-house by practitioner instructors with decades of federal service, not licensed from a generic library.

  • Founded 1921 as the USDA Graduate School; 500,000+ government employees trained across 125+ agencies
  • ACCET-accredited (ACCET is a U.S. Department of Education-recognized accreditor)
  • Center for Leadership and Management runs ECQ-aligned executive development, including the Executive Potential Program since 1995
  • 200+ federally experienced subject-matter experts across 400+ courses and certificates
  • Available on an active GSA MAS Schedule (SINs 611430 and 541611)

Questions agencies ask

The answers training officers and HR directors ask for most, in one place.

How does my agency buy training from Graduate School USA?
Graduate School USA holds GSA Multiple Award Schedule contract 47QRAA24D004K (SINs 611430 and 541611), so you can place a pre-priced order directly under FAR Subpart 8.4 without running an open-market procurement. We accept the SF-182, Schedule orders, government purchase orders, and purchase cards for micro-purchases.
Can we pay with an SF-182?
Yes. Register online, choose the Funding Document payment option at checkout, and upload the completed, signed SF-182. We process the enrollment and invoice your agency per the SF-182 billing instructions. A completed SF-182 is required at registration for any enrollment not paid by credit card.
Can a class be done in a single day?
Many of our courses are scheduled as one-day classes while others run longer, so each course page lists that course's duration. Longer subjects can also be delivered privately in a shortened format on request, or taken self-paced, and standard daytime class hours run 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern.
What is the difference between private group training and open enrollment?
Open enrollment classes are scheduled public sessions anyone 18 or older can register for, taken live online or at our Washington, DC campus at 1050 Connecticut Ave NW. Private group training delivers a course for your agency's own cohort, about five or more participants, tailored to your agency and delivered onsite, live online, or blended.
What if someone we booked for a private session cannot attend?
Our documented policy lets students reschedule to a future session of the same course, and the group training team can walk you through the options for a booked participant who cannot attend. For the exact handling of your situation, contact onsite@graduateschool.edu or (888) 744-4723.
Can employees train self-paced, and still take the live class later?
Yes. Our self-paced online courses include pre-recorded video lessons, hands-on exercises, and access to an instructor for questions, and a learner can start anytime. When you buy the self-paced course, the learner may also attend the live instructor-led course for free within one year.
Can courses be tailored to our agency's policies and regulations?
Yes. We tailor existing courses to reflect your agency's policies, procedures, examples, and case studies, and we can develop new courses for unique requirements. Self-paced OnDemand courses can be customized the same way, all delivered under GSA contract 47QRAA24D004K.
Is there a structured certificate path for our federal HR staff?
Yes. We offer a three-level federal HR ladder: Certified Federal HR Practitioner Level I (CFHRP), Certified Federal HR Advisor Level II (CFHRA), and Certified Federal HR Business Partner Level III (CFHRBP). It gives your HR development office a stackable progression from practitioner to strategic business partner.
What if an employee needs to repeat a class?
We offer one free retake of a class within one year, so a first attempt is never wasted if someone is reassigned, deployed, or needs a refresher before applying the material.
Can training be delivered virtually or in person?
Both. Courses are offered as live virtual instruction or in-person onsite at your facility or at our Washington, DC location, and some programs blend live sessions with self-paced work.
What's new in your federal HR training?
Quite a bit. Our HR curriculum is refreshed to current federal law, policy, and regulation; we added AI for federal HR courses across classification, employee relations, performance, benefits, and governance; every course now runs in a modern learning portal with an always-available AI coach; and self-paced online options let a learner start anytime and still take the live class for free within a year.
Should we put our HR specialists through the three-level certificate ladder, or just send them to the individual courses they need?
The ladder is built for people who own the whole federal HR portfolio. Level I, Certified Federal HR Practitioner, runs six courses over 16 days across classification, staffing, employee relations, EEO, performance, compensation, and HR data. Level II moves into advisor work such as FLSA determinations, job analysis, GS pay setting, and qualifications analysis, and Level III covers internal consulting, position management, workforce planning, and strategic human capital. If a specialist only needs one lane, send them straight to it: FLSA Bootcamp, Adjudicating Veterans' Preference, or Writing Position Descriptions.
Leadership wants us using AI in HR operations. Is there anything for HR specifically, or only general AI training?
There is a dedicated AI for Federal HR area rather than a single general course. It starts with the AI for Federal HR Bootcamp and AI for Federal HR, then splits into the functions your staff actually sit in: classification, employee relations, employee performance management, and employee benefits. The framing throughout is the judgment, privacy, and compliance federal HR work requires, not tool demonstrations.

Plan your agency's HR training

Tell us your topics, headcount, and timeline, and we'll propose the right mix for your team.

Group training team
onsite@graduateschool.edu
Main line: (888) 744-4723

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