Graduate Field
Industrial and Labor Relations
Program Description
The ILR Ph.D. program is a full-time, residential program based on our Ithaca campus and is designed to train future professors who will do academic research and teach at research universities. Students specialize in one of four areas: human resource studies; international and comparative labor; labor relations, law, and history; or organization behavior. They may also minor in any of the above areas, as well as in statistics and data science.
The program typically takes five years to complete with the first two years often devoted to graduate-level coursework on campus and beginning stages of developing a dissertation outline and research plan. Following admission to candidacy, the remaining time is typically devoted to dissertation research and writing, but students can also take courses throughout their program.
Concentrations
- Human resource studies
- International and comparative labor
- Labor economics (minor)
- Labor relations, law, and history
- Organizational behavior
- Statistics and data science (minor)
Program Information
- Program Mode of Delivery: In Person
- Program Location: Ithaca, NY
Program Requirements
- Enrollment in GRAD 9011 Doctoral Dissertation Research every term for full-time status
- Minimum Semesters for Degree: 6
Graduate School Milestones
- Responsible Conduct of Research Training: Required
- Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID): Required
- Student Progress Reviews (SPR) begin: Second Year
- Examination for admission to candidacy (A Exam): Second year or third year at the discretion of the student's Special Committee
- Defense of Dissertation (B Exam): Required at end of study
Course Requirements
- Course requirements are determined by the student’s Special Committee.
- Enrollment in GRAD 9011 Doctoral Dissertation Research is expected of all students.
Graduate School Enrollment Requirements
Course Requirements
- Course requirements are determined by the student’s Special Committee.
- Enrollment in a GRAD research course or the equivalent field specific research course is expected of all students each semester through graduation. These courses include:
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.
Admissions
Application Requirements and Deadlines
Application Deadlines
Fall, December 1
Requirements Summary
- All Graduate School requirements, including:
- The English language proficiency requirement for all applicants.
- Unofficial transcripts for all institutions attended.
- Two letters of recommendation. We recommend that you submit two academic recommendations. If you are unable to submit two academic recommendations, we strongly encourage you to submit at least one academic reference with one professional reference. You can submit your application without completed letters of recommendation, but your recommenders must upload their letters within 10 days of the application deadline.
- Academic statement of purpose. In the form of an essay, describe: your academic interests, your academic background, preparation, and training, including any relevant experiences, your reasons for pursuing graduate studies in this specific program, and your academic and/or professional goals.
- Personal statement. The personal statement allows you to provide the admissions committee with a sense of who you are as a whole person, and you should use it to describe how your personal background and experiences influenced your decision to pursue a graduate degree.
- All ILR requirements, including:
- GRE or GMAT
- GRE school code: 2098
- GMAT school code: 5JW-7J-88
- Resume or CV. Include recently updated work history and experience, skills and areas of expertise, academic achievements, and any information that is pertinent to your application.
- Writing sample. The writing sample should be academic in nature and may be in the form of an essay, short paper, research paper, etc. It can be published or unpublished. We do not recommend coauthored works unless you provide excerpts that were entirely completed by you. The document you provide should help the review committee better understand your writing, analytical, and/or communication abilities. It does not necessarily need to be on the same topic of your application field.
Admissions Contact Information
Email: ilrgradapplicant@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-255-1522
Campus Address: 216 Ives Hall
Website: https://www.ilr.cornell.edu/programs/graduate-degree-programs/doctoral-program
