Cornell employees are welcome to apply to any ILR degree program for which they are qualified. Employee degree applicants must submit the same application materials and meet the same criteria as external applicants. Admission to ILR is competitive — about one-third of all applicants are accepted across all graduate degree programs — but please don’t let that keep you from applying. Our selection committee will look at your application carefully to get a clear picture of your background, your interests and your potential for succeeding at ILR. Similar to applying for a job, your application will be compared to those of others in the applicant pool, and the committee will make its selection on that basis.

Admissions Decision Factors

Majors and Areas of Study

Often entering students have an undergraduate major in the social sciences; the field of psychology is frequently well-represented in a MILR class. However, it is not unusual to have fellow classmates who have been nurses, engineers or school teachers. All fields are considered in the admissions process.

Once admitted to the MILR program, students must complete a minimum of 48 credit hours and at least 16 courses (3+ credits each), which include: 

  • 6 Core Courses
  • 6 Concentration Courses
  • 4 Electives

Work experience

We don't require it, but often nearly half of the incoming professional masters classes have spent a few years in the workplace, including the Cornell workplace. The mix of student experiences makes class discussion lively.

Statement of Purpose

The statement of purpose explains your reasons for undertaking graduate work and clarifies your academic interests. It is also an opportunity to tell the admissions committee anything about you as an applicant that is not already conveyed through your resume, transcripts or test scores. You may also address any questions or discrepancies in your materials in your personal statement.

GRE or GMAT

The GRE/GMAT is not reviewed for admission to the MILR program.

Transcripts

Upon submission of your application, you must upload unofficial transcripts from all colleges or universities you’ve attended. You must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, or an equivalent international degree. (See Cornell’s list of International Degree Equivalencies.) 

There is no specific minimum grade point average used as a cut-off, although undergraduate coursework and grades are a factor in the admission decisions. 

Please note that admitted applicants who accept their offer will be required to submit official electronic transcripts to the Graduate School Admissions Office.

Resume

All applicants are required to submit a resume with their application.

Recommendations

Two letters of recommendation are required. Academic or professional recommendations are accepted. 

Letters of recommendation need to be submitted via the applicant’s online application.

Interview

After submitting an application for the MILR program, you will be invited to record an online video interview. For your convenience, our interview questions have been pre-recorded so that you can complete your responses at any time. The video interview is part of a holistic assessment that will be considered alongside your completed application. 

Detailed information about the video interviews will be provided via email after you submit your application.

Special Considerations for Employee Degree Applicants

Admission to the ILR graduate degree programs is based on a competitive selection process, and is not automatic or guaranteed for Cornell University Employee Degree candidates. Therefore, for Cornell employees who are planning to apply to the MILR and are taking ILR courses on an extramural basis for the purpose of applying those courses towards their degree, it is strongly recommended that applicants apply to the degree program prior to taking many relevant courses. The ILR Graduate Committee will only accept a total of 9 (nine) credits from Part-Time Study at Cornell (formerly Extramural Study) towards the MILR degree program if admitted into the program as an Employee Degree. Completing all of the required coursework prior to admission to the program does not automatically grant the candidate admission nor the desired degree.

Employee Degree participants in the MILR program are not required to spend any semesters as full-time students. Employee Degree participants in a Ph.D. program are required to complete a minimum of two semesters in full-time study. A doctoral student in the Employee Degree Program may petition to waive the requirement of full-time study if the special committee attests either that there is sufficient overlap between the student's employment and academic program or that the student is fully participating in the graduate program. Employee Degree candidates must follow all University and Graduate School policies regarding employment and study while in the employee degree program.

Unlike external candidates, Cornell employees who have successfully completed graduate level courses extramurally at Cornell prior to matriculating in the MILR program may petition the ILR Graduate Committee to transfer up to 9 (nine) credits from their extramural studies toward their degree requirements. The courses must have been taken at the graduate level (5000) level or above, taken for a letter grade, and have a final grade of C or above. M.S./Ph.D. degree program candidates may petition the Special Committee to transfer up to two registration units from their extramural studies toward their degree requirements. The Committee has the option of accepting some of the course work, but may disallow some courses based on performance or academic relevance to the degree program. The Graduate School also has this option.