Overview
The Cornell tradition of graduate education recognizes that each student has different needs, strengths, and goals. The University makes every effort to accommodate students' specific requirements and incomes. Every member of the social science faculties at Cornell is a potential resource to each ILR graduate student, whatever the field of study, providing intellectual resources that are extensive and cross college boundaries. Distinguished scholars in economics, sociology, and psychology can be found in ILR as well as in appropriate fields in the College of Arts and Sciences; in other professional fields, such as developmental sociology, child development and family relations, agricultural economics, and business law; and in research institutes such as the Southeast Asia and Latin American Centers.

The population of graduate students at Cornell is around 4,000, representing all regions of the United States and many other countries. Candidates for the M.I.L.R. degree, approximately half of the 140 graduate students in ILR, have a wide variety of academic and employment backgrounds. M.I.L.R. candidates generally choose professional careers, while Ph.D. candidates usually aim for academic appointments.

The ILR Office of Career Services provides a wide variety of services, including individual advising, workshops, resume reviews, career fairs, networking assistance, job listings, and practice interviews, to help students explore their career options and develop effective job-search strategies. The office manages an on-campus recruitment program with representatives of numerous corporations, labor unions, government agencies, and labor law firms interviewing students for positions in human resources and labor relations. The office also cultivates contacts with alumni and others working in the field.

Further career information is available from the Office of Career Services, 201 Ives Hall, Cornell University (telephone: 607-255-7816; Web site: http://www.career.ilr.cornell.edu/career/ A few of the leading employers of M.I.L.R. degree recipients are Bristol-Myers Squibb, Citigroup, CIGNA, Dell Computer Corporation, General Electric, General Mills, Honeywell, IBM, Raytheon, Sun Microsystems, the National and Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and the AFL-CIO. The mean salary for a recent M.I.L.R. graduating class was approximately $61,747, with a mean signing bonus of $8,718. Those recently completing doctoral degree programs found employment at such places as the Cornell, the Universities of Missouri and Michigan, Harvard Business School, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Community
Cornell is located in Ithaca, New York, the heart of New York's Finger Lakes region. The beautiful countryside, with its gorgeous lakes, rolling hills, and state parks, offers a magnificent setting for outdoor recreation. In addition, there is a blend of rural practicality, urban ambiance, and international flavor that produces the warmth and friendliness of a small town combined with rich cultural complexity, which is usually available only in metropolitan areas.

Programs of study and degree requirements
Cornell offers four graduate-degree programs in the field of industrial and labor relations (ILR): M.I.L.R. (Master of Industrial and Labor Relations), M.P.S. (Master of Professional Studies), M.S., and Ph.D. Candidates for the M.I.L.R. degree come from a variety of backgrounds and typically exhibit interest in preparing for positions in human resource management, labor relations (including collective bargaining), and public policy. The M.I.L.R. reflects the need of future practitioners to become broadly familiar with all major aspects of the field and to become particularly competent in one of four areas: human resources and organizations, collective representation, dispute resolution, or labor-market policy. Students complete a minimum of 48 credits in courses and seminars, including required courses in collective bargaining, labor economics, labor and employment law, human resource management, organizational behavior, and statistics. Candidates with a law or M.B.A. degree may be able to obtain an M.I.L.R. degree in two semesters. Students interested in careers in business administration may apply for a five-semester, dual-degree program at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations (M.I.L.R.) and the Johnson Graduate School of Management (M.B.A.). The M.P.S. degree is limited to individuals with professionally related work experience who wish to update their knowledge of current practices. Applicants for this degree are typically sponsored by their governments or organizations. Degree requirements include course work and a special two-year commitment. Students may choose to study part-time in New York City in the M.P.S. New York program or full-time in residence on the Ithaca campus. M.S. and Ph.D. candidates select major and minor subjects from the following areas: collective bargaining, labor law, and labor history; organizational behavior; human resource studies; and international and comparative labor. Minor subjects in fields outside ILR are encouraged. Each candidate's program is supervised by a committee of faculty members chosen by the candidate. The average M.S. program requires two years; the doctoral program typically takes an additional three years.

Ives Hall and the Cornell Conference Center

Facilities & Resources
The ILR School's Catherwood Library is located in Ives Hall. With more than 200,000 volumes, it is one of the world's most comprehensive specialized university libraries in the field of human resource management and industrial and labor relations. Catherwood's Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives ranks as one of three major centers of its type in the country. Catherwood is one of seventeen libraries constituting the Cornell University Library, ranked as one of the ten largest academic research libraries in the United States, with more than 7 million printed volumes, 65,000 journal and newspaper subscriptions, and more than 40,000 networked electronic databases available to users. Networked computer facilities in Catherwood and in other campus libraries are provided for graduate students, and a rapidly expanding array of electronic and full-text resources is available for use outside of the library. Catherwood's programs and services are aimed at providing easy access to its outstanding collections. Library staff members offer seminars and individualized training to acquaint graduate students with the research potential of Catherwood's print and electronic holdings.

Expenses and Aid
Tuition is $19,900 for the academic year for both state residents and out-of-state students. Books may cost between $900 and $1100 per year. There is also a thesis fee.

Financial Aid: A small number of fellowships may be awarded on a competitive basis by Cornell University and the ILR School. In addition, the School awards a limited number of assistantships, mostly to M.S. and Ph.D. students, with a minimum stipend of $19,900 for the academic year. Tuition scholarships are also granted to graduate assistants. Assistantships require 15-20 hours of work each week in the School's instructional, research, or extension programs.

Housing/Living Expenses: Budgets for single students at the modest-comfort level average $1200 per month. Married students should expect greater expenses. The largest variable is rent; both University and private housing are available to graduate students.

How to Apply / Application
While a strong background in the social sciences is both appropriate and helpful for advanced work at ILR, those with different backgrounds (engineering, law, business) regularly enroll. The deadline for fall admission for those applying for a fellowship or an assistantship is February 15; for spring admission, the deadline is November 15. Later applications are accepted, although the possibility of admission is somewhat reduced. Ph.D. candidates generally undertake master's thesis research before entering the Ph.D. program. Exceptionally well-qualified applicants may be admitted directly to the doctoral program with only a bachelor's degree. All applicants must take the General Test of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). International students are required to take two additional tests: the GRE Writing Assessment Test and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

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