Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) ILR, New York City, Degree Program Policy
- Objectives of the Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) ILR, New York City, Degree Program
- Administration of the Program
- Admissions
- Special Graduate Committee
- Residency Requirements: Registration Units
- Course Requirements
- Grades
- Language Requirements
- Teaching Requirements
- Thesis/Dissertation
- Examinations
- Recommendations for the Degree
1. Objectives of the Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) ILR, New York City, Degree Program
The Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.), New York City, Degree is designed for mid-career professionals who have practical knowledge and work-based skills but have not had the opportunity to study the theory and history of industrial and labor relations in depth or at the graduate level. The program falls between the M.S. (which is fundamentally a research degree) and the M.I.L.R. (fundamentally a practitioner degree).
2. Administration of the Program
The ILR Graduate Committee administers the general requirements for the degree of M.P.S. in accordance with the policies of the Code of Legislation of the Graduate Faculty. This Committee processes applications for admission to the M.P.S. degree program, administers the program of study, and recommends the degree for those who satisfactorily meet the requirements.
3. Admissions
- A Bachelor's degree in the Social Sciences, Liberal Arts, Business Administration, Engineering or other approved fields, with adequate preparation for graduate work in Industrial and Labor Relations.
- Aptitude for graduate work as demonstrated by examination* and other appropriate criteria, including undergraduate (and previous graduate level) success and letters of recommendation. NOTE: there is no specific minimum test score or GPA; applications are considered on all relative merits.
- A personal interview with a member of the ILR faculty.
- 2 Essays as described: 3-4 pages, describing career trajectory, work experience, workplace issues, experiences influencing decision to apply to the MPS program and what student hopes to gain from this course of study, insight and perspective student could contribute to class discussions.
- A 3-4 page essay on a substantive issue related to the workplace.
- Applicants must submit a completed Cornell Graduate Application (and application fee), a statement of purpose, complete transcripts from all institutions attended, resume or CV detailing work experience, GRE or GMAT Test scores* (TOEFL Scores from international applicants) and a minimum of 2 letters of recommendation. (At least one academic letter is preferred, but in some cases 2 professional recommendations are acceptable.)
*Foreign graduate students are admitted with the same criteria as US citizens, including the results of the aptitude tests of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). Foreign students whose native language is other than English must submit the results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the GRE analytical writing section. NOTE: the GRE or GMAT is not required for applicants who have 5 years of relevant work experience. Other applicants are required to submit test scores.
4. Special Graduate Committee
A student's course of study, including a project, will be supervised by one faculty member who will act as Chairman of the Special Graduate Committee.
5. Residency Requirements: Registration Units
Study is undertaken on a part-time basis mainly at the New York City ILR campus. Successful completion of the program requires a two-year commitment, including attendance at two two-week summer sessions in Ithaca. Students will be expected to complete thirty credit hours of coursework, including a research project. Two registration units are required for the M.P.S. degree. Part-time master's students are required to make progress at one-half the rate of full-time students and are eligible to receive one-half of a registration unit for each semester of study satisfactorily completed.
6. Course Requirements
All students take a standardized, interdisciplinary curriculum, which is structured around six core courses and the research project. Students are registered for all courses by the program office.
MPS/NYC Curriculum
- ILROB 525—Organizational Behavior (4 credits)
- ILRST 515—Statistical Research Methods (4 credits)
- ILRLE 544—Labor Economics (4 credits)
- ILRCB 504—Collective Bargaining (4 credits)
- ILRID 568—Labor and Employment Law (4 credits)
- ILRID 759—Directed Reading (2 credits; S/U)
- ILR**799—Research Project – semester 1 (2 credits)
- ILR**799—Research Project – semester 2 (2 credits)
7. Grades
Candidates for the MPS degree are expected to maintain a grade average of not less than B- and no single course or seminar grade shall be below C. Failure to maintain these standards may be grounds for dismissal from the program. At the end of each term, the Chair of the student's Special Committee, or the Director of Graduate Studies, will review the grade records and issue warning notices or recommendations for dismissal, as appropriate.
8. Language Requirements
There are no language requirements for M.P.S. ILR degree candidates.
9. Teaching Requirements
There are no teaching requirements for M.P.S. ILR degree candidates.
10. Thesis/Dissertation
There are no final thesis or dissertation requirements for M.P.S. ILR degree candidates but a research project is required.
11. Examinations
Admission to Candidacy exams and Final Thesis Defense exams are not required by this degree program.
12. Recommendations for the Degree
The ILR Graduate Committee will review each candidate's program prior to recommending the degree candidate to the Graduate School. The Cornell University Graduate Faculty approves the awarding of all degrees.
