Labor Studies & Employment Relations

To earn the Master of Labor and Employment Relations (MLER) degree, students successfully complete 39 graduate credits in a variety of areas.

Do you want a career managing people instead of finances or things? Are you interested in how teams are replacing assembly lines in some workplaces or how bureaucracy is changing in global corporations? 

Globalization—the international movement of people, goods, and ideas—is remaking New Jersey and the rest of the world on a daily basis. Immigration, outsourcing of work, and new types of work in an internet-connected world all have had a huge impact on American workers. As citizens and public policymakers struggle with how to protect labor standards in an ever more global economy, studying how other nations have maintained good jobs in open economies can enable you to help reshape our institutions to operate more effectively in a global environment.

Are you concerned about advancing the fair treatment of individuals? Are you interested in learning about dignity and rights at work? Do you know enough about your own rights at work—or do you need to know more? Are you considering going to law school?

Do you want to help people achieve dignity at work—along with better treatment and a higher standard of living? Are you intrigued by recent social movements—some of which are from the political right and some of which are from the left? Do you realize that New Jersey is one of the most unionized states in the United States and that by studying unions you can have excellent employment opportunities?

The general minor in Labor Studies and Employment Relations consists of six courses offered by the department, for a total of at least 18 credits.  You must take either Introduction to Labor Studies and Employment Relations (37:575:100) or Work, Society, & the Quality of Life (37:575:110).  You must have a C or better in a course for it to count towards the minor.

Do you have a passion for understanding the situation of, and improving the treatment of, a particular group of Americans—such as Asian Americans, Haitian immigrants, or people with disabilities?

There is much to learn about how to achieve social justice for everyone by studying the struggles of various diverse groups in the workplace and in society.

The Labor Studies and Employment Relations Department offers a number of Concentrations and Minors for students seeking to focus on a specific area of study. The requirements for either a minor or a concentration in the major are the same.

The School of Management & Labor Relations allows qualified students to complete both a Bachelor of Arts in Labor Studies and Employment Relations, or a Bachelor of Science in Labor Employment Relations, and a Master of Labor and Employment Relations degree in just five years of full-time study.

Are you interested in how work is managed, the problems of working people, and what workers have done as individuals and groups to address these problems?

With flexible scheduling opportunities and credit transfer guidelines, a Bachelor of Science in Labor and Employment Relations from Rutgers–New Brunswick might be a great choice for you.