The first year of Law School requires full-time study there. Law School courses that are included in the IR program can be double counted. Students will be able to reduce their overall time in both programs of study by one or two semesters. The Industrial Relations Master's program allows for approximately 5 elective courses out of the 13 courses required. The multidisciplinary graduate program in Industrial Relations encompasses specialized aspects of economics, sociology, psychology, law, and business.
Students focus their studies within four major areas of interest.
Labor Markets and Employment Policy. An understanding of how labor markets operate builds on economics for its analytical constructs, makes use of the abundant sources of empirical data describing labor market behavior, and draws on the rich and often complex institutional detail that conditions labor market behavior. Employment policy picks up where labor market analysis leaves off. In some cases, the effects of prior employment policies may help explain labor market changes. In other cases, the consequences of labor market changes suggest the need for new policies that can alleviate these consequences.