Charles T. Schmidt, Jr.
Labor Research Center
MS in Labor Relations and Human Resources
The M.S. Degree is earned in a 39 credit multi-disciplinary program that is composed of nine required courses plus a two course specialization in either labor relations or human resources and two professional electives. There are two additional requirements: a written comprehensive examination and a major research paper, which is written as one of the requirements of LRS 580.
Required Courses
LRS 500 -- Labor Relations and Human Resources: Introduction to labor relations and human resources, including employment practices in unionized and non-union organizations; also issues related to data sources and research methodology. Offered Spring and Fall semesters.
LRS/PSC 521 – International & Comparative Labor Relations Systems: Comparative labor and industrial relations systems, including union, management, and government functions and roles; also the functions of international organizations in labor relations. Offered Spring semester.
LRS/ECN 526 – Economics of Labor Markets: The theory of labor-market behavior, and application of theory for public-policy analysis in areas such as discrimination, unemployment and education. Offered Fall semester.
LRS 531 – Employment Law: Analysis of legislation protecting worker health, safety and employment security, including workers' compensation and other programs to support injured workers; OSHA and related statutes to prevent workplace illnesses and injuries, and laws prohibiting discrimination and purporting to support equal opportunity in the workplace. Offered Spring semester.
LRS 541 – Labor Relations Law: Legal framework for private and public sector collective bargaining. Regulation of activities with emphasis on individual rights, collective rights, and policy considerations of Federal and State courts, the NLRB, and State Labor Boards in determining society’s rights. Case studies. Offered fall semester.
LRS 542 – Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining: Collective bargaining literature, theories, and practice. Emphasis on the institutional features of bargaining in both public and private sectors as well techniques and dynamics of the bargaining process. Offered Fall semester - eight Saturdays 9-2.
LRS/HIS 544 – Colloquium in Worker History: Selected topics in American worker history with an emphasis on the most recent literature in the field. Offered Fall semester.
LRS 551 – Human Resource Strategy: Human resource issues addressed in context of changing product and labor markets, including relationship between human resource policies; the economic, social, and political environment; and firm’s strategic objectives. Offered Spring semester.
LRS 580 – Professional Seminar: Labor Relations and Human Resources: Advanced labor relations and human resources seminar of variable coverage and focus; adjusted yearly to consider most recent labor relations developments. Major research paper required. Student must have completed or be concurrently enrolled in all required (core) courses. Offered Spring semester.
Labor Relations Specialization
Select two of the following three courses:
LRS 520 – Developments in Worker Representation: Structure, functions, responsibilities and programs of unions and union leadership. Emphasis on policies and decision making. Evaluation of labor and management performance. Consideration of administrative problems associated with growth of white collar unions. Offered Spring semester.
LRS 543 – Public Sector Collective Bargaining: Public sector (state, municipal, federal, police, fire, K-12 education, and higher education) collective bargaining theory, practice, and legal foundations. Comprehensive case studies .Offered alternate Spring semesters.
LRS 545 – Arbitration and Mediation of Labor Disputes: Students prepare, present, and analyze labor and employment arbitration/mediations. The course also covers interest arbitration, and innovative methods for resolving disputes. Offered spring semester.
Human Resources Specialization
MBA 577 – Compensation Administration: Compensation and performance appraisal systems. Theory and techniques used to determine job worth. Special issues in compensation management, such as relating pay to performance through appraisal techniques and pay compression. Offered spring semester.
MBA 578 – Human Resource Development: Techniques used in procurement and development of human resources. Planning through recruitment, selection, and placement to training and development. Integration of Human Resource Development process with organizational strategic plans. Offered Fall semester.
