In the School of Industrial and Labor Relations
Undergraduate Degree
Administered by the School of Industrial and Labor Relations:
Graduate Degrees
Administered by the Graduate School:
Undergraduate Degree
The School of Industrial and Labor Relations awards a Bachelor of Science degree. All undergraduate students complete the same major requirements. Below is a sample ILR curriculum. Program is in person in Ithaca unless otherwise noted.
Students Matriculating Prior to Fall 2022
First Year
Sophomore Year
Junior and Senior Years
- ILR Electives / Distributions / General Electives (58 credits)
Students Matriculating Fall 2022 and Beyond
First Year
Sophomore Year
Junior and Senior Years
- ILR Electives / Distributions / General Electives (58 credits)
Total Credit and GPA Requirements
- Minimum total credits required for graduation: 120, of which 105 are required to be letter graded.
- ILR students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 to successfully graduate.
Learning Outcomes
The learning goals of the ILR curriculum can be summarized as follows:
Upon graduation, students in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations should have the ability to:
- Engage in critical, reasoned analyses of issues and ideas
- Explain ideas and analyses through written and oral communication
- Evaluate and apply theories and assumptions of the social science disciplines to workplace issues
- Analyze workplace issues from a variety of perspectives, including the historical, cultural, institutional and ethical perspectives
- Access, evaluate and analyze qualitative and quantitative data, so as to enhance understanding and inform decision-making
- Work independently and in cooperation with others
Graduate Degrees
The School of Industrial and Labor Relations offers both research based advanced degrees (MS/PhD), as well as professional degree programs (MILR, MPS).
Additional information on graduate degrees offered by the School of Industrial and Labor Relations can be found on ILR Graduate Programs website.
Professional Degrees
Master of Industrial and Labor Relations (MILR)
MILR is a two-year, on-campus degree based in Ithaca, NY, designed for people who aspire to leadership roles. It’s a professional degree for people ready to tackle the issues of organizational success, employee wellbeing, and labor relations. MILR covers leadership, decision-making, and conflict resolution. This degree brings both the theoretical and the practical into focus. Senior corporate executives and labor managers enrich MILR through deep interactions with students focused on real challenges faced in the workplace. Program is in person in Ithaca unless otherwise noted.
Required Courses
Six Concentration Classes
All MILR students must complete six courses in their chosen concentration. Concentrations include:
- Human Resources and Organizations
- International and Comparative Labor
- Collective Representation
- Dispute Resolution
- Labor Market Policy
Total Credits, Course, and GPA Requirements
- Minimum total credits required to graduate: 48 credit hours, encompassing at least sixteen courses comprised of six core courses, six concentration courses and elective courses.
- All courses must be taken for a letter grade, must be 5000 level or above, and students must earn C or above in each course.
- Courses must be 3 or more credits. Courses that carry less than 3 credits may be combined with another less-than-three credit course. Such instances will count as 1 course.
- MILR students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 to successfully graduate.
Master of Professional Studies in Industrial and Labor Relations
The ILR Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) Degree is designed for individuals who are already practitioners, have a minimum of 8-10 years of work experience, and want to retool or redirect their efforts to a specific competency. It is appropriate for international students who wish to obtain training in the general area of industrial and labor relations and for domestic students who are employed in the human resources field and wish to upgrade their skills and understanding. This is an unstructured program, without specific prescribed courses, which requires a research project. Program is in person in Ithaca unless otherwise stated.
Program Structure
- Two full-time semesters in residence on Cornell’s Ithaca campus.
- Students complete 30 course credits, including an eight-credit research project, developed under the guidance of a faculty supervisor.
- Specific courses are not prescribed so the student, with guidance of their advisor, may select coursework tailored to his or her background, focus of study, and goals.
- Students are expected to maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.70 with no single course or seminar grade below a letter grade C.
Executive Master of Human Resource Management (MPS Human Resources)
The Executive Master of Human Resource Management program is ideal for high-potential human resource professionals who have 8+ years of experience.
This selective 15-month program, leading to a graduate MPS degree in Human Resources, will give you the advanced knowledge and skills needed to move into senior HR roles, and enable you to develop and execute human capital strategy on a global scale. Online coursework allows you to complete the program from anywhere in the world without interrupting your career. The program features three, 1-week sessions of on-campus instruction in Ithaca, NY.
Online Courses
Ithaca, NY Courses
Capstone Case Project Courses
Total Credits and GPA Requirements
- Minimum total credits required to graduate: 30 over fifteen months.
- Students of the EMHRM program are expected to maintain a minimum cumulative gpa of 2.70 with no single course or seminar grade below a letter grade C.
Graduate Research Degrees
Doctor of Philosophy
Master’s Thesis
Students who are admitted to the MS/PhD program must complete a Master’s thesis that is approved by the members of their Special Committee, composed of:
- a chairperson, representing their major area of specialization (Labor Relations, Human Resource Studies, International and Comparative Labor, or Organizational Behavior), and
- a minor member, representing one of the other areas of specialization within the ILR School.
Students work closely with their committee members in selecting appropriate courses and developing a thesis topic. The thesis is normally completed within the first two years of the program. Upon approval by the committee, the student is admitted formally to the PhD program.
Completion of the PhD
To complete the PhD degree, the student will need to add at least one additional minor member, representing a field outside ILR, to their Special Committee. For a PhD, Cornell’s Graduate School requires:
- six units of residence credit at the graduate level,
- satisfactory work in a major and two minor subject areas, as determined by the student’s Special Committee, and
- the successful completion of the admission-to-candidacy examination, which is taken before the start of the seventh semester.
Following this examination, students complete a PhD dissertation, which must be approved by the Special Committee members. Cornell’s MS and PhD degree programs are governed by the Graduate School. Please visit their website for additional, in-depth information regarding academic requirements.
Applicants who wish to have statistics or economics as their major area of specialization should apply directly to the Graduate Fields of Statistics or Economics. They may choose to have a minor in one of the other areas of study within ILR.
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