Overview
As a university strongly committed to graduate education and research, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, provides graduate programs of exceptional academic quality taught by a distinguished faculty. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers is now one of the nation's largest state university systems; enrollment at the New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden campuses is approximately 48,000 students.

Because the programs provide students with a broad theoretical foundation and an impressive array of professional skills, graduates have consistently obtained excellent positions in a variety of organizations. Recent placements of SMLR master's students include IBM, Lockheed-Martin, BASF, GE, Merck, Raytheon, ExxonMobil, Dupont, CWA, SEIU, and the National Labor Relations Board.

The Community
New Brunswick, with a population of about 42,000, is located in central New Jersey at Exit 9 of the New Jersey Turnpike and along the New York–Philadelphia railroad line. It is approximately 35 miles from New York City. To the south lie Princeton, 16 miles away; Philadelphia, about 60 miles; and Washington, D.C., under 200 miles. The many educational, cultural, and recreational resources of the New York–Philadelphia region are easily accessible to the interested student, and Rutgers attracts many distinguished visitors, lecturers, and performing artists not always available to less favorably situated institutions.

One to 4 students are admitted to the Ph.D. program each fall, about 210 students are enrolled in the M.H.R.M. program, and 40 are enrolled in the M.L.E.R. program. Two thirds are women. The average age is 30.

Programs of study and degree requirements
The School of Management and Labor Relations (SMLR) offers a Ph.D. in industrial relations and human resources, a Master of Human Resources Management (M.H.R.M.), and a Master of Labor and Employment Relations (M.L.E.R.).

The Ph.D. program is designed to prepare students for research careers in colleges, universities, and other relevant institutions. It normally consists of 43 credit hours of course work, 6 hours of master's thesis credits, and 18 credit hours of dissertation study. All students take two Ph.D. seminars, three courses to fulfill their interdisciplinary distributional requirements, a minimum of three statistics and research methods courses, and the Pro-Seminar. The Ph.D. program requires full-time study.

The M.H.R.M. degree, which requires 48 credits of course work, focuses on the strategic role of HRM in shaping and supporting the organization's business plan. It is a professional program integrating theory and practice, training students to become internal consultants and business partners. Students are accepted into the program on a full-time or part-time basis, and courses are scheduled in the late afternoon and evening for the convenience of working adults. The proximity of a wide variety of the nation's leading businesses provides excellent opportunities for internships, research, and eventual job placement. The program is also offered in Singapore and off-site at firms such as AT&T and IBM.

The M.L.E.R. program, which requires 39 credits of course work, affords students the opportunity to explore the causes and consequences of changes in labor relations as well as to develop the professional skills necessary to function in their chosen fields. The program combines professional education in labor relations, organizational change, and employee diversity with a broader approach to the study of work and work-related issues. Students prepare to pursue careers in labor organizations, in labor relations for private and public-sector employers, or in government agencies that regulate employment.

Facilities & Resources
The School of Management and Labor Relations conducts programs of graduate instruction, research, and continuing professional education for both management and labor to further their understanding of human resources management, the process of industrial relations, and public employment and training policy.

SMLR has a specialized library within the 3 million–volume University library system. The SMLR library provides access to leading journals, reporting services, and databases in industrial relations and human resources. Graduate students have access to the school's thirty-five–station state-of-the-art computer laboratory and Rutgers' Center for Computer and Information Services, which contains some of the most powerful and innovative computer equipment in the country. Students are encouraged to develop computer skills through courses that rely heavily on the computer and its application to human resource issues.

Expenses and Aid
State residents pursuing graduate full-time study without financial assistance from the University paid tuition and student fees totaling $9860 for the 2004-–05 academic year. Nonresidents and international students paid $13,600.

Financial Aid: Research and teaching assistantships are available on a competitive basis. There are also opportunities for paid employment and paid or unpaid internships in the New Jersey–New York–Pennsylvania area. Rutgers is a member of the Industrial Relations Council of GOALS, a nationwide coalition of industrial relations graduate schools and departments joined in a comprehensive campaign to recruit minority students. Work-study programs and Federal Stafford Student Loans are offered by the Financial Aid Office. The University offers Graduate Scholar Awards, Garden State Fellowships, Ralph J. Bunche Fellowships, and tuition awards.

Housing/Living Expenses: Dormitory housing for the 2004-–025academic year ranged from $4856 to $6702. A full meal plan for the academic year cost $2810. Off-campus housing is generally more costly.

How to Apply
The M.H.R.M. and M.L.E.R. program application deadlines are March 1 for the summer session, May 1 (M.H.R.M.) and July 1 (M.L.E.R.) for the fall semester, and November 1 (M.H.R.M.) and December 1 (M.L.E.R.) for the spring semester. The Ph.D. program deadline is February 1 for fall admission. The Graduate Record Examinations General Test or the Graduate Management Admissions Test is required. The M.H.R.M. and M.L.E.R. programs have a rolling admission policy. Admission decisions are made by judgment, not formula, but successful applicants are expected to achieve competitive grades and scores and provide letters of recommendation that indicate potential for graduate study.

John R. Aiello, Ph.D., Michigan State. Industrial and organizational psychology, stress, group processes, diversity.

Clayton P. Alderfer, Ph.D., Yale. Organizational diagnosis, group and intergroup relations, race relations, leadership transitions, family business.

Richard W. Beatty, Ph.D., Washington (St. Louis). Human resource strategy, performance appraisal, compensation.

David Bensman, Ph.D., Columbia. Labor history, contemporary collective bargaining issues, schools and education.

Joseph Blasi, Ed.D., Harvard. Employee ownership, employee participation in management and governance.

John Burton, Ph.D., LL.B., Michigan. Workers' compensation, public-sector collective bargaining.

Paul Caligiuri, Ph.D., Penn State. International human resources, selection.

Cary Cherniss, Ph.D., Yale. Job stress and burnout, careers, organizational change, supervision, emotional intelligence.

Dorothy Sue Cobble, Ph.D., Stanford. Women and work, labor history, union leadership.

Steven M. Director, Ph.D., Northwestern. Human resource policy, planning, and evaluation; financial analysis of HRM and LR decisions.

Adrienne Eaton, Ph.D., Wisconsin. Collective bargaining, worker and union participation in management, union organizing.

Charles H. Fay, Ph.D., Washington (Seattle). Compensation, performance appraisal, human resource information systems.

Carola Frege, Ph.D., London School of Economics. International comparative employment relations, with focus on European unions.

Stanley M. Gully, Ph.D., Michigan State. Leadership and team effectiveness, organizational learning, training and development.

Charles Heckscher, Ph.D., Harvard. Workplace transformation, especially in unionized settings; new forms of employment representation.

Mark Huselid, Ph.D., SUNY at Buffalo. Strategic human resource management.

Susan E. Jackson, Ph.D., Berkeley. Strategic human resource management, work teams, workforce diversity, stress and burnout.

Wells Keddie, Ph.D., Claremont. Labor studies.

Jeffrey Keefe, Ph.D., Cornell. Work restructuring and technology, collective bargaining, telecommunications, labor relations.

Mark R. Killingsworth, D.Phil., Oxford. Labor and human resources, discrimination.

Douglas Kruse, Ph.D., Harvard. Profit sharing, employee ownership, disability and employment.

Barbara A. Lee, Ph.D., Ohio State; J.D., Georgetown. Employment law, employee relations.

Claudia Meer, Ed.D., Rutgers. Education in industry, training and development, adult learning.

Charles A. Nanry, Ph.D., Rutgers. Social organization, training policy, general management.

Jean Phillips, Ph.D., Michigan State. Leadership, teams, learning organizations, job search/recruitment.

Saul Rubinstein, Ph.D., MIT. Work systems, organizational transformation.
Randall S. Schuler, Ph.D., Michigan State. Strategic and international human resource management.

Lisa Schur, J.D., Northeastern; Ph.D., Berkeley. Labor law and employment law, work and disability.

James C. Sesil, Ph.D., London School of Economics. Effect of HRM practices and policies on firm performance and efficiency.

Ryan Smith, Ph.D., UCLA. Social stratification, workplace diversity, race and ethnic relations.

Carl Edward Van Horn, Ph.D., Ohio State. American political institutions, public policy.

Paula Voos, Ph.D., Harvard. Labor relations, economic and labor policy.

John D. Worrall, Ph.D., Rutgers. Workers' compensation, property-casualty insurance, labor economics.

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