Master of Professional Studies in Industrial and Labor Relations

In the School of Industrial and Labor Relations .

Degree Program Information
Admissions Requirements
Learning Outcomes
Program Requirements

Degree Program Information

Administered by the Graduate School, the ILR Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) in Industrial and Labor Relations is an unstructured program, without specific prescribed courses, which requires a research project.

Instruction Mode: In-Person, Ithaca, NY
Length of Program: Full-Time, 30 credits

Admissions Requirements

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.

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

Program Requirements

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.