Academic Programs Catalog

College of Social Science

School of Human Resources and Labor Relations

Peter Berg, Director

Through its research and educational programs, the School of Human Resources and Labor Relations advances knowledge and understanding of human resources and labor-relations within a global context. Offering a comprehensive understanding of the employment relationship, the program helps students develop critical thinking skills and learn essential problem-solving, social, emotional, and entrepreneurial skills for advancing the well-being and success of working people, organizations and communities worldwide.

The School has an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating scholarship from economics, human resource management, law, organizational behavior, psychology, public policy, and sociology, as well as labor and employment relations. It also has a vibrant outreach program, conducting training with managers, union leaders, and joint labor-management groups nationwide.



 

Undergraduate Programs

The School offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Resources and Labor Relations, which prepares students for a wide range of professional careers focusing on employment and workplace strategies that shape the future of work in business, government, healthcare, education, labor organizations and other not-for-profit organizations. It also offers an undergraduate Minor in Leadership of Organizations, designed to help students develop leadership skills and apply them in a wide range of organizational settings: corporate, government, and non-profit.

Human Resources and Labor Relations

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Resources and Labor Relations provides a general social science understanding of the complex nature of people and work. The program focuses on workforce education, training and development; laws governing employment and workplace rights; human decision-making and behavior in the labor market and workplace; and organizational strategies, policies and practices governing and influencing employee outcomes and performance.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Human Resources and Labor Relations

  1. The University requirements for bachelor’s degrees as described in the Undergraduate Education section of this catalog; 120 credits, including general elective credits, are required for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Resources and Labor Relations.

    The completion of Statistics and Probability 200 or 201 referenced in item 3. below may also satisfy the University mathematics requirement or the SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) REQUIREMENT in the College, but not both.

    The University’s Tier II writing requirement for the Human Resources and Labor Relations major is met by completing Human Resources and Labor Relations 465. That course is referenced in item 3. below.
  2. The requirements of the College of Social Science for the Bachelor of Arts degree.
  3. The following courses for the major (39 or 40 credits):
    a. One of the following courses (3 or 4 credits):
    GEO 363 Introduction to Quantitative Methods for Geographers 3
    PSY 295 Data Analysis in Psychological Research 3
    STT 200 Statistical Methods 3
    STT 201 Statistical Methods 4
    STT 315 Introduction to Probability and Statistics for Business 3
    STT 421 Statistics I 3
    b. One of the following courses (3 credits):
    EC 201 Introduction to Microeconomics 3
    EC 202 Introduction to Macroeconomics 3
    c. All of the following courses (18 credits):
    HRLR 201 Human Capital, Human Resources, and Labor Relations 3
    HRLR 313 Employment Relations 3
    HRLR 314 Legal Environment of Work 3
    HRLR 315 Research Methods and Analysis 3
    HRLR 410 Voice and Democracy at Work 3
    HRLR 465 Capstone in Human Resources and Labor Relations 3
    d. Complete a minimum of 15 credits with at least 3 credits from each of the four areas below (General, Human Capital Systems, International, and Labor History):
    General
    CEP 460 Communication Skill Training for the Helping Professional 3
    HRLR 211 Introduction to Organizational Leadership 3
    HRLR 212 Career Management 3
    HRLR 311 Applied Organizational Leadership 3
    HRLR 490 Special Topics in Human Resources and Labor Relations 3
    HRLR 493 Internship in Human Resources and Labor Relations 3 to 12
    HRLR 494 Undergraduate Research in Human Resources and Labor Relations 3 to 6
    SSC 490 Special Topics in Social Science 3
    SSC 493 Social Science Internship 3
    SSC 493A Social Science International Internship 3
    SSC 494 Undergraduate Research in Social Science 3
    SSC 496 Field Study Abroad 3
    Human Capital Systems
    CEP 470 Disability in a Diverse Society 3
    HRLR 316 Economics of Human Capital 3
    HRLR 401 Income Inequality 3
    MGT 411 Organizational Staffing 3
    International
    HRLR 414 Legal Standards in a Global Workplace 3
    HRLR 420 Comparative Human Capital Systems 3
    Labor History
    HST 307 Labor History of the United States to 1863: Making a North American Working Class 3
    HST 308 Labor History of the United States since 1863: Modern Labor and Working-Class History 3


 

Minor in Leadership of Organizations

The Minor in Leadership of Organizations provides interdisciplinary study of the leadership of organizations, preparing students to critically assess the effectiveness of leaders in a wide range of organizations including business, government, and non-profit. The minor also prepares students to be more effective leaders in their careers and as citizens.

The minor is available as an elective to students who are enrolled in bachelor’s degree programs at Michigan State University. With the approval of the department and college that administer the student’s degree program, the courses that are used to satisfy the minor may also be used to satisfy the requirements for the bachelor’s degree.

Students who plan to complete the requirements of the minor should consult an advisor in the School of Human Resources and Labor Relations.

Requirements for the Minor in Leadership of Organizations

Complete a minimum of 15 credits from the following:

1.  The following core course (3 credits):
HRLR 211 Introduction to Organizational Leadership 3
2. One of the following courses (3 credits):
ANP 321 Anthropology of Social Movements 3
HST 213 U.S. Business and Economic History 3
HST 312 African American Women 3
HST 313 Women in the United States to 1869 3
HST 314 Women in the United States since 1869 3
PLS 310 Public Administration and Policy 3
PLS 313 American Public Policy 3
PSY 235 Social Psychology 3
PSY 255 Industrial and Organizational Psychology 3
SOC 241 Social Psychology 3
SOC 481 Social Movements and Collective Identities 3
3. Two of the following courses (6 to 8 credits):
ACM 271 Introduction to Arts and Cultural Management 3
ACM 461 Strategies of Arts and Cultural Management 3
CEP 260 Dynamics of Personal Adjustment 3
COM 240 Introduction to Organizational Communication 4
CSUS 429 Program Evaluation for Community Sustainability 3
ESHP 190 The Art of Starting 3
MGT 325 Management Skills and Processes 3
PHL 340 Ethics 3
PHL 345 Business Ethics 4
REL 185 Introduction to Religion and Nonprofits 3
REL 285 Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship and Religion 3
REL 485 Religion and Nonprofit Leadership (W) 3
TE 101 Social Foundations of Justice and Equity in Education 3
WRA 202 Introduction to Professional and Public Writing 3
WRA 401 Rhetoric, Leadership and Innovation 3
WS 404 Women and the Law in the United States 3
4. The following course (3 credits):
HRLR 311 Applied Organizational Leadership 3

 

Graduate Study

The School's Master of Human Resources and Labor Relations program is recognized as one of the leading programs of its kind, with approximately 2,900 alumni who hold top executive positions in both the private and public sectors. The School also offers a doctoral program in Human Resources and Labor Relations, designed primarily for those seeking academic careers.
 

Human Resources and Labor Relations - Master of Human Resources and Labor Relations

The Master of Human Resources and Labor Relations is the school’s signature graduate degree, offered on a full-time basis in East Lansing, Michigan.  With a diverse and highly qualified student body, the master’s program is universally regarded as one of the premier professional programs of its kind in the world.  Preparing future leaders for professional careers, students receive a comprehensive, contemporary foundation in human resources and labor relations, gain a broad global perspective, and learn to apply best practices, lead organizational change, and act strategically as business leaders. 
The curriculum offers a wide range of courses across required core knowledge areas including:  human resource management, labor-management relations, organizational change, business acumen, international human resources and employment relations, workplace law, economics of human resources, and quantitative methods for human resource analyses.

In addition to classroom instruction, nearly all students participate in paid summer internships with companies between their first and second year in the program.  Through these summer internships, students receive invaluable mentoring and on-the-job learning, working as members of specific project teams and undertaking individual assignments.

In addition to meeting the requirements of the university and of the College of Social Science, students must meet the requirements specified below.

Admission

To be considered for admission to the master's degree program, a student must have a bachelor's degree and a cumulative grade–point average of 3.00 or higher in the junior and senior years. Applicants may submit scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test or on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), however the GRE/GMAT scores are optional. Applicants must complete one course in microeconomic principles, one course in statistics, and one course in behavioral sciences at the undergraduate level with a minimum grade of 3.0 in each course. In addition, applicants will be judged on the quality of their statement of objectives and three letters of reference.

Requirements for the Master of Human Resources and Labor Relations Degree in Human Resources and Labor Relations

The program is available under both Plan A (with thesis) and Plan B (without thesis).  The student must complete 36 credits with a grade–point average of at least 3.00.

1. All of the following courses (15 credits):
HRLR 809 Economics of Human Resources 3
HRLR 813 Organizational Behavior for Human Resources and Labor Relations 3
HRLR 820 Human Resource Practices and Decisions 3
HRLR 832 Quantitative Methods for Human Resources Analyses 3
HRLR 858 Collective Bargaining 3
2. One course from each of the following core knowledge areas (12 credits):
Human Resource Management
HRLR 821 Talent Acquisition and Deployment 3
HRLR 822 Training and Development 3
HRLR 825 Compensation 3
International Human Resources and Labor Relations
HRLR 854 Comparative Employment Relations 3
HRLR 855 International Human Resources 3
Workplace Law
HRLR 863 Labor Law 3
HRLR 868 Employment Law 3
Strategy and Firm Performance
HRLR 871 Human Resource and Firm Performance 3
HRLR 872 Human Resources Strategy 3
3. Nine additional credits in courses approved by the student’s academic advisor or guidance committee. Students pursuing Plan A (with thesis) must complete 4 credits of HRLR 899 Master’s Thesis Research as part of this elective requirement.


Human Resources and Labor Relations-Law

Human Resources and Labor Relations students who are admitted to the dual MHRL/JD program with the Michigan State University - College of Law may transfer a maximum of 9 credits from the Michigan State University/College of Law program to the MHRL program. These credits may be used only to satisfy elective credits. Only Plan B (without thesis) is available for election under the dual degree program.

 


Human Resources and Labor Relations - Doctor of Philosophy

The School of Human Resources and Labor Relations offers a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Human Resources and Labor Relations to prepare students for a career as a scholar in human resources or labor and employment relations in a tenure-track position at a research-oriented university.  Students study employment phenomena from the perspective of multiple actors including employees, employers, unions, the government, and society at-large. The program integrates tools from diverse disciplines including economics, management, and psychology.

Admission

Admission to this doctoral program is based on an evaluation of the student’s academic record, the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test or the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores, letters of recommendation, written statements, and an application form. For further details, visit our Web site at www.hrlr.msu.edu.

Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Human Resources and Labor Relations

Students will complete course work and seminars (60 credits) within the School of Human Resources and Labor Relations, and within other departments in the university. Students must:

1. Complete the following courses (12 credits):
HRLR 991A Theoretical Perspectives in Human Resource Management 3
HRLR 991B Theoretical Perspectives in Labor and Employment Relations 3
HRLR 992A Research Perspectives in Human Resource Management 3
HRLR 992B Research Perspectives in Labor and Employment Relations 3
2. Complete three doctoral level research methods courses within other departments approved by the student’s doctoral committee. (9 credits)
3. Complete five doctoral level courses in other departments approved by the student’s doctoral committee. (15 credits)
4. Pass comprehensive examinations based on their course work.
5. Demonstrate research competence by writing an empirical research paper.
6. Complete 24 credits of HRLR 999 Doctoral Dissertation Research.
7. Successfully defend the dissertation.