THE MASTER'S 
FOR HR LEADERS

The ILR School at 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.

Companies That Hire Our Graduates

Take Your Career to the Next Level

The Master of Industrial and Labor Relations (MILR) program is designed for people who are interested in the human side of organizations and the workplace. It’s a professional master's degree for people ready to take on leadership roles and tackle the issues of organizational success, employee wellbeing and labor relations. It’s built up from the research of Cornell's world-class faculty and the real-world experience of practitioners. Senior corporate executives and labor managers enrich MILR through deep interactions with students focused on real challenges faced in the workplace.

The MILR program at Cornell's ILR School offers students unique perspectives on workforce issues from HR to labor, organizational behavior and conflict resolution. 

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Average Class Size

Average Student Age

56 

1-8 Years work experience

On-campus

2-Years

Students

27 

Years Old

2019 Data

$89,429

Average Salary Upon Graduation

Tuition Per Year

$39,466 

2020

MILR by the Numbers

Student Testimonials

1 in 2

Fortune 500 companies have ILR alums in HR leadership positions

EXECUTIVE MASTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (EMHRM)

An online master’s program from Cornell that’s ideal for high-potential human resource professionals who have 8+ years of experience. This selective 15-month online program will give high-potential human resource professionals the advanced knowledge and skills needed to move into senior HR roles and enable the development and execution of a human capital strategy on a global scale.

LEARN FROM THE WORLD’S LEADING HR FACULTY

Our faculty are respected worldwide as thought leaders in human resources, work, labor, and employment issues. They conduct research that informs public policy, consult government and workplace leaders and offer regular commentary to national and international media. Their expertise and reputation are part of the reason our human resources programs are routinely recognized as among the best in the world.


INTERACT WITH WORLD-CLASS HR PRACTITIONERS

As part of the EMHRM program, you will have access to senior, global HR leaders as guest lecturers and as executive advisors on your EMHRM project. Chief HR officers and other senior HR executives convene at Cornell to consult with faculty and recruit our graduates. Many senior HR leaders hold ILR and other Cornell degrees. They give back generously by spending time in ILR classrooms, discussing their career experiences and their views on emerging HR issues and opportunities.

A Webinar Series Co-Hosted by US Department of Labor–Women’s Bureau & The Worker Institute at Cornell ILR

This webinar series will bring together researchers, policy makers, practitioners, unions, philanthropy, and advocates to share current research and praxis that address the need for a just economic recovery that reverses long-existent inequalities in job creation and access. The current crisis of inequality, made worse by the intersecting crisis of the pandemic and its impact on women and people of color, accelerates the need to envision job creation through the perspective of an equity lens.

Unprecedented levels of public investment to spur economic recovery after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic creates an historic opportunity to dismantle structural barriers and achieve equity and inclusion in economic development through high-quality jobs access for women and people of color. The question this webinar series will explore is how best to achieve equity goals. Drawing on existing models of practice from around the United States, this series will show how local and state actors have successfully implemented equity and job creation.

The goal of this series is to showcase current research on equity and its application to spur the upscaling of effective policy innovation at the state and local level at a time of record levels of economic investment by the federal government.  

A Webinar Series Co-Hosted by US Department of Labor–Women’s Bureau & The Worker Institute at Cornell ILR

This webinar series will bring together researchers, policy makers, practitioners, unions, philanthropy, and advocates to share current research and praxis that address the need for a just economic recovery that reverses long-existent inequalities in job creation and access. The current crisis of inequality, made worse by the intersecting crisis of the pandemic and its impact on women and people of color, accelerates the need to envision job creation through the perspective of an equity lens.

Unprecedented levels of public investment to spur economic recovery after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic creates an historic opportunity to dismantle structural barriers and achieve equity and inclusion in economic development through high-quality jobs access for women and people of color. The question this webinar series will explore is how best to achieve equity goals. Drawing on existing models of practice from around the United States, this series will show how local and state actors have successfully implemented equity and job creation.

The goal of this series is to showcase current research on equity and its application to spur the upscaling of effective policy innovation at the state and local level at a time of record levels of economic investment by the federal government.  

The Student Perspective

2021 graduates of the Cornell ILR School’s EMHRM program discuss their participation in the program.

Sudip Roy
2020 MILR Alum 
Human Resources Management Associate, Citi

The MILR cohort is incredibly tight-knit. Students in the program are highly supportive of each other – in an academic, professional, and social context. The MILR program is a well renowned and internationally recognized premium degree that promised to introduce me to, and strengthen my foundation in the field of Human Resources. I can safely say that the program has not just met my expectations, but delivered significantly beyond it.

Lydia Varon
2019 MILR Alumus 
Specialist, HR Business Partner, L3Harris Technologies

When I decided to go back to school, I had three goals. One, gain knowledge that was directly applicable to my career path. Two, walk away with a job. Three, leave with as many doors open as possible. I can definitely say that all 3 of my goals were achieved. There is no program that will expand your horizons, and set you up for success the way the MILR program does. Everything they advertise is true: the academics, the network, the experiences, and the friendships!

Dhara Puvar
2021 MILR Alum 
HR Consultant United Nations Women

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!

BY THE NUMBERS

30

Average Cohort Size

Months Online

15

3

On-Campus
Sessions

8-20+

Years Work Experience

$65K

Total
Tuition

265K

Cornell Alumni Network

Fortune 500 companies have ILR alums in HR leadership positions

1 IN 2

Companies That Hire Our Graduates

EMHRM

FAST FACTS

Program Overview

A Webinar Series Co-Hosted by US Department of Labor–Women’s Bureau & The Worker Institute at Cornell ILR

This webinar series will bring together researchers, policy makers, practitioners, unions, philanthropy, and advocates to share current research and praxis that address the need for a just economic recovery that reverses long-existent inequalities in job creation and access. The current crisis of inequality, made worse by the intersecting crisis of the pandemic and its impact on women and people of color, accelerates the need to envision job creation through the perspective of an equity lens.

Unprecedented levels of public investment to spur economic recovery after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic creates an historic opportunity to dismantle structural barriers and achieve equity and inclusion in economic development through high-quality jobs access for women and people of color. The question this webinar series will explore is how best to achieve equity goals. Drawing on existing models of practice from around the United States, this series will show how local and state actors have successfully implemented equity and job creation.

The goal of this series is to showcase current research on equity and its application to spur the upscaling of effective policy innovation at the state and local level at a time of record levels of economic investment by the federal government.  

Course Schedule

Online Summer Session:
Business Strategy for HR Leaders
HR Strategy
Finance & Accounting Principles
Strategic Decision Making

Residential Session I:
Strategic HR Management
Labor Relations Strategy and High-Performance Work Systems

Online Fall Semester:
Agile Project Management Approaches
Total Rewards Compensation
Executive Compensation Essentials
Results Through Talent Management
Strategic Talent Analytics
Using Design Thinking in HR
Strategic Engagement
Capstone Case: Identifying the Business Case and HR Challenges

MAY 2024 – AUGUST 2025

Online Spring Semester:
Coaching Skills for Leaders
Valuing HR Initiatives
Human Resource Leadership
Navigating Power Relationships
Managing and Leading Hybrid Teams
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion in Practice for HR
Case Project: Developing an HR Intervention and Change Plan

Residential Session II:
Managing and Developing Talent
Organizational Behavior: Managing Change

Summer Semester:
Negotiation Skills
Diversity and Cross-Cultural Teams

Residential Session III:
HR Leadership
Global and Comparative Employment Relations
Negotiations 

Case Project: Final Report