Overview

The Master of Labor and Employment Relations combines professional training with intellectual exploration to produce graduates who are thoughtful professionals, informed leaders, and/or researchers grounded in contemporary reality. Our graduates go on to work in the public policy arena, for labor organizations, for public sector management, and for corporations. The program is also appropriate for persons already working in human resources or labor relations who wish to examine contemporary problems and their solutions. Our faculty and students are currently exploring globalization, the relation of work and family, contingent employment, new forms of work organization/compensation, workplace justice, privatization of public services, and new directions in collective bargaining.

The program offers:

Breadth: The MLER provides a broad education with a mix of classes.  Classes both build skills for future employment and expand intellectual horizons..

Profession: The MLER offers students the opportunity to develop skills that will maximize their future professional employment opportunities.  We provide assistance in getting internships, part-time jobs, and placement upon graduation.

Balance: The MLER allows students to look at employment relations from a range of perspectives: labor, management, employee, citizen activist, and that of society as a whole..

Diversity: MLER students come from a variety of racial, ethnic, and national backgrounds.  Both men and women are well represented, as are various age groups.

Choice: The MLER gives students the opportunity to build the professional skills that are appropriate for their multiple and varied career goals.  This is not a “one size fits all” program.  MLER students work with their career advisors to create an individualized program appropriate to their existing skills/knowledge and desired professional future.

Community: The MLER offers a supportive learning environment that connects the student to a community of active scholars, teachers, learners, and involved citizens. This community values critical thinking and intellectual exchange.