The Department of Human Resource Management was established in 1995 with the founding of the Faculty of Commerce and Management studies as, Department of accountancy and Human Resource Management. The Department of Human Resource Management have a long and proud history of producing graduates equipped with profound insight in catering to the need of the Sri Lankan and the global business Community. With the upgrading of the accountancy unit into a separate Department in June 1999, the parent Department was renamed as the Department of Human Resource Management(DHRM).

One of the key milestone of the DHRM is the launching of the bi-annual publication called as "Kelaniya Journal of Human Resource Management" which is the first of its kind by an academic department of the faculty.It is a forum for intellectuals, providing and opportunity for integration of diverse perspectives in business and social realities and has earned increased recognition from both industry and academia.

The DHRM is the first academic Department in the Sri Lankan higher education system to offer a Postgraduate Diploma in HRM. This qualification provides a cutting-edge advantage as the scope of the program was extended from the year 2010 by redesignating it as a first graduate diploma in HRM leading to Masters in order to provide the mastery to engage in knowledge driven cooperate interactions.

The Department takes pride in offering The Bachelors of Business Management General external degree programs for external students from year 1999. The organization of the Students Association of Human Resource Escalations and Development (AHEAD) is a milestone in DHRM's devotion to producing prominent graduates with the strive to "Make things happen". At present, more than 450 students are studying B.BMgt.(honours) degree in Human Resource under the guidance of 28 permanent staff including one senior professors, three professors and eight PhD holders.