The undergraduate labor studies and employment relations program aims to provide students with an opportunity to learn more about the nature of work, the management of work, the problems of working people, and what workers have done, both individually and collectively, to address those problems.
Its introductory courses offer anyone interested in the world of work (or likely to have a job) the opportunity to develop a realistic view of the dominant institutions, practices, and values of the workforce and to think about how work can be improved.
Intermediate courses enable students to acquire a range of specific competencies useful to employment, labor relations, and human resource specialists. They also allow students to participate in a series of cultural and disciplinary dialogues providing alternative perspectives on work and the wider society.
Advanced courses provide students majoring in labor studies and employment relations with an opportunity to consolidate what they have learned about the nature of work through more in-depth study of a particular topic or topics through either independent work or the senior seminar.
The B.A. in labor studies and employment relations is offered jointly with the School of Management and Labor Relations and the New Brunswick undergraduate schools. Labor studies and employment relations majors are eligible to apply for a five-year bachelor of arts/master of labor and employment relations degree program.