Cornell University - Graduate Fields of Industrial and Labor Relations - Overview
Cornell University and the ILR School, World-Renowned Global Institutions That Have Earned a Reputation for Excellence
Cornell is an Ivy League research university located in Ithaca, New York, comprising fourteen undergraduate and graduate colleges and schools. Cornell's main campus, one of the most beautiful in the US, offers spectacular views of the Finger Lakes Region and adds to the attractiveness of the school's many academic courses of study and research opportunities.
The university takes pride in encouraging academic freedom and flexibility, allowing students to pursue interdisciplinary studies and related fields. ILR students can tap into a wealth of resources including vast cross-disciplinary offerings and access to 4,000 courses across Cornell.
ILR has the largest concentration of scholars in the areas of human resources, organizational behavior, labor relations, collective bargaining, labor economics, social statistics, and international and comparative labor studies. They are experienced, well-connected experts and first-rate researchers with award-winning teaching practices.
Cornell's ILR School Offers Advanced Degrees in Human Resources and Labor Relations that Create Endless Possibilities
ILR's unique depth and breadth sets it apart from other programs. No other educational institution has graduate programs in workplace studies that are as comprehensive. The curriculum is thorough, rigorous, and comprehensive, combining experience and theory in innovative ways.
ILR's top-ranked and highly-regarded graduate degree programs provide a broad-based foundation with a specific, intense focus on the interaction between people and organizations in the workplace.
Admission to ILR is competitive, but each application is considered in its entirety and in comparison with other applications for the same class. Applicants to ILR may pursue a Master of Industrial and Labor Relations (MILR), a Master of Science (MS)/Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), or Master of Professional Studies (MPS) degree. Merit-based teaching or research assistantships allow students to pursue a well-rounded educational experience.
The two-year Master of Industrial and Labor Relations (MILR) degree is the top degree program in the area of human resources and labor relations. There's a strong general business component to courses with an emphasis on the interrelationship between people and the workplace. The MILR offers 5 areas of concentration: human resources and organizations, collective representation, dispute resolution, labor-market policy, or international and comparative labor. MILR students who already possess a law or MBA degree may be able to complete the degree in one year.
Students hoping to gain a competitive edge in the corporate world of business administration should consider the MILR / MBA dual degree. The MILR / MBA is a unique degree program offered jointly by Cornell's ILR School and Johnson Business School. Graduates enter the marketplace in five semesters with powerful credentials that would normally require four years to earn.
The MILR / Master in Management is a global three-year dual degree program allowing students the opportunity for an international experience that will advance their career goals and increase their marketability worldwide with degrees from ILR and ESCP Europe, including the option to study at 5 fully-integrated campuses in Europe: Paris, London, Madrid, Berlin, and Torino.
The MS / PhD in ILR is an academic degree for advanced students planning to work in research and education in a specialized area. Students applying to the MS / PhD program apply to one of four of ILR's six departments: Organizational Behavior; Human Resources Studies; Labor Relations, Law and History; or International and Comparative Labor. Both offer the option to focus on one minor outside of the ILR.
A Master of Professional Studies (MPS) degree is available to those students who have extensive professional work-related experience in the field and want to expand or advance into a specific competency or upgrade their skills and understanding. MPS students must complete 30 credit hours of course work and a project during a one-year residential commitment to the program. Students have the option to complete their studies on a part-time basis on Cornell's NYC campus.
Graduate Students in ILR Become Part of a Global Network with These Distinctive Advantages
Cornell and ILR strive to provide a comfortable learning environment that fosters a balanced lifestyle and relationships between students and faculty. Several specially-created facilities, such as a dedicated research library complete with archives and online indexes, centers, and institutes allow students to enjoy a well-rounded education in one of the most prestigious labor relations programs in the country.
ILR's Catherwood Library houses a collection of 232,000 books and journals -- in addition to an extensive array of electronic resources, making it the foremost source of information on work, employment, and the workplace in North America.
Several centers and institutes facilitate learning among students through different work themes and environments, including the Cornell Higher Education Research Institute, the Employment and Disability Institute, the Institute for Workplace Studies, the Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution, and the Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies (CAHRS), a unique partnership between industry and academia focused on global HR management involving senior executives from 60+ Fortune 500 corporations.
Cornell's faculty, numbering more than 2600 worldwide, includes Nobel Laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, and internationally-known leaders in a span of fields. In the collegial, close-knit community within ILR, faculty members demonstrate not only a commitment to teaching and research, but also serve as potential resources to each ILR graduate student.
The strength of ILR Graduate Programs is well known and ILR graduates are always in demand. ILR graduates work in every region of the United States and around the world. The ILR Office of Career Services provides a wide variety of services, including individual advising, workshops, resume reviews, career fairs, networking assistance, job listings, and practice interviews to help students explore their career options and develop effective job-search strategies. The office manages an on-campus recruitment program, with representatives of numerous corporations, labor unions, government agencies, and labor law firms interviewing students for positions in human resources and labor relations.
The office also cultivates contacts with alumni and others working in the field. Cornell and ILR's alumni hold senior and influential positions in numerous businesses and labor organizations and serve as mentoring and networking resources.