Note: As policies are occasionally updated, each individual's degree requirements are regulated by the policy in effect at the time of matriculation.
- Objectives of the M.I.L.R. Degree Program
- Administration of the Program
- Admissions
- Academic Advising
- Credit Requirements
- Course and Concentration Requirements
- Courses and Grades
- Language Requirements
- Teaching Requirements
- Thesis/Dissertation
- Examinations
- Recommendations for the Degree
- One-Year M.I.L.R. Degree Option
1. Objectives of the M.I.L.R. Degree Program
The Master of Industrial and Labor Relations (M.I.L.R.) Degree Program is designed to provide a graduate course of study for those with professional interests in industrial and labor relations, to gain a broad-based foundation in Human Resources and Labor Relations with a specific focus on the interaction between people, organizations and the workplace.
2. Administration of the Program
The Graduate Field of Industrial and Labor Relations administers the general requirements for the M.I.L.R. Degree through the ILR Graduate Committee. This Committee is composed of 6 elected faculty members, with the ILR Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and the ILR Director of Graduate Studies as ex-officio members. This Committee reviews applications for admission, administers the program of study, and recommends the awarding of the degree for those who have satisfactorily met the requirements.
3. Admissions
Requirements for admission to the M.I.L.R. Degree Program include:
- Aptitude for graduate work as demonstrated by admission criteria, including undergraduate (and previous graduate level) success and academic recommendations. NOTE: there is no specific minimum GPA to make candidates eligible to apply; applications are considered on all relative merits.
- A demonstrated desire and goals appropriate to this field of study, especially as expressed in the statement of purpose.
Applicants are required to submit a completed Cornell Graduate Application (and application fee); statement of purpose; personal statement; complete transcripts from all institutions attended; TOEFL or IELTS scores from international applicants*; a resume or CV detailing applicant's work experience; 2 letters of recommendation from a college or university faculty member acquainted with applicant's academic work (academic references are preferred but professional references will be accepted), and a video interview.
*International graduate students are admitted with the same criteria as US citizens. All international applicants must demonstrate proficiency in the English language by submitting official test scores from TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS exam scores.
4. Academic Advising & Course Enrollment Guidance
Professional staff in the ILR Graduate Office serve as the official Academic Advisor to M.I.L.R. students and will verify student degree plan progress.
A list of preapproved courses that satisfy degree requirements will be reviewed against student degree plans. Courses not on the list that students want to have approved will be reviewed by the Graduate Committee. The Graduate Committee may recommend courses to be added to or removed from the preapproved course list.
5. Credit Requirements
Satisfactory completion of forty-eight credit hours (at least sixteen courses) and minimum of 2 full-time semesters and a maximum of 4 full-time semesters.
Registration beyond Degree Completion. The M.I.L.R. is a two-year program and students are expected to complete it within that time period. Students may complete the program in three semesters. Students who wish to continue in the M.I.L.R. beyond the completion of their degree must have a compelling academic reason, and must petition the DGS for approval to stay for an additional semester. Teaching and assistantships are limited, and M.I.L.R.'s who stay an additional semester typically will not be eligible to receive a teaching assistantship from the ILR School.
Minimum and Maximum credit hours. All M.I.L.R. students must take at least twelve (12) credit hours and cannot take more than twenty (20) credit hours each semester.
6. Course and Concentration Requirements
All M.I.L.R. candidates must complete the following six core courses:
- ILRLR 5000 Labor Relations
- ILRLR 5010 Labor and Employment Law
- ILRST 5110 Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences or ILRST 5050 Statistics at Work
- ILROB 5200 Organizational Behavior
- ILRLE 5400 Labor Economics
- ILRHR 5600 Human Resources Management
Students who can demonstrate, to the satisfaction of a faculty representative of the appropriate subject area, that they have met the requirements for a required course in the M.I.L.R. program may petition for a waiver of the requirement. Petitions for waiver must be endorsed and approved by the faculty member offering the course. Faculty members should endorse petitions for waiver only if they have determined, by examination or by other appropriate means, that the student’s grasp of the subject matter is equivalent to that which he would obtain in the M.I.L.R. required course. A waiver does not exempt M.I.L.R. students from completing the total number of credit hours or courses required for the degree, but may permit greater flexibility in the candidate's course selections to fill out the program credit requirements.
Additional courses pre-approved to meet degree requirements are chosen by the candidate, which added to the required core courses must total forty-eight (48) credit hours and no fewer than sixteen (16) courses. One course is equal to 3 or more credits, or combination of lesser credit courses to add up to 3 or more credits.
7. Courses and Grades
All courses taken toward fulfillment of the M.I.L.R. degree requirements must meet all of the following criteria:
- The course number must be 5000 level or above.
- The course must be taken for a letter grade - pass/fail or S/U grade option courses do not count toward M.I.L.R. degree requirements.
- The final course grade must be C or above.
- All M.I.L.R.'s must maintain a grade point average of no less than B (3.0).
- Courses that carry less than 3 credits will not count toward fulfillment of the M.I.L.R. degree requirements, unless combined with another less-than-3 credit class. Such instances will count as 1 course.
- Independent Study Projects (ILR 7990) may be applied toward M.I.L.R. degree requirements if they contain substantial academic merit on subject material not covered in scheduled courses. A formal proposal must be submitted to the Graduate Committee for approval prior to undertaking the project. A maximum of 2 Independent Study Projects, and not more than 6 credit hours total, will be counted toward degree requirements.
- No course credit is allowed for internships and Independent Study Project credit will not be granted for internships.
Transfer credits are not accepted into the M.I.L.R. degree program.
For any other exceptions or deviations from policy: The student must petition the Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Committee prior to taking the course in question.
A minimum grade of C is required for credit toward the degree, and students must maintain a grade average of not less than B. Failure to maintain these standards may be grounds for termination of assistantships or fellowships and/or dismissal from the program. At the end of each term, the ILR Graduate Committee or the Director of Graduate Studies will review the grade records and issue warning notices or recommendations for dismissal, as appropriate.
Courses withdrawn after the drop deadline will result in a "W" on a students transcript. The ILR Graduate Committee will not review petitions for exceptions to this policy.
8. Language Requirements
There are no language requirements for M.I.L.R. degree candidates to graduate, however, international applicants must submit official TOEFL test scores to qualify for admission to the program.
9. Teaching Requirements
There are no teaching requirements for M.I.L.R. degree candidates.
10. Thesis/Dissertation
There are no final thesis or dissertation requirements for M.I.L.R. degree candidates.
11. Examinations
Admission to Candidacy exams and Final Thesis Defense exams are not required for M.I.L.R. degree candidates.
12. Recommendations for the Degree
Recommendations for the M.I.L.R. Degree are made by the ILR Graduate Committee to the Faculty of the Field of Industrial and Labor Relations on the basis of satisfactory completion of all course and residence requirements. The Cornell University Graduate Faculty approves the awarding of all degrees.
13. One-Year M.I.L.R. Degree Program
A student who holds a J.D. or M.B.A. from a U.S. Institution or a Cornell B.S. ILR may apply for the one-year M.I.L.R. degree program. Not all applicants with these degrees will be permitted to enroll in the one-year option. The Graduate Committee will make the determination based on each student's background. General M.I.L.R. Degree Program policies stated above are the same for students approved to complete the program with a one-year option except for the following. Students in the one-year M.I.L.R. program must:
- Take a total of thirty (30) credits;
- Take, or successfully petition to waive, all 6 of the required M.I.L.R. core courses;
- Take, or successfully waive, 4 of the 6 concentration courses; and
- Take as many relevant and appropriate electives as needed to fulfill the thirty credit requirement.