Master of Labor Relations & Human Resources

The principal objective of the Master of Labor Relations and Human Resources (MLRHR) degree program is to help graduates begin careers, or advance their careers, in human resources and labor relations. Specific objectives of the program include:

• Providing education in the fundamental principles of human resources and labor relations.
• Providing a better understanding of human resource data and its use in such areas as testing, program evaluation, selection, and survey research.
• Providing an awareness of the political and legal environments in which human resource and labor relations systems function.
• Providing an interdisciplinary perspective of the field.

The program is designed to accommodate working students, with courses regularly offered during evening hours. While a majority of enrollees are part-time students taking courses in the evening, the program enrolls many full-time students who normally take three to four semesters to complete the degree.

Curriculum

Prerequisite Courses

Students must demonstrate proficiency in statistics, economics, and organizational behavior. This proficiency must be demonstrated through prior course work with a grade of C or better taken within the past ten years prior to admittance. Students lacking relevant prior course work are required to take one or more of the following courses or their equivalents:

ECN 503 Economic Concepts (3 credits)
MLR 501 Management and Organizational Behavior (3 credits)
OSM 503 Statistical Methods for Business Decisions (3 credits)

A student may be admitted without such course work, but must remove the deficiency within the first two semesters. Students who do not remove the deficiency are not permitted to enroll for further course work.

Required Core Courses (21 credits)

The following are required for all MLRHR students:
MLR 522 Labor Law (3 credits)
MLR 531 Employment Practices Law (3 credits)
MLR 601 Human Resources Management and Labor Relations (3 credits)
MLR 602 Advanced Wage and Employment Theory (3 credits)
MLR 640 Performance Appraisal, Compensation, and Benefits (3 credits)
MLR 641 Employment Planning, Personnel Selection, and Training (3 credits)
MLR 651 Collective Bargaining (3 credits)

Elective Courses (12 credits)

Students select an additional twelve credit hours to complete the requirements for the degree. Elective course selections must be made with the consent of the student’s program advisor. Two elective courses must be at the 600 level.

Electives offered within the Department of Management and Labor Relations include the following:

MLR 504 Organizational Theory and Design (3 credits)
MLR 511 Labor History (3 credits)
MLR 521 Comparative Labor Systems (3 credits)
MLR 523 Labor Relations in Public Employment (3 credits)
MLR 555 Labor-Management Cooperative Practices (3 credits)
MLR 577 Managerial Skill Development (3 credits)
MLR 604 Interpersonal Relations and Group Dynamics (3 credits)
MLR 605 Organizational Development (3 credits)
MLR 607 Total Quality Management/Continuous Quality Improvement (4 credits)
MLR 645 Human Resource Info Systems (3 credits)
MLR 686 Current Problems in Management and Labor Relations (3 credits)
MLR 690 Professional Internship (1-3 credits)
MLR 698 Independent Study (1-3 credits)

Electives offered outside of the department include such courses as:

ADM 642 Collective Bargaining and Contract Management (2 credits)
ALD 605 Psychology of the Adult Learner (3 credits)
ALD 645 Organizational Behavior and Change (4 credits)
COM 544 Mediation and CB Problem Solving (4 credits)
LAW 629 Labor Law (3 credits)
LAW 633 Arbitration (3 credits)
LAW 696 Alternative Dispute Resolution (3 credits)
PAD 630 Public Human Resources Management (3 credits)
PSY 518 Personnel Psychology (4 credits)
SOC 588 Sociology of Work and Organization (4 credits)

Other elective courses may be selected with the consent of the student’s program advisor.

Faculty

The MLR department’s full-time faculty members represent a broad range of academic and professional backgrounds. Our faculty’s areas of expertise include:

• Human Resource Management
• Labor Relations
• Organizational Behavior
• Strategic Management
• Decision Making
• Interpersonal Relations
• Leadership
• Arbitration
• Bargaining
• Equal Opportunity
• International Management

How to Apply

Students applying to the MLRHR program apply to the College of Graduate Studies. They will be required to take either the GMAT or GRE exam and submit results before being considered for admission. However, MLRHR applicants are not required to submit letters of recommendation.

Applicants to the MLRHR program must meet the Admission Requirements for the Graduate College, as well as the Admission Requirements for the MLRHR program.

Applicants should adhere to the detailed application procedure and recommended application schedule as outlined on the Graduate College Web site.

Applicants should note that GMAT test registration forms and fees must be received by the Educational Testing Service at least three weeks before the testing day selected. The GMAT test is given continuously throughout the year. Information and applications may be obtained from the CSU Testing Center, room UC 253b, (216) 687-2272. Alternatively, you may contact GMAT at 1-800-717-GMAT or visit their web site at http://www.mba.com/mba/TaketheGMAT.

Graduate Assistantships

The College of Business Administration and the MLR Department have a limited number of Graduate Assistantships available each year. Because the MLR Department houses its own Master’s Program (the MLRHR), preference for assistantships available within the Department is given to MLRHR students. MLR Department Graduate Assistantships are based on merit, not need. Students with high undergraduate grades and superior admissions test scores are invited to inquire well in advance of enrollment about the availability of positions beginning the semester they start the MLRHR. Assistantshiips are renewable semester by semester based upon satisfactory performance of assistant duties. The assistantships carry a stipend and provide in state tuition for 9 graduate credit hours per semester. Those who are granted Assistantships are assigned to work 20 hours per week with professors within the department. To begin the application process, please contact Dr. Jeffrey Susbauer, Department Chair, at j.susbauer@csuohio.edu.

For more Information

Please contact the Department of Management & Labor Relations for more information.
Phone: (216) 687-4754
Fax: (216) 687-4708
E-mail: j.susbauer@csuohio.edu

MLRHR Program
Department of Management & Labor Relations
Cleveland State University
2121 Euclid Avenue, BU 433
Cleveland, OH 44115-2214