University of Rhode Island,MS in Labor Relations and Human Resources

The Master’s degree in Labor Relations and Human Resources of the University of Rhode Island is a multidisciplinary graduate program which prepares students for careers in labor relations and human resources. The primary objective of this program is the advancement and development of practical, professional knowledge to prepare the student for intellectual HR leadership in local and global organizations. The programs is academically demanding; it is more than just a professional development program, and only students who can meet the challenges of advanced academic work are encouraged to apply. The MS in Labor Relations and Human Resources program is completed in 36 credit hours across 12 courses. Students are required to partake 6 core courses and 6 elective courses which are used to develop a specialization in either labor relations or human resources. Students are allowed to develop a specialization in other related areas but must contact the center’s director for consent. Students are also mandated to learn a foundation course, Labor Relations and Human Resources, early in the program as it provides an overview of these fields. During the final semester, students are given a comprehensive written exam covering most of the content learnt in the core courses. In the final semester of matriculation, students tackle the capstone course – Professional Seminar in Labor Relations and Human Resources. The Capstone course helps the students develop their research and integrative skills by writing a major research paper on a topic of their choice. This program is fully aligned with the Society for Human Resource Management’s curriculum guidelines. Graduates of the program work in labor unions, business firms, educational organizations, government agencies and non-profit enterprises.