The Employment Relations Programs at Queen’s University offers many exciting opportunities for undergraduate students, graduate students, and working professionals to develop engaging careers in the growing and diverse field of employment relations.
Learn more about each of our programs below to choose the pathway that will best help you to “Shape the world of work”!
The BA General/Minor in Employment Relations allows Queen’s undergraduate students to develop in-demand and marketable skills while completing a Major Plan in another discipline. Taking the courses that comprise this Minor will provide a highly transferable set of skills and knowledge that prepare students to understand, navigate and ultimately shape the world of work, having a positive impact on the organizations and people they lead.
Delivery Mode: Online and on-campus
Number of Units: 30 credits
Who Can Apply? The Employment Relations BA General/Minor is open to all Queen's undergraduate students completing a Major Plan in another discipline as part of a Bachelor of Arts (Honors), Bachelor of Computing (Honours), Bachelor of Fine Art (Honours), or Bachelor of Science (Honours).
Courses:
How to Apply? Learn more at https://www.queensu.ca/artsci/undergrad-students/plan-selection
The online or on-campus Certificate in Employment Relations is designed as an additional credential to support those seeking jobs in labour relations and human resources management.
Students will be introduced to the theory, policy and legal frameworks behind the employment relationship, and how these can be applied to assess workplace challenges and problems.
Delivery Mode: Online or on-campus
Number of Units: 15 units
Who Can Apply?
Courses:
How to Apply?
Current Arts and Science (online or on-campus) Students Simply send an email to the Student Services Team in Arts and Science and they will get it added to your student account.
Current Engineering, Business, Health Science Students Simply send an email to the Student Services Team in Arts and Science and they will get it added to your student account.
Part-time, Off-campus, Future Queen's Students If you aren't a Queen's student (yet) but would like to take the Employment Relations Certificate, it is available online, part-time through Arts and Science Online. Click here to apply.
Queen's Alumni If you are a former Queen's undergraduate student, or if you have earned an undergraduate degree from Queen's, please request your Certificate by filling out the Return to Studies Form found here.
The Master of Industrial Relations (MIR) degree program is a one-year program designed to further develop the knowledge, skills, and competencies that human resources and labour relations professionals need to grow their careers:
Delivery: 10-12 months, primarily on-campus
Who Can Apply? Anyone with a four-year bachelor's degree (in any discipline) with upper second-class standing from a recognized university and demonstrated evidence of strong academic potential. An applicant whose native languages do not include English must submit a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the Michigan University English Language test with a required score of at least 623 to be admitted to the program.
Courses:
Core (Required) Courses (3.0 credits):
MIR 810 - Unions and Collective Bargaining
MIR 823 - Industrial Relations and Labour Law I
MIR 824 - Industrial Relations and Labour Law II
MIR 830 - Human Resources Management
MIR 840 - Labour Economics and Industrial Relations
MIR 850 - Organizational Behavior
MIR 897 - Analytical Methods for HRM/IR
Elective Courses (3.0 or 1.0 credits) – Course offerings vary from year to year, but may include:
3.0 Credit Electives:
MIR 819 – Labour Arbitration
MIR 825 - Human Rights Law
MIR 841 - Labour Policy
MIR 851 - Relationships in Organizations
MIR 852 – Leadership
MIR 885 - Industrial Relations in the Global Economy
MIR 886 - Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
MIR 888 - Advanced Topics in Labour Relations
1.0 Credit Electives:
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 817 Seminars in Contract Administration
MIR 818 Seminars in Leadership
MIR 819 Labour Arbitration Moot
How to Apply?
The Professional Master of Industrial Relations (PMIR) degree program is a part-time program for professionals in Labour Relations, Human Resources Management and Organizational Development. This program is designed especially for experienced professionals and managers in the field who wish to gain new skills and knowledge for career advancement. The PMIR provides participants with advanced skills and knowledge to implement solutions to current and emerging workplace issues.
Delivery: There are two "semesters" in the Professional MIR program academic year; Fall/Winter (Sept-February) and summer (May-June). Eleven courses are required for degree completion and the normal course load per semester is two courses. Students attend classes Thursday - Sunday from September to February and for two non concurrent weeks in summer semester. The Professional MIR program will normally take about 30-36 months to complete. Fall/Winter classes will be held in Toronto, and summer classes will be held on Queen’s campus.
Who Can Apply?
The normal minimum academic qualification for admission to the PMIR program is a four-year bachelor’s degree with upper second-class standing (B+), or equivalent, from a recognized university.
Professional MIR candidates must also have three years of full-time employment experience in the field (or equivalent).
Candidates, with significant employment experience, who do not meet the normal minimum academic qualification, must provide additional evidence of strong academic potential. This evidence normally involves completion of two courses at the senior undergraduate or graduate level, with a minimum B+ standing in each course, or completion of the Graduate Record Admission Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), with a minimum score at the 75 percentile in the verbal and analytical categories.
Courses:
Core (Required) Courses (3.0 credits):
MIR 810 - Unions and Collective Bargaining
MIR 823 - Industrial Relations and Labour Law I
MIR 824 - Industrial Relations and Labour Law II
MIR 830 - Human Resources Management
MIR 840 - Labour Economics and Industrial Relations
MIR 850 - Organizational Behavior
MIR 897 - Analytical Methods for HRM/IR
Elective Courses (3.0 or 1.0 credits) – Course offerings vary from year to year, but may include:
3.0 Credit Electives:
MIR 819 – Labour Arbitration
MIR 825 - Human Rights Law
MIR 841 - Labour Policy
MIR 851 - Relationships in Organizations
MIR 852 – Leadership
MIR 885 - Industrial Relations in the Global Economy
MIR 886 - Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
MIR 888 - Advanced Topics in Labour Relations
1.0 Credit Electives:
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 817 Seminars in Contract Administration
MIR 818 Seminars in Leadership
MIR 819 Labour Arbitration Moot
How to Apply?
The MIR/JD is a three-and-a-half-year combined degree program that merges graduate training in human resources management, employment and labour policy with a professional degree in law.
Delivery: 3.5 years, on-campus
Who Can Apply?
Competitive MIR/JD applicants must have completed a four-year honours undergraduate degree and achieved an A- average or 3.7 GPA in the last two years, and an LSAT score ≥ 160 (80th percentile). A maximum of five students may be admitted to this combined program.
Courses:
Learn more about the MIR/JD courses and program structure at https://law.queensu.ca/sites/default/files/img/Programs/Combined%20Degrees/MIR-JD%20Program%20Chart.pdf
How to Apply?
Applications must be made for JD admission through OLSAS and concurrently for admission to the graduate degree through the School of Graduate Studies. An option to complete the combined degree programs in three years is available to students who are selected for and complete successfully an International Law Program at the Bader International Study Centre in the spring term of the first year of the combined program. Students will be assisted by the Career Development Office to seek summering positions and students will pursue the licensing process and articling after graduation.
Richard Chaykowski: Labour policy, labour relations and collective bargaining, organizational and workplace practices
Glenda Fisk: Employee entitlement, emotion regulation and stress in service occupations, workplace fairness issues
Robert Hickey: Labour unions, collective bargaining and labour relations, negotiations, conflict management
Deborah Leighton: Arbitration and mediation
Jacoba Lilius: Organizational implications of high-quality workplace relationships, occupational stress and emotional labour, compassion in the workplace, health-care management
Bradley Weinberg: Collective bargaining relationships
Student are invited to apply for internal (see below) and external awards for which they are eligible including Ontario Graduate Scholarship and SSHRC scholarships. Entering graduate students who win federal government tri-council awards are automatically provided a $5,000 top-up award by Queen’s.
All applicants will be considered for the following internal awards:
MIR Application Deadline: March 1 to qualify for awards.
MIR Notification of Acceptance: As early as April.
PMIR Applications and Notification of Acceptance: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the school year; however the suggested deadline for the fall/winter semester is June 1st, and March 15th for the summer semester. Acceptance to the program occurs on a rolling basis.
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