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Labor & Industrial Relations

Types of Degrees Labor & Industrial Relations Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Labor & Industrial Relations have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	8
Associate’s Degree	170
Bachelor’s Degree	880
Master’s Degree	474
Doctor’s Degree	8

What Labor & Industrial Relations Majors Need to Know

Programs in Labor & Industrial Relations emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Labor & Industrial Relations graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Labor & Industrial Relations emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Labor & Industrial Relations program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Labor & Industrial Relations careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Labor & Industrial Relations graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.0 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Labor & Industrial Relations professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Labor & Industrial Relations graduates include:

• Assistant Professor
• Professor
• Instructor
• Faculty Member
• University Faculty Member
• Associate Professor
• College Professor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Teacher
• College Faculty Member
• Compliance Analyst
• Compliance Coordinator
• Regulatory Compliance Specialist
• Criminal Law Professor
• Media Law Faculty Member

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Labor & Industrial Relations graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	44.7%
First professional degree	10.8%
Doctoral degree	10.3%
Master’s degree	9.0%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	6.5%
High school diploma or equivalent	5.4%
Some college courses	4.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	4.3%
Postsecondary certificate	3.3%
Post-master’s certificate	0.6%
Less than a high school diploma	0.4%
Post-doctoral training	0.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Labor & Industrial Relations?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 56% women and 44% men among Labor & Industrial Relations graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	863	56.0%
Men	677	44.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Labor & Industrial Relations graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	803	52.1%
Asian	149	9.7%
Hispanic or Latino	219	14.2%
Black or African American	134	8.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	5	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	3	0.2%
Two or More Races	50	3.2%
Race Unknown	59	3.8%
International Students	118	7.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Labor & Industrial Relations Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Labor & Industrial Relations graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$56,722
4 years	$57,321
5 years	$65,449

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $65,449 — roughly 15% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Labor & Industrial Relations Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Labor & Industrial Relations. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	1
Bachelor’s	1	4
Master’s	2	3

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Labor & Industrial Relations Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Labor & Industrial Relations graduates earn a median of $57,321 four years after completion — roughly 51% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Human Resources Management and Services	52.10
Executive/Career Coaching	52.1006
Human Resources Development	52.1005
Human Resources Management and Services, Other	52.1099
Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General	52.1001
Labor Studies	52.1004
Organizational Behavior Studies	52.1003
Business Administration and Management, General	52.0201
Insurance	52.1701
Organizational Leadership	52.0213
Accounting and Business/Management	52.0305
Accounting and Finance	52.0304

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.