Dear Prospective Doctoral Student:
Welcome. At MSU, we are deeply committed to training the next generation of human resource and labor relations scholars. Our doctoral program is a key part of our mission to be a global leader in the creation, teaching, and dissemination of knowledge about managing human resources, work, and the employment relationship.
As described more fully herein, as a doctoral student in our program you will:
After reviewing our program and application procedures, please feel free to contact me or other faculty with any questions you might have.
School of Human Resources & Labor Relations
As a doctoral student in our program, you will engage in multidisciplinary analyses of complex HR and labor relations issues, learning to:
Towards fostering an environment in which our doctoral students are able to maximize their potential and enjoy outstanding placement opportunities upon graduation, we are dedicated to ensuring that you:
As research assistants, students work directly with faculty members on research projects. The assignment of students to faculty is based on student requests to work with individual faculty and a student's primary research interests.
Doctoral students making good progress receive full stipends and attractive health insurance coverage up to 5 years. All tuition and fees are also covered whether you are an in-state, out-of-state, or international student.
In addition, to promote success, students receive funding to cover the costs of data collections and attending conferences to present their research. Additional compensation may be received by obtaining competitive scholarships and teaching courses after completing required coursework and exams.
Central to any doctoral student's growth and success as a scholar is the opportunity to work closely with talented faculty conducting and publishing meaningful, cutting-edge research. With our recent wave of top junior faculty joining our School's highly recognized senior faculty, you will enjoy a wealth of opportunities to match your primary research interests with those of our diverse faculty.
Are you seeking a career that offers you lifelong opportunities to enjoy the rewards of discovery through research? Do you want to make a difference by advancing relevant knowledge and understanding of complex issues in the classroom and beyond by helping solve real-world HR and labor relations challenges? Are you willing to make a major commitment of time and effort to enjoy a successful and rewarding academic career?
If you do, we encourage you to apply to be part of a select community of doctoral students and faculty dedicated to uncovering the intricate web of factors influencing human behavior in the workplace and the consequences of that behavior on individual, organizational and societal outcomes.
Our doctoral program fosters a vibrant scholarly culture that supports students seeking to make lasting contributions to the multidisciplinary understanding of important HR and labor relations issues. We are interested in students from a wide variety of social science disciplines including business, psychology, economics, sociology, political science, and others.
Students who are likely to flourish in our program and enjoy opportunities to become professors at top universities share the following attributes, interests and experience:
There are four major components to our curriculum:
Achieving the following scholarly competencies is emphasized in our multidisciplinary curriculum:
Two "Applied Research Seminars" designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of key substantive issues and broad analytical concepts within both the HR and labor relations literatures.
Two "Theory Seminars" designed to cover the prominent theoretical foundations and modeling in the literature by addressing underlying assumptions, general propositions and specific hypotheses, and inferred causal relationships within both the HR and labor relations literatures.
A "Research Methodology Seminar" designed to address the various stages of scientific inquiry and analysis applied in the social sciences, including the assessment of the literature, theory formulation, specification of empirical models, application of statistical methods, development of data measures and instruments, sampling and data collection designs, and drawing inferences from statistical results.
Three doctoral level research methods courses taken in psychology, management, economics, sociology or other approved social science discipline.
Four doctoral level courses in disciplines such as psychology, economics, management, sociology or other approved social science discipline, to demonstrate strong scholarly expertise.
Following completion of all required and elective coursework, students enroll in 24 credit hours to complete our dissertation requirement. The underlying purpose of having students write dissertations is to demonstrate their capabilities to independently conduct original research that makes important contributions to the literature. To demonstrate these competencies, one’s dissertation may focus either exclusively on one selected extensive inquiry or on three distinct and less extensive inquiries. In consultation with his/her dissertation committee, a student’s choice of either alternative will depend on his/her primary topic(s) of interests and, in turn, how best to make a significant contribution to the existing literature.
Your application consists of the following items:
All the above should be submitted by mail or email to:
School of Human Resources and Labor Relations
South Kedzie Hall
368 Farm Lane, Room S401
East Lansing, MI 48824
During the application process, prospective students are highly encouraged to contact our faculty for more information about the program or arrange a visit. For general inquiries or to inquire about a visit – in person or virtually – please contact: Maite Tapia at email@example.com. Individual faculty contact information can be found using the faculty directory.