Employment and Labor Relations

Among the leading graduate programs of industrial relations, the MAELR program provides a challenging and rich educational experience for students pursuing careers in human resource management and labor-management relations. Emphasizing the development of professional competencies, the MAELR curriculum is designed to ensure that students master the requisite analytical and practical skills for attaining leadership positions in business, labor organizations, government and not-for-profit organizations.

From an extensive offering of courses, students receive classroom training in human resource management (strategy, compensation, staffing, selection, training, work team systems and interested-based problem solving), union-management relations (contract negotiations, administration and arbitration, union organizations and union management's joint decision-making), dispute resolution, labor market analysis, international business and labor relations and in employment and labor law.

Grounded in a long tradition of multidisciplinary study, the MAELR program exposes students to nationally and internationally recognized scholars and practitioners from labor relations, management, history, psychology, economics, political science, sociology and law. Bringing a wealth of professional and consulting experience to the classroom, instructors integrate cutting-edge research and theory and real case examples and exercises so that students learn about the most current workplace innovations and emerging trends and issues.

MAELR program admission is based on the following:

• Undergraduate GPA
• Personal statement of purpose for seeking a graduate degree
• Letters of recommendation

International applicants must complete the equivalent of a U.S. four-year bachelor's degree, including all state and external/internal examinations required for the degree. Some three-year general degrees (from Canada, India, Pakistan, France, Lebanon, etc.) may not be equivalent to a four-year U.S. bachelor's degree. However, if you have completed an honors degree, additional undergraduate coursework beyond the three-year bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree, you may be considered for admission.

If you are applying to a master's program, your minimum undergraduate GPA must be 2.75 or its equivalent in upper division coursework. If you are applying to a doctoral program, your minimum undergraduate GPA must be 3.0 or its equivalent in upper division coursework.

Submit your transcript(s)

To begin the application review, upload unofficial copies of English-translated international transcripts from all post-secondary educational institutions from which you earned a bachelor's degree or higher, including Mark Sheets, if applicable. If you are admitted, you must submit an official course-by-course academic evaluation of your completed bachelor's degree.

Demonstrate English proficiency 

Non-native speakers of English must demonstrate English proficiency by meeting the minimum requirements. You are required to submit an official qualifying score meeting minimum Graduate School requirements. Send official test scores to Wayne State University Graduate Admissions, using the school code 1898.

To begin the application review, upload an unofficial copy of your English proficiency test score(s). Once admitted, an official test score must be submitted to Graduate Admissions.