FAQs

The main difference between a MIR degree and an HRPA designation is that one is a university degree and the other is a professional development certification. While both are recognized within the industry, the long-term career goals of those with only a CHRP designation tend to diverge from those with a MIR or both. 

In fact, the HRPA now has an Alternate Route to meeting their coursework requirements for obtaining your HRPA Designation. ​The Alternate Route is intended for individuals with advanced HR education.  The requirements necessary to write the HRPA Comprehensive Knowledge Exam (CKE 1 or CKE 2) can now simply be met with your Master of Industrial Relations degree.

For full details on how to apply a MIR degree towards a HRPA designation, please see the HRPA Alternate Route page. 

The PMIR program will normally take about 30-36 months to complete. There are two “semesters” in the PMIR program; fall/winter and summer. Students are required to complete a total of 33 credits, in the usual form of 11 three credit weighted courses for degree completion.

The normal course load per “semester” is two courses. During the fall/winter session, students attend classes for 4 long weekends during September, November, January and February in downtown Toronto. During the summer session, classes take place in Kingston, at Queen’s campus, for 2 non-consecutive weeks in May and June. Scheduling of courses may vary each year, depending on student requirements.

No. The courses are offered in-person in either Toronto OR Kingston in any given term. There is no option to choose between learning locations.

No.  All core courses and other electives are in-person. *There is only one course that is offered that is completely online.

In addition to a four-year undergraduate degree with upper second-class standing (B+), or equivalent, from a recognized university, applicants to the PMIR program must also have three years of work experience, preferably in the field of HR/LR.  In some cases, an applicant may not meet the standard requirements. The Admissions Committee will consider a strong candidate whose combined background of education and work experience would be considered as equivalent to the criteria. Please note the program will not vet application required documentation prior to submission of an application.

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.  In some cases, an applicant may not meet the standard requirements. The Admissions Committee will consider a strong candidate whose combined background of education and work experience would be considered as equivalent to the criteria. For example, where an applicant has a three-year degree and superior academic achievement, the case can sometimes be made that his/her work experience or other post graduate certification be viewed as the equivalent of the fourth year of university. Please note the program will not vet application required documentation prior to submission of an application. Admission to the program is based on an applicant’s academic background, prior work experience, and references.

The PMIR is a part-time program designed for professionals who are working full-time. Due to study status restrictions, Queen’s University will only accept international students who are able to obtain a full-time study visa permit, part-time studies is not possible. We do, however, accept international students in the Master of Industrial Relations program.

Read more FAQs for International Students

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the school year; however, the suggested deadline for the fall/winter semester is July 1st, and March 15th for the spring semester.

Applications for the PMIR should be completed online, through the Queen’s School of Graduate Studies.

While the preference is that all applicants have one professional and one academic reference, we also recognize that some applicants are not able to provide academic references   Professional references will be accepted, when an applicant is unable to obtain academic references. It is important to note that references must come from a direct supervisor, in either case. Personal or co-worker references are not acceptable.

Students can expect that 3 credit courses generally incorporate 120 learning hours, that include all aspects of learning. Of these, we have 36 in-class hours that are devoted to lectures and personal interaction. You can expect that the balance of your time would be spent in reading, research, writing papers or working on presentations/simulations and projects alone or with your team members.

This of course varies by each course. Skills seminars would be 40 learning hours/12 in-class hours.

PMIR students pay on a “per course” fee basis. You will find details under the Employment Relations tab here: Graduate Fee Information. Please look at the Professional Master of Industrial Relations details.

Individuals are responsible for making their own accommodation arrangements.  There are many hotels and B&B’s close to the Toronto learning facilities and Queen’s campus. The program tries to make arrangements for group rates where possible and will advise students accordingly. During May and June, accommodations in the university residences are usually available and are quite affordable.

Because the PMIR is a professional graduate program, funding through the university is not available.  In the past, some of our students have found that funding is available through their employer. There are some bursaries and grants available to mature students through private funding agencies and the Canadian government. Check out our funding section, for external opportunities. You would apply for these directly.