Human Resources & Industrial Relations, PhD
for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Major in Human Resources and Industrial Relations
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):
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 Doctor of Philosophy Major in Human Resources and Industrial Relations
For additional details and requirements refer to the department's Student Handbook and the Graduate College Handbook.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| LER 542 | Collective Bargaining | 4 |
| LER 556 | Industrial Relations Theory | 4 |
| LER 557 | Human Resources Theory | 4 |
| LER 558 | Faculty-Student Workshop | 4 |
| LER 540 | Labor Economics I | 4 |
| or LER 541 | Labor Economics II | |
| or LER 545 | Economics of Human Resources | |
| One year sequence in statistics | 8 | |
| Statistical Methods I and Statistical Methods II | ||
| Econometric Analysis I and Econometric Analysis II | ||
Or another approved sequence | ||
| Research Methods | 8 | |
| Micro Research Methods | ||
| Individual Topics (Macro - Section X) | ||
| Two theory courses in a social science discipline, one micro | ||
| Founds of Organizational Behav | ||
| Found of Ind Org Psych | ||
and one macro | ||
| Seminar in Business Admin (section MK1) | ||
| Seminar in Organizational Behavior and Theory | ||
| Recent Developments in Soc (section EM) | ||
| Or another approved micro/macro sequence | ||
| Two related courses outside discipline. See Course List tab. | 8 | |
| Electives | 0-16 | |
| LER 599 | Thesis Seminar (min/max applied toward degree) | 32-48 |
| Total Hours | 64 | |
Other Requirements
| Other requirements may overlap | |
| Masters Degree Required for Admission to PhD? | No, but M.S. equivalent hours are required, in addition. Contact department for details |
| Qualifying Exam Required | Yes |
| Preliminary Exam Required | Yes |
| Final Exam/Dissertation Defense Required | Yes |
| Dissertation Deposit Required | Yes |
| Minimum GPA: | 3.0 |
Courses outside of discipline
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ACE 562 | Applied Regression Models I | 2 |
| ACE 564 | Applied Regression Models II | 2 |
| BADM 504 | Phil of Science and Bus Admin | 2 |
| BADM 545 | Found of Strategy Research | 2 |
| BADM 546 | Strategy Content Research (Entrepreneurship) | 2 |
| BADM 549 | Current Strategy Research (Management of Technology) | 2 |
| BADM 549 | Current Strategy Research (Economic Foundations of Strat ) | 2 |
| BADM 549 | Current Strategy Research (Corporate Strat Research ) | 2 |
| BADM 549 | Current Strategy Research (Empirical Meth in Strat Res) | 2 |
| CMN 529 | Seminar Communication Theory (Social Sci Theory Construction) | 4 |
| PSYC 594 | Multivar Anlys in Psych and Ed | 4 |
| PSYC 587 | Hierarchical Linear Models | 4 |
| PSYC 588 | Covar Struct and Factor Models | 4 |
| PSYC 501 | Best Psych Research Practices (Applied Structural Eq Modeling ) | 2 to 4 |
| PSYC 581 | Applied Regression Analysis | 4 |
| SOC 581 | Survey Research Methods (Survey Research Methods I) | 4 |
| EPSY 586 | Theories of Measurement II | 4 |
| EPSY 590 | Advanced Seminar in Educational Psychology (section BAY) | 0 to 4 |
| EPSY 590 | Advanced Seminar in Educational Psychology (section GCM) | 0 to 4 |
| EPSY 590 | Advanced Seminar in Educational Psychology (section SEM) | 0 to 4 |
| EPSY 582 | Advanced Statistical Methods | 4 |
| PSYC 541 | Personality and Behav Dynamics | 2 or 4 |
| PSYC 593 | Seminar (Multilevel & Networks in Orgs) | 2 or 4 |
| PSYC 490 | Measurement & Test Develop Lab (section AL1) | 4 |
| STAT 542 | Statistical Learning | 4 |