Human Resources & Industrial Relations, MHRIR
for the degree of Master of Human Resources and Industrial Relations in Human Resources and Industrial Relations (on campus & online)
dean: Fritz Drasgow
overview of school admissions & requirements: Labor & Employment Relations
overview of grad college admissions & requirements: https://grad.illinois.edu/admissions/apply
school website: https://ler.illinois.edu/
school faculty: Labor & Employment Relations Faculty
graduate office: 504 East Armory Avenue, Champaign, IL 61820
on-campus program contact: Becky Barker
email: ebarker@illinois.edu
online program contact: Eden Haycraft
email: ehaycra@illinois.edu
The Ph.D. is an interdisciplinary degree, which typically leads to a career in teaching and research, especially at business schools or industrial relations schools. Research-oriented careers outside the academic world are also available. The program can be completed in five years beyond the baccalaureate degree or four years beyond the master's degree. Doctoral students are required to complete 96 graduate hours of credit beyond the baccalaureate degree. Coursework is usually completed in two years. There is a second year paper requirement, one examination that focuses on the candidate's selected area of specialization, and the preliminary and final exams. Examples of areas of specialization include the effects of technological change on the human resource function; motivation, morale, and job satisfaction; labor-management relations in the public sector; labor markets and employment; and international comparative labor problems. Each student's program of study is chosen in consultation with the Ph.D. Advisory Committee at the School.
Graduate Degree Programs in Labor & Employment Relations
Human Resources and Industrial Relations, MHRIR (on campus & online)
Human Resources and Industrial Relations, PhD
Joint Degree Programs with Human Resources and Industrial Relations, MHRIR (on campus only):
Business Administration, MBA|Law, JD
The School of Labor and Employment Relations offers graduate work leading to both a master's and a doctoral degree. Graduate study in Human Resources and Industrial Relations (HRIR) is based on a multidisciplinary approach to human resources/industrial relations problems and a flexible curriculum. To achieve this, the School has joint faculty appointments or course cross-listings with economics, psychology, law, business administration, history, and finance.
Admission
Students must meet the general admission requirements of the Graduate College, as well as the specific requirements of the School. Admission to the master's program in either the fall or spring semester is based on an applicant's undergraduate record, letters of reference, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT) scores, a resume and a statement of interest and career goals. The minimum requirements for admission are a course in statistics and an average grade of B in the last two years of a four year undergraduate program. A deficiency in statistics may be made up by taking the required course without graduate credit during the first semester of graduate study. International applicants must provide Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL) test results with a recommended minimum score of 96 on the internet-based IBT (590 on the written test) or IELTS with minimum overall score of 6.5.
Students applying to the online program will have the same admissions criteria as the on-campus MHRIR program. However, a waiver of the GRE or GMAT requirement may be available to applicants with 3 or more years of direct HR/IR experience or 5 years of related managerial experience. Eligibility of this waiver will be assessed by the Associate Director, Online Programs. Admission decisions for the online program are made in all semesters (Fall, Spring, and Summer).
Students with outstanding academic credentials, with or without a master's degree, are encouraged to apply to the Ph.D. program. Applicants to the doctoral program must submit evidence of research ability, such as a master's thesis, an undergraduate thesis, special reports, or published articles. This is in addition to the other required application materials as indicated for the on-campus master's program. Admission to the doctoral program is made for the fall semester only. An exception is made for current HRIR master's degree students at Illinois, who may submit an internal application in the spring.
Graduate Teaching Experience
Although the School has no teaching requirement, doctoral students are encouraged to gain teaching experience in this program.
Financial Aid
The School offers research assistantships, scholarships, and fellowships to graduate students with superior academic credentials in the on-campus MHRIR and Ph.D. programs. A School research/teaching assistant receives a stipend plus waiver of resident or non-resident tuition and some fees. The Graduate College also awards minority fellowships that carry stipends plus tuition and service fee waivers.
The online program is self-supporting and DOES NOT accept the following tuition and fee waivers (TFWs): Non-Academic waivers (including UIUC employees and employees of other state institutions), Academic waivers from UIUC, UIC and UIS employees, Related Agency waivers, waivers granted through fellowships/assistantships as governed by the Graduate College at UIUC, or Retiree waivers. This program DOES accept statutory waivers (veteran grants, etc.)
for the degree of Master of Human Resources and Industrial Relations in Human Resources and Industrial Relations (on campus & online)
For additional details and requirements refer to the department's Student Handbook and the Graduate College Handbook.
This degree program can be completed either on campus or online. The non-thesis option is offered online, the requirements are listed below:
Thesis Option
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| LER 591 & LER 593 | Employment Relations Systems and Quantitative Methods in LER | 8 |
| At least one course in each of four subject areas | 16 | |
Union Management and Labor Relations Policy | ||
| Collective Bargaining | ||
| Workplace Dispute Resolution | ||
| Individual Topics (Section CB) | ||
Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior | ||
| Government Regulation | ||
| Org Fundamentals for HR | ||
| Found of Ind Org Psych | ||
| Compensation Systems | ||
| HR Training and Development | ||
| HR Planning and Staffing | ||
| Negotiation in HR Decisions | ||
| HR Management and Strategy | ||
| Firm Performance and HR | ||
| Power & Influence in HRM | ||
| Leadership for HR Managers | ||
| Individual Topics (Sections CM, ICP, EB, EC, NPH) | ||
| Employee Motivation & Perfmnce | ||
| Impl High Perf Work Systems | ||
Labor Markets and Employment | ||
| Economics of Labor Markets | ||
| Economics of Human Resources | ||
| Individual Topics (Sections EGW, WPP) | ||
International Human Resource Management | ||
| International HR Management | ||
| Individual Topics (Section CER) | ||
| Managing Diversity Globally | ||
| Electives | 16 | |
| European Working Class History | ||
| Labor Economics I | ||
| Labor Economics II | ||
| Labor Law I | ||
| Industrial Relations Theory | ||
| Human Resources Theory | ||
| Micro Research Methods | ||
| Individual Topics (Sections CMT, CSR, E, EW, FBM, GI, GT, HDA, IM, SN, TI, TM, WFO, X) | ||
| LER 599 | Thesis Seminar (min/max applied toward degree) | 8 |
| Total Hours | 48 | |
Other Requirements
| Other requirements may overlap | |
| Minimum Hours Required Within the Unit: | 36 |
| Minimum 500-level Hours Required Overall: | 12 |
| Minimum GPA: | 3.0 |
Non-Thesis Option
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| LER 591 & LER 593 | Employment Relations Systems and Quantitative Methods in LER | 8 |
| At least one course in each of four subject areas | 16 | |
Union Management and Labor Relations Policy | ||
| Collective Bargaining | ||
| Workplace Dispute Resolution | ||
| Individual Topics (Section CB) | ||
Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior | ||
| Government Regulation | ||
| Org Fundamentals for HR | ||
| Found of Ind Org Psych | ||
| Compensation Systems | ||
| HR Planning and Staffing | ||
| HR Training and Development | ||
| HR Management and Strategy | ||
| Negotiation in HR Decisions | ||
| Firm Performance and HR | ||
| Power & Influence in HRM | ||
| Leadership for HR Managers | ||
| Individual Topics (Sections CM, ICP, EB, EC, and NPH) | ||
| Employee Motivation & Perfmnce | ||
| Impl High Perf Work Systems | ||
Labor Markets and Employment | ||
| Economics of Labor Markets | ||
| Economics of Human Resources | ||
| Individual Topics (Section EGW, WPP) | ||
International Human Resource Management | ||
| International HR Management | ||
| Individual Topics (Section CER) | ||
| Managing Diversity Globally | ||
| Electives | 24 | |
| European Working Class History | ||
| Labor Economics I | ||
| Labor Economics II | ||
| Labor Law I | ||
| Industrial Relations Theory | ||
| Human Resources Theory | ||
| Micro Research Methods | ||
| Individual Topics (Sections CMT, CSR, E, EW, FBM, GI, GT, HDA, IM, SN, TI, TM, WFO, X) | ||
| Total Hours | 48 | |
Other Requirements
| Other requirements may overlap | |
| Minimum Hours Required Within the Unit: | 36 |
| Minimum 500-level Hours Required Overall: | 12 |
| Minimum GPA: | 3.0 |