To earn the master of labor and employment relations (M.L.E.R.) degree, students are required to successfully complete 39 credits of coursework. Of these 39 credits, 24 credits must be taken in required courses in labor and employment relations and 15 credits in elective courses.
The following are required courses (6 credits):
38:578:500 Introductory Seminar in Labor and Employment Relations (3)
38:578:560 Collective Bargaining (3)
Students also must take at least one course from each of the following core areas (18 credits):
Law
38:578:550 Labor Law
38:578:521 Immigration Law
38:533:566 Employment Law
Institutional Diversity
38:578:530 Globalization, Corporate Restructuring, and Employment
38:578:562 Seminar in International/Comparative Labor and Employment Relations
38:578:612 Labor/Employment History
Workforce Diversity
38:578:526 Immigration, Public Policy, and Worker Rights
38:578:541 Women and Work
38:578:551 Identity and Discrimination at Work and in the U.S. Labor Market
38:578:510 The Inclusive Workplace
Economic Policy
38:533:565 Economics and Demographics of Labor Markets
38:578:527 Economics and Public Policy in a Global Context
Finance
38:578:538 Financial Analysis and Corporate Governance
38:533:540 HR Decision-Making: Financial Decisions
Research Methods
38:578:501 Research Methods in Labor and Employment Relations
38:578:613 Topics: Problem-Solving Tools and Analysis in Employment Relations
38:533:542 HR Decision-Making: Data-Based Decisions
38:578:604 Creating and Administering Surveys
Other research methods courses at the graduate level may be approved by the director of the program as meeting this requirement.
In addition, students take 15 credits of electives to reach the 39-credit total. Six credits of these must be from courses offered by the Department of Labor Studies and Employment Relations. With the permission of the graduate program director, students may fulfill part of their credit requirements by taking courses in human resource management or another graduate program at the university. In addition, students may apply a master's thesis, an internship in labor and employment relations, or independent study to fulfill the elective requirements.