The MIR degree requires that students take courses with a total combined weight of 33 credit hours. This total includes seven required core courses (totaling 21 credit hours), together with electives (totaling 12 credit hours).

The MIR and PMIR programs have identical degree requirements, and only differ in terms of delivery structure. 

Master of Industrial Relations

Core Courses
The required core courses provide a thorough grounding in industrial relations and human resources theory and practice. Note: Where a student demonstrates a sufficiently adequate background in the subject matter of one or more required courses, the student may be permitted to take a substitute course with the permission of the Director, MIR Program. In such cases, the student may be required (i) to take an advanced course in the same disciplinary field as the required course; or (ii) take a substitute course selected from related graduate courses offered by other departments through the School of Graduate Studies or the Faculty of Law. 

The required core courses are: 

• MIR 810   Unions and Collective Bargaining
• MIR 823   IR and Labour Law I
• MIR 824   IR and Labour Law II
• MIR 830   Human Resource Management
• MIR 840   Labour Economics and Industrial Relations
• MIR 850   Organizational  Behavior
• MIR 897   Analytical Methods in Industrial Relations

Elective Courses

Elective courses include some combination of: (i) elective courses, each with a weight of 3 credit hours; and (ii) skills seminars, each equal to 1 credit hour, or on the rare occasion (iii) a research essay, which is equivalent to 6 credit hours.

The elective course component of the programs is designed to permit in-depth study in one or more areas and to provide flexibility to meet diverse student interests and career goals.  MIR students select their optional courses from those offered by the MIR program or related graduate courses offered by other departments through the School of Graduate Studies, and by the Faculty of Law.  Optional courses are subject to approval by the course instructor and the MIR Program Director.

Recent elective course offerings are as follows (not all courses are offered each year):
 

• MIR 825   Human Rights Law
• MIR 841   Labour Policy
• MIR 851   Relationships and Organizations
• MIR 875   Finance and Accounting £or HR/LR
• MIR 886   Negotiations, Conflict Resolution and Workplace Behaviour
• MIR 889   Advanced Topics in Human Resources
• MIR 891   Directed Special Studies
• MIR 898    Master's Research Paper (MRP)

Skills seminars (1.0 credits) are designed to provide students with critical analytical, research, and interpersonal skills required of Human Resources and Labour Relations professionals in the workplace.

Each skills seminar meets for a total of 12 instructional hours. Students are required to take a set of three skills seminars which together will be considered a 3.0 elective course. Students also have the option of taking three additional seminars, which may be counted as a 3.0 elective course. Students will not be permitted to take more than six seminars in total. Students who wish to drop a seminar must do so before the second scheduled class or with the permission of the instructor.

The skills seminars are below (not all seminars are offered every year):

• MIR 802   Seminars in Training and Development
• MIR 803   Seminars in Analytics and Metrics
• MIR 805   Seminars in Labour Relations
• MIR 806   Seminars in Human Resource Management
• MIR 807   Seminars in Negotiation and Collective Bargaining
• MIR 808   Seminars in Work Teams
• MIR 809   Mediation Skills
• MIR 811   Seminars in Health, Safety and Wellness
• MIR 812   Seminars in Employment Ethics and Legal Issues
• MIR 813   Seminars in Performance Management
• MIR 815   Seminars in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• MIR–816   Seminars in Employment Relations Problems and Projects
• MIR 817   Seminars in Contract Administration
• MIR 818   Seminars in Leadership
• MIR 819  Labour Arbitration Moot

Professional  Master of Industrial Relations

This part-time graduate program is for experienced professionals working in labour relations or human resources management who wish to significantly enhance and upgrade their academic qualifications. The PMIR degree also requires that students take courses with a total combined weight of 33 credit hours, but the program is spread out over a 3 year period. This total includes the same seven required courses (totaling 21 credit hours), together with electives totaling 12 credit hours).

The course load is normally distributed over several weekends during the fall / winter periods of study and two full weeks in the summer term of study; the curriculum is focused to provide a challenging standard of excellence in the field. Note that the precise course schedule may vary from year-to-year, so that students should consult directly with the PMIR Program for the specific schedules in each year. Normally up to two (3.0 credit) courses per academic year may be offered off ­campus (e.g. Toronto; Ottawa).

Required Courses  (the same 7 courses, but offered in a different delivery structure.)

• MIR-810 Unions and Collective Bargaining
• MIR-823 IR and Labour Law I
• MIR-824 IR and Labour Law II
• MIR-830 Human Resource Management
• MIR-840 Labour Economics and Industrial Relations
• MIR-850 Organizational Behavior
• MIR-897 Analytical Methods in Industrial Relations

Note: Where a student demonstrates a sufficiently adequate background in the subject matter of one or more required courses, the student may be permitted to take a substitute course with the permission of the Director, MIR Program. In such cases, the student may be required (i) to take an advanced course in the same disciplinary field as the required course; or (ii) take a substitute course selected from related graduate courses offered by other departments through the School of Graduate Studies or the Faculty of Law.

Elective Courses
Elective courses for both programs include some combination of: (i) elective courses, each with a weight of 3 credit hours; and (ii) skills seminars, each equal to one credit hour, or on the rare occasion (iii) a research essay, which is equivalent to 6 credit hours.

The elective course component of the programs is designed to permit in-depth study in one or more areas and to provide flexibility to meet diverse student interests and career goals.  MIR students select their optional courses from those offered by the MIR program or related graduate courses offered by other departments through the School of Graduate Studies, and by the Faculty of Law.  Optional courses are subject to approval by the course instructor and the MIR Program Director.

Recent elective offerings are as follows (not all courses are offered each year):

• MIR 825*   Human Rights Law
• MIR 841*   Labour Policy
• MIR 851 *  Relationships and Organizations
• MIR-875*   Finance and Accounting £or HR/LR
• MIR-886*   Negotiations, Conflict Resolution and Workplace Behaviour
• MIR-891 *  Directed Special Studies
• MIR-889*   Advanced Topics in Human Resources
• MIR-891*   Directed Special Studies
• MIR-898    Master's Research Paper (MRP)

These seminars are designed to provide students with critical analytical, research, and interpersonal skills required of Human Resources and Labour Relations professionals in the workplace.

Each seminar meets over a four-week period, and students are required to take three seminars which together will be considered a half-course. Students also have the option of taking three additional seminars, which may be counted as an elective credit. Students will not be permitted to take more than six seminars. Students who wish to drop a seminar must do so before the second scheduled class or with the permission of the instructor. The seminars are:

• MIR-802   Seminars in Training and Development
• MIR-803   Seminars in Analytics and Metrics
• MIR-805   Seminars in Labour Relations
• MIR-806   Seminars in Human Resource Management
• MIR-807   Seminars in Negotiation and Collective Bargaining
• MIR-808   Seminars in Work Teams
• MIR-809   Mediation Skills
• MIR-811   Seminars in Health, Safety and Wellness
• MIR-812   Seminars in Employment Ethics and Legal Issues
• MIR-813   Seminars in Performance Management
• MIR-815   Seminars in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• MIR–816   Seminars in Employment Relations Problems and Projects
• MIR-817   Seminars in Contract Administration
• MIR-818   Seminars in Leadership
• MIR-819*  Labour Arbitration Moot