Cornell’s Master of Industrial and Labor Relations (MILR) is a two-year, on-campus program for emerging HR leaders, career changers, and professionals ready to take the next step.

Build expertise across human resources, organizational behavior, labor relations, and conflict resolution, and develop the perspective to lead people and organizations through complex workplace challenges.

Spring 2027 deadline: November 2

Fall 2027 deadline (for scholarship consideration*): December 1

*All applications are reviewed for available funding. We also recommend exploring external scholarship and funding options.

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Build the Expertise to Lead the Human Side of Work

The MILR is a professional degree for people who want to understand how organizations work and develop the expertise to help them succeed.

At Cornell’s ILR School, you’ll learn from world-class faculty and experienced practitioners while working alongside a diverse cohort of peers. You’ll connect research with real workplace challenges and develop the skills to analyze complex issues, influence organizations, and lead meaningful change.

Is MILR Right for You?

MILR is designed for:

  • Recent undergraduates preparing for careers in HR and people leadership
  • Career changers moving into HR or related fields
  • HR professionals with approximately 1–8 years of experience
  • Professionals seeking an immersive, on-campus Cornell graduate experience

If you’re ready to deepen your understanding of the workplace and accelerate your career, MILR gives you the foundation to move forward.

Go Beyond HR Fundamentals

The workplace is complex. Great HR leaders need to understand more than one function or perspective. MILR gives you a broad view of the forces shaping organizations, with opportunities to explore:

Human Resource Management
Understand how organizations attract, develop, engage, and retain talent.

Organizational Behavior
Explore how people, teams, and organizational structures influence performance.

Labor Relations
Develop a deeper understanding of the relationships among employees, employers, and institutions.

Conflict Resolution
Build the skills to navigate disagreement and help organizations address complex workplace challenges.

Workforce Strategy
Connect people-related decisions to organizational priorities and long-term success.

Employee Well-Being
Examine the evolving relationship between work, organizations, and the people within them.

Learn from People Shaping the Future of Work

Cornell ILR brings together leading researchers, experienced practitioners, and students who are passionate about the world of work.

Senior corporate executives and labor leaders enrich the program by bringing current workplace challenges into the classroom.

You’ll learn from research and from those who are applying it in organizations today.

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A Network That Can Accelerate Your Career

Your MILR experience extends beyond the classroom.

Build relationships with classmates, faculty, alumni, and employers throughout the program and become part of Cornell’s extensive professional network.

Hear from MILR graduates:

The MILR program gave me countless opportunities to grow my network and accelerate my career progression. Whether it was meeting with company executives, taking classes from renowned professors, or being a part of a close-knit cohort, there were so many people for me to learn from and connect with during my time at Cornell.
–
Mia Michaelides
,
MILR ’23, Manager, Talent and Culture, KPMG
portrait of Mia Michaelides
MILR is a great program. I loved the flexibility I had choosing my concentration and elective courses. The staff and faculty were so willing to help me succeed. My cohort was very diverse, and I had the opportunity to learn from each of them. The students were amazing. The MILR program allowed me to change careers and grow as a professional.
–
Edward Vasquez
,
MILR ’22, HR Business Partner, L3Harris Technologies
portrait of Edward Vasquez
From the wide array of companies that come to campus seeking MILR graduates to join their organizations to the alumni in leadership roles that return to Cornell to pass on their knowledge and experiences, the caliber of the program speaks for itself. I can’t imagine being anywhere else!
–
Dhara Puvar
,
MILR ’21, Senior Consultant, Deloitte
Dhara Puvar Headshot
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MILR by the Numbers

48

Average Cohort Size

3-4

Semesters on Campus

1–8

Years Work Experience

$98K

Average Salary upon Graduation

$17K

Average Sign-On Bonus Upon Graduation

Where MILR Graduates Go

MILR graduates build careers across industries and organizations, including:

  • Boehringer Ingelheim
  • Boeing Company
  • Bristol-Myers Squibb
  • Cigna
  • Citigroup
  • City of New York
  • Collins Aerospace
  • Columbia University
  • Columbus McKinnon Co.
  • Corning Incorporated
  • Cummins, Inc.
  • Dell
  • Deloitte Consulting
  • Ford Motor Company
  • Gannett Co., Inc.
  • General Electric (GE)
  • GlobalFoundries
  • Granules Pharmaceuticals Inc.
  • IBM
  • Johnson & Johnson
  • Korean Financial Supervisory Authority
  • L3Harris Technologies
  • Lansing High School
  • LG Corp
  • Lockheed Martin
  • Micegroup
  • Microsoft
  • PepsiCo
  • Planned Parenthood of Greater NY
  • Procter & Gamble
  • Prudential Financial
  • SK Holdings
  • Thermo Fisher Scientific
  • United States Army
  • UnitedHealth Group (UHG)
  • Willis Towers Watson
  • Writers Guild of America, East
  • WuXi AppTec
  • Xiaomi Technology Company

Check your eligibility for the MILR program

Ready to Take the Next Step?

See how your academic and professional background aligns with MILR and take the first step toward determining whether Cornell’s Master of Industrial and Labor Relations is right for you.

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