Industrial and Labor Relations (MILR)
Graduate School
Graduate Field
Industrial and Labor Relations
Program Description
Administered by the Graduate School, the master of industrial and labor relations (M.I.L.R.) program is a professional degree designed for aspiring leaders in the fields of human resource management, human capital consulting, and labor relations.
Special Academic Options
One-Year M.I.L.R.
Applicants with a JD or MBA degree from an accredited U.S. institution or a BS ILR degree from Cornell University and at least 1-2 years of full-time work experience, may apply to complete the M.I.L.R. degree program in one year. Not all applicants will be approved for the one-year option, but each application will be evaluated individually by the admissions committee. Approved students will receive 18 credits of advanced standing. Eligible students must:
- Complete a total of 30 credits in the M.I.L.R program
- Complete 2 full-time semesters in the M.I.L.R. program
- Complete or waive all 6 of the M.I.L.R. required courses
- Complete or waive four of the six concentration courses
- Complete as many relevant and appropriate electives as needed to fulfill the 30 credit requirement
Program Information
- Program Mode of Delivery: In Person
- Program Location: Ithaca, NY
- Minimum Credits for Degree: 48
- Program Length: Two-year, Full-time study
Program Requirements
Minimum total credits required to graduate: 48 credit hours, encompassing at least 16 courses comprising six core courses, six concentration courses, and elective courses. A minimum of two full-time semesters and a maximum of four full-time semesters.
- 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.
- Transfer credits are not accepted into the M.I.L.R. degree program.
- Approved one-Year M.I.L.R. students will receive 18 credits of advanced standing towards their total degree requirements.
Required Courses (18 Credits)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ILRGL 5000 | Labor Relations | 3 |
| ILRGL 5010 | Labor and Employment Law | 3 |
| ILRHR 5600 | Human Resource Management | 3 |
| ILRLE 5400 | Labor Economics | 3 |
| ILROB 5200 | Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| ILRHR 5050 | HR Statistics and Analytics | 3 |
Human Resources & Organization Concentration Classes (minimum of 18 credits)
Students select 6 courses of 3+ credits (or combination of credits). Courses include any ILR course at the 5000-level or above. Students are strongly recommended to enroll in ILRHR 6910 Strategy and Finance for HR Professionals and ILRHR 5610 Practicum in Human Resource Management to fully participate in the HR Bundle.
Elective Classes (minimum of 12 credits)
Students select 4 courses of 3+ credits (or combination of credits). Elective courses include any ILR course at the 5000-level or above. Students may also choose from the following list of approved courses offered outside of the ILR School:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| AEM 5310 | Global Strategy | 3 |
| AEM 5710 | Interpersonal Influence and Impact | 1.5 |
| AEM 5840 | Python Programming for Data Analysis and Business Modeling | 3 |
| AEM 5850 | R Programming for Business Analytics and Data Visualization | 3 |
| AEM 6325 | Leadership and Management in Sports | 3 |
| AEM 6440 | Consumer Behavior | 3 |
| AEM 7000 | Individual Study in Applied Economics and Management | 0.5-9 |
| COMM 6750 | Research Methods for Social Networks and Social Media | 3 |
| COMM 6800 | Studies in Communication | 3 |
| COMM 6810 | Advanced Communication Theory | 3 |
| CRP 5320 | Real Estate Development Process I | 1.5 |
| DEA 6200 | Studies in Human-Environment Relations | 3 |
| DEA 6510 | Human Factors and Inclusive Design | 3 |
| ENMGT 5101 | Introduction to Python for Engineering | 1 |
| ENMGT 5900 | Project Management | 4 |
| ENMGT 5920 | Product Management | 3 |
| ENMGT 5930 | Data Analytics | 3 |
| GDEV 5130 | Introduction to Social Science Research Methods | 3 |
| GDEV 5230 | Gender and Development | 3 |
| GDEV 6210 | Foundations of Environmental Sociology | 3 |
| GOVT 7073 | Game Theory I | 4 |
| HADM 5275 | Introduction to Machine Learning in Business | 3 |
| HADM 6110 | Negotiations in the Hospitality Industry | 3 |
| HADM 6111 | Negotiations | 1.5 |
| HADM 6115 | Managing Professional Relationships | 3 |
| HADM 6130 | Entrepreneurial Management | 3 |
| HADM 6140 | Innovation and Corporate Renewal | 3 |
| HADM 6144 | Developing an Entrepreneurial Mindset | 1.5 |
| HADM 6145 | Business Model Innovation and Design | 3 |
| HADM 6190 | Key Drivers for Making Innovation Happen | 1 |
| HADM 6200 | Principles of Real Estate | 3 |
| HADM 6240 | Analysis of Financial Statements | 3 |
| HADM 6265 | Mastering Strategy Execution: Control Systems to Win | 3 |
| HADM 6310 | Environmental, Social and Governance Strategy in the Food and Beverage Industry | 3 |
| HADM 6350 | Selection, Procurement and Supply Chain Management | 3 |
| HADM 6432 | Advanced Topics in Strategic Management | 3 |
| HADM 6470 | Consumer Behavior | 3 |
| HADM 6480 | Brand Management | 3 |
| HADM 6620 | Intercultural Communication in Global Business | 3 |
| HADM 6740 | Fundamentals of Database Management and Data Analysis | 3 |
| HADM 6770 | Advanced Business Modeling | 1.5 |
| HADM 6800 | Law for Entrepreneurs | 3 |
| HADM 6835 | 3 | |
| HADM 7030 | Operations Management | 3 |
| HADM 7273 | Leadership and Ethics | 3 |
| HADM 7430 | Marketing Management for Services | 3 |
| HADM 7610 | Management Communication | 3 |
| HIST 6655 | Revolution: An Intellectual History | 3 |
| INFO 5125 | Project Management | 3 |
| INFO 5355 | Human Computer Interaction Design | 3 |
| INFO 6310 | Behavior and Information Technology | 3 |
| INFO 6450 | Computer-Mediated Communication | 3 |
| LAW 6566 | Intensive Depositions | 1 |
| LAW 6898 | The Art of Negotiation in Business and Sports | 2 |
| LAW 7295 | Global Labor and Employment Law | 3 |
| LAW 7857 | Farmworker Legal Assistance Clinic I | 1-6 |
| MGMT 5010 | Data Modeling | 1.5 |
| MGMT 5080 | Operations Management | 1.5 |
| MGMT 5090 | Strategy | 1.5 |
| MGMT 5245 | Managerial Economics | 1.5 |
| MGMT 5640 | Entrepreneurship | 1.5 |
| MGMT 5680 | Management Communication | 1.5 |
| MGMT 5830 | Investments | 1.5 |
| MGMT 6220 | Marketing Strategy | 1.5 |
| MGMT 6820 | Negotiations | 1.5 |
| NBA 5020 | Managerial Accounting and Reporting I: Fundamentals of Cost Analysis | 1.5 |
| NBA 5025 | Managerial Accounting and Reporting II: Costing Systems to Support Strategy | 1.5 |
| NBA 5060 | Financial Statement Analysis | 1.5 |
| NBA 5090 | Advanced Financial Statement Analysis | 1.5 |
| NBA 5100 | Social Entrepreneurship | 1.5 |
| NBA 5110 | Financial Modeling | 1.5 |
| NBA 5111 | Foundations of Financial Modeling | 3 |
| NBA 5140 | Ethics and Corporate Culture | 1.5 |
| NBA 5150 | Leadership Theory and Practice | 3 |
| NBA 5180 | Design and Innovation | 1.5 |
| NBA 5245 | Introduction to Macroeconomics | 3 |
| NBA 5255 | Geoeconomics: Where Macroeconomics and International Finance Meet Geopolitics | 1.5 |
| NBA 5330 | Management Cases | 1.5 |
| NBA 5380 | The Business Idea Factory | 1.5 |
| NBA 5390 | Profiles in Leadership | 1.5 |
| NBA 5410 | Project Management | 1.5 |
| NBA 5530 | Accounting and Financial Decision Making | 3 |
| NBA 5580 | Corporate Financial Policy | 1.5 |
| NBA 5590 | The Venture Capital Industry and Private Equity Markets | 0.5 |
| NBA 5615 | Digital Platform Strategy | 1.5 |
| NBA 5640 | The Business of Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| NBA 5690 | Management Consulting Essentials | 1.5 |
| NBA 5780 | Consulting Problem-Solving Process | 1.5 |
| NBA 5790 | Applied Principles of Business Strategy | 1.5 |
| NBA 5911 | Risk Management in Emerging Markets | 3 |
| NBA 5980 | Behavioral Finance | 1.5 |
| NBA 5991 | Global Business Strategy | 3 |
| NBA 6029 | Leading Agile Innovation | 1.5 |
| NBA 6030 | Strategies for Sustainability | 1.5 |
| NBA 6050 | Strategy Formulation and Competitive Analysis | 3 |
| NBA 6060 | Evaluating Capital Investment Projects | 1.5 |
| NBA 6070 | Designing and Building AI Solutions | 1.5 |
| NBA 6090 | Digital Marketing | 1.5 |
| NBA 6100 | Applied Operations Strategy | 1.5 |
| NBA 6130 | Topics in Leadership: Women in the Workplace | 1.5 |
| NBA 6135 | AI & Society | 1.5 |
| NBA 6145 | AI Strategy and Applications | 1 |
| NBA 6200 | Marketing Research | 3 |
| NBA 6215 | Introduction to Python for Business | 1.5 |
| NBA 6220 | Marketing Strategy | 1.5 |
| NBA 6260 | Consumer Behavior | 1.5 |
| NBA 6340 | Customer Analytics and Strategy | 1.5 |
| NBA 6370 | Current Global Issues for Business: China, India, Latin America, Europe and beyond | 1.5 |
| NBA 6390 | Data Driven Marketing | 1.5 |
| NBA 6410 | Supply Chain Strategy | 1.5 |
| NBA 6420 | Supply Chain Analytics | 1.5 |
| NBA 6430 | Managerial Spreadsheet Modeling | 1.5 |
| NBA 6460 | Financial Institutions | 3 |
| NBA 6500 | Strategic Operations Immersion Practicum | 4 |
| NBA 6530 | Strategic Alliances | 1.5 |
| NBA 6540 | Power and Influence in Organizations | 1.5 |
| NBA 6550 | Business Data Analysis with SQL | 1.5 |
| NBA 6560 | Valuation Principles | 1.5 |
| NBA 6620 | Brand Management | 1.5 |
| NBA 6630 | Managerial Decision Making | 1.5 |
| NBA 6650 | The Strategic Management of Technology and Innovation | 3 |
| NBA 6690 | Building a Consumer Internet Business | 1 |
| NBA 6710 | Ethical Decision Making in Management | 1.5 |
| NBA 6820 | Negotiation I: Negotiation Essentials | 1.5 |
| NBA 6870 | Leading Across Differences: Understanding Identity, Dialogue, and Influence | 1.5 |
| NBA 6921 | AI for Business Applications | 1.5-3 |
| NBA 6950 | Game Theory and Business Strategy | 1.5 |
| NCC 5010 | Data Analytics and Modeling | 2.5 |
| NCC 5080 | Managing Operations | 2.5 |
| NCC 5500 | Financial Accounting | 3 |
| NCC 5530 | Marketing Management | 3 |
| NCC 5540 | Managing and Leading in Organizations | 3 |
| NCC 5560 | Managerial Finance | 3 |
| NCC 5580 | Managing Operations | 3 |
| PHIL 6410 | Seminar in Ethics and Value Theory | 3 |
| PUBPOL 5111 | Public Administration | 3 |
| PUBPOL 5118 | Diversity in Leadership: Experience, Perspective and Relatability in Public Affairs | 3 |
| PUBPOL 5132 | Legal Aspects of Public Agency Decision-Making | 3 |
| PUBPOL 5334 | Corporations, Shareholders, and Policy | 3 |
| PUBPOL 5441 | Effective Writing for Public Policy | 1.5 |
| PUBPOL 5449 | Systems Thinking Modeling | 3 |
| PUBPOL 5451 | International Public and NGO Management | 3 |
| PUBPOL 5472 | Technology Strategy for Public and Nonprofit Management | 1.5 |
| PUBPOL 5571 | Corporate Responsibility | 3 |
| PUBPOL 5612 | Politics and Processes of State and Local Government | 3 |
| PUBPOL 5615 | Sustainable Finance: Southeast Asia and Global Perspectives | 3 |
| PUBPOL 5634 | Corruption, Governance, and Development | 3 |
| PUBPOL 5690 | Regression Analysis and Managerial Forecasting | 3 |
| PUBPOL 5900 | Special Topics in Health Administration and Finance | 0.5-3 |
| PUBPOL 5940 | Consulting for Nonprofit and Government Organizations | 3 |
| SOC 5180 | Social Inequality: Contemporary Theories, Debates, and Models | 3 |
| SOC 6000 | Doing Research With Marginalized Populations | 3 |
| STS 6301 | Social Theory | 3 |
| STSCI 5045 | Python Programming and its Applications in Statistics | 4 |
| STSCI 5600 | Integrated Ethics in Data Science | 2 |
Practical Training
While not required, the majority of MILR students participate in an internship during the summer between their first and second years in the program. The ILR Office of Career Services provide support and guidance to students seeking internships.
University Graduation Requirements
Requirements for All Students
In order to receive a Cornell degree, a student must satisfy academic and non-academic requirements.
Academic Requirements
A student’s college determines degree requirements such as residency, number of credits, distribution of credits, and grade averages. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of the specific major, degree, distribution, college, and graduation requirements for completing their chosen program of study. See the individual requirements listed by each college or school or contact the college registrar’s office for more information.
Non-academic Requirements
Conduct Matters. Students must satisfy any outstanding sanctions, penalties or remedies imposed or agreed to under the Student Code of Conduct (Code) or Policy 6.4. Where a formal complaint under the Code or Policy 6.4 is pending, the University will withhold awarding a degree otherwise earned until the adjudication process set forth in those procedures is complete, including the satisfaction of any sanctions, penalties or remedies imposed.
Financial Obligations. Outstanding financial obligations will not impact the awarding of a degree otherwise earned or a student’s ability to access their official transcript. However, the University may withhold issuing a diploma until any outstanding financial obligations owing to the University are satisfied.
Learning Outcomes
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
Admissions
Application Requirements and Deadlines
Application Deadlines
MILR has two application cycles per year. Typically, the application opens in mid-September and closes in mid-November for Spring admission and mid-May for Fall admission. For the most accurate information about upcoming deadlines, please visit: https://www.ilr.cornell.edu/programs/graduate-degree-programs/master-industrial-and-labor-relations-milr/admission-information
Requirements Summary
The admissions committee holistically evaluates each application based on the following:
- All Graduate School Requirements, including the English Language Proficiency Requirement
- Academic record as shown on unofficial transcript(s)
- At least two letters of recommendation
- Academic Statement of Purpose
- Personal Statement
- Relevant experience or engagement as shown on current resume or CV
- Online video interview
- TOEFL or IELTS scores, as applicable (required for all international students, unless you meet the criteria for an exception)
GRE or GMAT scores are not currently required. Future admission cycle requirements will be determined prior to the opening of the online application.
Admissions Contact Information
Name: ILR Graduate Office
Email: ilrgradapplicant@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-255-1522
Website: https://www.ilr.cornell.edu/programs/graduate-degree-programs/master-industrial-and-labor-relations-milr