Labor & Industrial Relations

Types of Degrees Labor & Industrial Relations Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many labor and industrial relations graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	984
Master’s Degree	606
Associate Degree	144
Basic Certificate	42
Undergraduate Certificate	6
Doctor’s Degree	5
Graduate Certificate	2

What Labor & Industrial Relations Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, labor relations majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Labor Relations Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Personnel and Human Resources - Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Skills for Labor Relations Majors

labor relations majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Labor Relations Majors

As you progress with your labor relations degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a Labor & Industrial Relations Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with labor relations:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Human Resources Managers	9.0%	$113,300

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Labor & Industrial Relations?

Roughly 53% of the graduates are women, and 47% are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of labor relations majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	65
Black or African American	79
Hispanic or Latino	164
White	577
International Students	40
Other Races/Ethnicities	59

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Labor Relations, too. About 4.1% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Labor & Industrial Relations Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $70,730 to $126,700 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to labor relations. This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Labor & Industrial Relations

Some careers associated with labor relations require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to labor relations have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	5.0%
Some College Courses	1.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	2.5%
Bachelor’s Degree	31.3%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	5.3%
Master’s Degree	18.0%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	1.4%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	1.5%
Doctoral Degree	32.9%

Online Labor & Industrial Relations Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 41 schools offered some type of labor and industrial relations program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	2	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	0
Associate’s Degree	8	1
Bachelor’s Degree	2	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	20	1
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	4	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Labor & Industrial Relations Worth It?

The median salary for a labor relations grad is $103,330 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 159% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,268,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Labor & Industrial Relations

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to labor relations.

Major	Number of Grads
General Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration	19,084
Organizational Behavior Studies	3,921
Human Resources Development	2,315
Other Human Resources Management and Services	1,450
Labor Studies	171
Executive/Career Coaching	57

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Arunkumar Umapathy under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.