Academic Programs Catalog

College of Social Science

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