Undergraduate Admissions

Prof. Tove Hammer, Organizational Behavior

Life After ILR: Your Career

What Graduates Do

"The name Industrial and Labor Relations may scare people a little—it sounds like factories and workers. But the school is so much more than that. Students here have options that include all parts of Cornell. You're not limited in any way if you go to ILR!"

– Stephanie Michelle Herschaft, Class of 2008

Find out more about what kinds of work graduates do and where they work. Learn more about the law schools and other graduate programs they attend. Competitive MBA programs generally look for three to seven years of work experience. Many students gain valuable work experience before pursuing MBA degrees.

    Salaries

    "ILR doesn't teach you just one skill. Instead, you learn many different skills—leadership, organization, writing, analysis, communication, efficiency. It makes you a more marketable person when you enter the real world."

    – Jane Willett Forman, Class of 2008

    Find out more about what salaries our graduates make. ILR graduates are among the highest paid Cornell graduates.

    Job Search

    "Many high school students think in terms of only three career options: doctor, lawyer, business. They often don't realize that there are so many more choices. ILR gives you multiple options—you can do almost anything."

    – Steven Helfont, Class of 2007

    Find out more about how graduates found their jobs.

    Among our graduates:
    • 61% go directly into jobs after graduation
    • 23% attend law school
    • 5% obtain MBA degrees (a few directly after graduation, but most enter the workforce first)
    • 5% pursue other graduate programs
    • 4% of ILR graduates take jobs with labor unions, with job titles such as Organizer, Negotiator, and Legislative Representative
    • 10% of ILR graduates find their calling in public policy, with job titles such as Mediator, Inspector, Arbitrator, and Labor Attaché
    • Others take jobs with titles such as Financial Analyst, Economist, Equities Trader, Legal Assistant, Human Resource Specialist, Labor Relations Specialist, and Management Analyst
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