Connect with an admissions advisor to find the Cornell ILR degree program that best fits your experience and HR career goals. Get personalized guidance, program details, admissions requirements, application deadlines and more.
Build the HR expertise to lead what comes next
At Cornell University’s ILR School, you’ll learn from faculty and practitioners shaping the future of work, HR and organizational leadership. Our programs connect research with real business challenges so you can strengthen your judgment, influence leaders and create measurable impact.
Whether you’re building your HR foundation, moving into strategic leadership, preparing for the next level or positioning yourself for the CHRO seat, there’s a Cornell ILR pathway designed for you.
Which Cornell HR program is right for you?
Start with your experience and career goal
Where you are now | Best-fit pathway | What you’re preparing for |
|---|---|---|
1–5 years of experience or changing careers | Building broad HR, organizational and labor expertise | |
8+ years of HR experience | Moving into more senior strategic HR leadership | |
2–5 years from a senior HR leadership role | Strengthening influence, business partnership and leadership impact | |
| 15+ years of HR experience and preparing for the top seat | Modern CHRO Role | Building readiness for enterprise-level CHRO responsibilities |
The Cornell ILR advantage
A network built around the future of work
You’re not just choosing a course. You’re joining a community built around one of the world’s leading schools dedicated to work, employment and labor.
265,000+ Cornell alumni
Connect your Cornell experience to a global alumni community. EMHRM alone highlights access to Cornell’s 265,000-member alumni network.
Faculty who shape the field
Learn from researchers whose work informs HR practice, organizations and public policy, and from practitioners who bring current business challenges into the classroom.
Leaders from the organizations shaping HR
Engage with senior HR executives and practitioners through program projects, events, guest sessions and executive education. The Modern CHRO Role, for example, brings participants into dialogue with sitting CHROs, CEOs and board directors.
One school. Multiple career stages.
From your first strategic HR role to the CHRO seat, Cornell ILR gives you a pathway to keep building your expertise as your career evolves.
Master of Industrial and Labor Relations (MILR)
Build the expertise to lead people and organizations
On-Campus | Ithaca, NY | 18–24 months
MILR is Cornell’s professional master’s degree for emerging HR leaders, career changers and professionals ready to deepen their expertise in human resources, organizational behavior, labor relations and conflict resolution.
You’ll learn alongside a diverse cohort, work on real organizational challenges and build the analytical, strategic and leadership skills needed to take on increasingly complex HR roles.
Best for: Professionals early in their HR career, recent graduates, and career changers.
Career value: Build a broad HR foundation, gain access to Cornell’s alumni and employer network, and develop expertise applicable across HR, people strategy and labor relations.
Proof point: Current Cornell outcomes report an average $98K salary upon graduation and an average $17K sign-on bonus for MILR graduates.
Executive Master of Human Resource Management (EMHRM)
Move from HR practitioner to strategic HR leader
Hybrid | 15 Months | 3 On-Campus Sessions
EMHRM is designed for experienced HR professionals ready to expand their strategic influence without stepping away from their careers.
The 15-month program combines online coursework, immersive Cornell residencies and applied capstone work. Students learn alongside experienced HR professionals and engage with faculty and senior HR leaders on challenges that matter now.
Best for: HR professionals with 8+ years of experience who are preparing for greater strategic and executive responsibility.
Career value: Strengthen your ability to connect workforce strategy to business strategy, lead organizational change and influence enterprise-level decisions.
Proof point: 75% of EMHRM graduates are promoted within two years of graduation and 82% currently hold roles at the director level or higher.
Senior Leader Programs
Build the leadership capabilities your next role demands
Not every career move requires another degree. Cornell ILR’s senior-leader programs are designed for experienced HR professionals who need focused, immediately applicable development for the next stage of leadership.
HR Leadership: Enhance Your Influence and Impact
From trusted HR partner to senior strategic leader
In-Person | New York City
Designed for seasoned HR business partners, HR directors and senior HR managers who have the potential to move into senior-level HR roles within the next 2–5 years.
Through cases, group exercises, skill-building, and faculty and peer coaching, you’ll develop the ability to influence business leaders, navigate difficult conversations and connect HR strategy to organizational performance.
Best for: HRBPs and senior HR professionals preparing for their next leadership role.
Career value: Build the influence, executive presence and strategic partnership skills required to earn and succeed in a larger seat at the table.
See HR Leadership program details
Modern CHRO Role
Prepare for the CHRO seat that exists today.
Hybrid | Senior-Level Cohort | CHRO/CEO-Sponsored
For high-potential HR executives with 15+ years of experience preparing for broader enterprise leadership and future CHRO responsibilities.
Developed by Cornell ILR and co-sponsored by the National Academy of Human Resources, the program brings together Cornell research with perspectives from sitting CHROs, CEOs and board directors. Participants examine CEO succession, board governance, executive compensation, AI and workforce strategy, enterprise transformation and other issues defining the modern CHRO role.
Best for: Senior HR executives who are succession-ready or preparing for the top HR seat.
Career value: Sharpen enterprise judgment, executive communication and readiness for the decisions that define the modern CHRO role.
Proof point: Cornell’s program includes perspectives from sitting and former CHROs, CEOs, board members and National Academy of Human Resources Fellows.
See Modern CHRO Role program details
HR Strategy: Upskilling HR Capabilities to Drive Business Results
Turn HR capabilities into measurable business impact.
Team-based learning | Cornell ILR faculty coaching
Today’s HR leaders must navigate rising cost pressures, evolving employee expectations, hybrid work models and rapidly changing business priorities. This Cornell ILR School program equips HR teams with the capabilities and insights to address critical organizational challenges and drive business results.
Designed for teams of 4–6 HR professionals, the program focuses on strengthening business acumen, leveraging data for informed decision-making and implementing change. Teams bring a strategic business challenge from their organization and work with a Cornell ILR faculty coach to develop practical solutions they can apply immediately.
Participants leave with an actionable plan for addressing a critical business opportunity or challenge, frameworks for aligning HR with business strategy and practices for using data and a consumer-driven approach to lead change.
Best for: Organizations looking to strengthen the strategic capabilities of HR business partners and Centers of Excellence (COE) specialists working on critical workforce issues.
Career value: Build the skills to connect HR priorities to business outcomes, make more informed decisions and lead change with greater impact.
See HR Strategy program details
AESC | Cornell Executive Talent Essentials
Elevate your executive talent strategy and selection expertise.
Live virtual sessions | Individual assignments | Cornell and AESC partnership
As business needs evolve and competition for executive talent intensifies, identifying and selecting the right leaders has never been more important. Offered by the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC) and Cornell ILR School, this program combines research-informed insights with practical strategies to strengthen executive selection and talent advisory capabilities.
Learn from Cornell faculty and executive search experts as you explore key business drivers for talent acquisition, influencing hiring decisions and managing critical relationships in executive hiring. Through interactive virtual sessions and individual assignments, you’ll develop practical approaches to evaluating senior talent, advising stakeholders and supporting leadership success.
Best for: Executive search consultants, in-house talent acquisition and HR leaders, leadership advisors, coaches and organizational development professionals who influence executive hiring and leadership strategy.
Career value: Strengthen your executive selection expertise, sharpen your advisory and influencing skills, and bring greater value to clients, hiring stakeholders and your organization.
Credential: Earn a certificate from AESC and Cornell University, along with SHRM or HRCI credits.
The ILR School of Cornell University is the leading college of the applied social sciences, focusing on work, employment and labor policy issues and practices of national and international significance.