"We recruit HR talent from MSU because of its track record of producing great talent." Lisa Yankie, Senior Vice President, Human Resources Mass Market Small Business, Bank of America

Curriculum and Courses

Peter Berg

“We are looking for students who aspire to be critical thinkers and leaders in our profession, having deep knowledge in both HR and LR and a strong international grounding.”

Peter Berg, Associate Professor
School of Labor & Industrial Relations

Degree Requirements

The Master of Human Resources and Labor Relations is a 36-credit-hour program based on completion of 12 three-credit-hour courses, including:

Seven core courses that provide a comprehensive understanding of:

  • HR/LR strategies
  • Organizational behavior and development
  • Labor market analyses
  • Compensation and benefits
  • Employment and labor laws
  • Statistical tools and metrics for analyses of HR/LR systems
  • Collective bargaining

Five elective courses, including independent study opportunities, focusing on topics of special interest to students and their employers:

  • High-performance work systems
  • Training and development
  • International HR/LR
  • Organizational change and leadership
  • Union-management relations
  • Globalization and diversity
  • Recruiting, staffing, and selection
  • HR information systems
  • Negotiations and conflict resolution

Independent study courses provide flexible opportunities to engage in work-related analyses of immediate value to students and their employers.


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