Degree and Diploma Programs by Graduate Unit
2014-15 SGS Calendar
Industrial Relations and Human Resources
Faculty Affiliation
Arts and Science
Degree Programs Offered
Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources
University of Toronto
121 St. George Street
Toronto, Ontario M5S 2E8
Canada
Industrial Relations and Human Resources—MIRHR,
PhD
Degree Programs
Collaborative Programs
Industrial Relations and Human
Resources
The following collaborative programs are available to
students in participating degree programs as listed below:
1. Ethnic and Pluralism Studies
 Industrial Relations and Human Resources, MIRHR,
PhD
2. Workplace Learning and Social Change
 Industrial Relations and Human Resources, MIRHR,
PhD
Overview
The Master of Industrial Relations and Human
Resources (MIRHR) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
degree programs benefit students who are interested in
advanced academic study leading to career opportunities
in human resources management; labour-management
relations; collective bargaining and dispute resolution;
organization development and change; and labour market
and social policy. The MIRHR degree may be taken on a
full-time or part-time basis.
The MIRHR is a professional degree program designed to
train students in the latest innovations and best practices
within industrial relations and human resources
management. The degree provides specialized study of
the employment relationship using an interdisciplinary
approach.
The PhD in Industrial Relations and Human Resources
program is a research-oriented program of study designed
to provide students with a thorough knowledge of the field
and strong research skills. Offered only on a full-time
basis, students normally fulfil a two-year residency
requirement that enables their full participation in the
activities associated with the program.
Contact and Address
Web: www.cirhr.utoronto.ca
Email: cir.info@utoronto.ca
Telephone: (416) 978-0551
Fax: (416) 978-5696
2014-2015 School of Graduate Studies Calendar
www.sgs.utoronto.ca/calendar
Master of Industrial Relations and Human
Resources
Minimum Admission Requirements
 Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations
of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also
satisfy the Centre for Industrial Relations and Human
Resources' additional admission requirements stated
below.
 Applicants to the two-year MIRHR program require an
appropriate bachelor's degree from a recognized
university. A minimum grade average of B+ in each of
the final two years of the degree is required.
 Applicants to the 12-month MIRHR advanced-standing
option require an appropriate bachelor's degree from a
recognized university and significant academic training
in human resources (normally 3.0 full-course
equivalents [FCEs] at the senior undergraduate
level), employment relations, industrial relations, labour
studies, or labour economics. If the admissions
committee determines that an applicant does not
have sufficient academic training to qualify for
advanced standing, the student will be considered for
the two-year MIRHR degree. A minimum grade
average of B+ in each of the final two years of the
degree is required.
 All applicants are encouraged to submit results from the
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate
Management Admission Test (GMAT). Although these
tests are not required and there is no minimum score
requirement, this information is helpful to the admissions
committee. Test results more than five years old are
normally not considered.
 Applicants whose primary language is not English and
who graduated from a university where the language of
instruction and examination was not English must write
Industrial Relations and Human Resources
1
Degree and Diploma Programs by Graduate Unit
the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
The following minimum scores are acceptable:
o paper-based TOEFL exam: 600 and 5 on the Test of
Written English (TWE)
o Internet-based TOEFL exam: 100/120 and 22/30 on
the writing and speaking sections
 Since space in the program is limited, all applicants who
meet the minimum admission requirements cannot be
guaranteed admission. The Centre for Industrial
Relations and Human Resources admissions committee
reserves the right to select qualified applicants to the
program. All admission decisions are final.
Program Requirements
 Each student's program of courses must be approved by
the Coordinator of Graduate Studies. If chosen courses
appear to overlap to a large degree, approval may be
denied.
 Students must have a mid-B average overall to be
recommended for the degree.
 Failure in any course (that is, a grade of less than B-) will
require a review of the student's program by the
department.
 A student who fails two or more courses is no longer in
good academic standing and a recommendation for
termination will be made to the School of Graduate
Studies.
Two-Year MIRHR Program
Year 1 of the two-year program is spent acquiring a
foundation in industrial relations and human resources and
includes courses in economics, law, quantitative methods,
organizational behaviour, and sociology. Courses marked
(PR) require prerequisites; further information may be
obtained from the Centre for Industrial Relations and
Human Resources.
Year 1: Foundation Courses
 Students must take 4.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs),
of which 3.5 are required courses, as follows:
o IRE 1002H Applied Statistics in Industrial Relations
o IRE 1010H Economic Environment of Industrial
Relations and Human Resources
o IRE 1126H Labour Market Policy (PR)
o IRE 1362H Organizational Behaviour
o IRE 1609H Strategic Human Resources
Management (exclusion: RSM 2609H Aligning People
and Strategy)
o IRE 1610H Industrial Relations
 Plus one of the following law courses:
o IRE 1270H Law of Labour Relations
o IRE 1338H Law in the Workplace
 0.5 FCE is an elective course that is chosen from the list
below to fill the requisite 4.0 FCEs in Year 1 of the
program.
2014-2015 School of Graduate Studies Calendar
www.sgs.utoronto.ca/calendar
 Students admitted into the two-year MIRHR program
may apply to take IRE 4000H, a non-credit course
designed to assist students to gain summer employment
in a position that will provide them with work experience
relevant to their field of study.
 Students in the MIRHR program are required to achieve
a mid-B average in Year 1 of the program (or in the first
4.0 FCEs) in order to continue or to pass into Year 2.
Year 2: Core Courses
 Students must take 4.0 FCEs to complete Year 2. This
includes core courses in Industrial Relations and Human
Resources (1.5 FCEs):
o IRE 2001H Foundations and Current Issues in
Industrial Relations and Human Resources
o IRE 2002Y Research Methods in Industrial Relations
and Human Resources (PR)
 2.5 FCEs are elective courses that are chosen from the
list below to fill the requisite 4.0 FCEs in Year 2 of the
program.
Advanced-Standing Option: 12-Month MIRHR Program
Students admitted into the 12-month MIRHR advancedstanding option will have completed many of the
foundation courses in industrial relations and human
resources.
 Students will take both foundation and core courses
simultaneously in the three sessions of study
(September to August). During this time, students will
also take elective courses to increase their breadth of
knowledge or to focus on their areas of interest.
 Students must take 5.5 full-course equivalents (FCEs),
of which 3.0 are required courses, as follows:
o IRE 1010H Economic Environment of Industrial
Relations and Human Resources
o IRE 1126H Labour Market Policy (PR)
o IRE 2001H Foundations and Current Issues in
Industrial Relations and Human Resources
o IRE 2002Y Research Methods in Industrial Relations
and Human Resources (PR)
 Plus one of the following law courses:
o IRE 1270H Law of Labour Relations
o IRE 1338H Law in the Workplace
 2.5 FCEs are elective courses that are chosen from the
list below to fill the requisite 5.5 FCEs in the program.
 Students in the MIRHR advanced-standing option are
required to achieve a mid-B average in the first 2.5
FCEs of the program in order to continue.
Program Length
3 sessions advanced-standing option (typical registration
sequence: F/W/S);
6 sessions 2-year program (typical registration sequence:
F/W/S/F/W/S)
Industrial Relations and Human Resources
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Degree and Diploma Programs by Graduate Unit
Time Limit
3 years full-time; 6 years part-time
Doctor of Philosophy
Minimum Admission Requirements
 Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations
of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also
satisfy the Centre for Industrial Relations and Human
Resources' additional admission requirements stated
below.
 Applicants require a Master of Industrial Relations and
Human Resources (MIRHR) degree from the University
of Toronto, or its equivalent.
 Students with a master's degree in another related social
science discipline and students who hold a bachelor's
degree in industrial relations or human resources may
be considered for admission to the PhD (direct entry) if
they have exceptional academic standing and have
demonstrated quantitative skills and research ability.
Students admitted to the direct-entry PhD will be
required to complete additional courses.
 At least a B+ standing, or equivalent, is required in the
previous master's program. Academic performance in
courses relevant to the applicant's area of interest, as
well as performance in statistics and research methods
courses are taken into consideration by the admissions
committee.
 Applicants are required to submit a copy of their results
from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). The
Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) will be
accepted as a substitute. Although there is no minimum
score requirement, performance on either the GRE or
GMAT will be taken into consideration by the admissions
committee. Test results more than five years old are
normally not considered.
 Applicants whose primary language is not English and
who graduated from a university where the language of
instruction and examination was not English must write
the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
The following minimum scores are acceptable:
o paper-based TOEFL exam: 600 and 5 on the Test of
Written English (TWE)
o Internet-based TOEFL exam: 100/120 and 22/30 on
both the writing and speaking sections
 Applicants may be required to appear for a personal
interview and/or submit copies of recent academic work.
Program Requirements
 Requirements that are normally met in the first two years
consist of a core course in Industrial Relations and
Human Resources, elective courses, and courses in
research methods and statistics.
2014-2015 School of Graduate Studies Calendar
www.sgs.utoronto.ca/calendar
 Students must take the equivalent of 4.5 full-course
equivalents (FCEs) as follows:
 The core requirement in Industrial Relations and Human
Resources is met by completing:
o IRE 3004H Special Topics in Employment and Industrial
Relations
 The research and statistics requirements are met by
completing:
o IRE 3002Y Research Seminar I
o IRE 3003H Research Seminar II (PR)
o RSM 3062H Methods and Research in Organizational
Behaviour and Industrial Relations
o 1.0 FCE in statistics, chosen, with the approval of the
PhD Coordinator, from selected offerings in other
departments and Faculties
 In cases where a student's prior academic background
may have covered any of the courses listed above,
substitutions may be permitted with the approval of the
PhD Coordinator.
 Students admitted to the direct-entry PhD will be
required to complete up to 4.0 additional FCEs chosen in
consultation with the PhD Coordinator.
 1.0 FCE is chosen from the elective courses set out
below or from selected offerings in other departments
and Faculties.
 A comprehensive examination is normally written by
January 31 of the student's second year in the program.
It is designed to encourage students to broaden their
understanding of industrial relations and human
resources, to demonstrate analytical and methodological
abilities, and to address current policy issues. The
examination is four to five hours in length and graded as
Pass/Fail. It is normally set by four faculty members and
students must answer one of two questions submitted by
each of them.
 A student who fails the first attempt at the exam will be
permitted one more attempt. Failure of the second
attempt will result in a recommendation for program
termination.
 Intensive work on the dissertation will also begin in Year
2 of the PhD program. The thesis topic and name of
supervisor must be submitted no later than March 31 of
Year 2.
 Students who are in their third and fourth years of study
must enrol in the following courses:
o IRE 3005H Workshop in Industrial Relations I
(Credit/No Credit)
o IRE 3006H Workshop in Industrial Relations II
(Credit/No Credit)
 Students will have achieved candidacy upon successful
completion of the program requirements above at the
end of Year 3 of study (or Year 4 for direct-entry PhD
students).
Industrial Relations and Human Resources
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Degree and Diploma Programs by Graduate Unit
 Proficiency in French and/or other languages will be
IRE 1611H
Sociology of Industrial Relations
IRE 1615H
Labour and Globalization (PR)
IRE 1620H
Labour Relations Problems in Historical
Perspective
IRE 1625H
Contemporary Issues in Public Sector
Labour-Management Relations (PR)
IRE 1630H
Negotiation Skills, Theory and Practice
(PR)
IRE 1635H
Advanced Negotiations: Theory and
Process (PR)
Not all courses are offered every year. Please consult the
Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources
timetable which lists available courses in each session.
The notation (PR) following a course indicates the course
has a prerequisite.
IRE 1640H
Contemporary Trade Unionism: Issues,
Challenges, Strategy (PR)
IRE 1645H
Alternative Dispute Resolution in the
Workplace: Theory and Practice (PR)
The centre offers key required and elective courses in
Industrial Relations and Human Resources. MIRHR
students are not permitted to take more than a total of 1.5
FCEs of electives in any one unit outside the Centre for
Industrial Relations and Human Resources without the
permission of the Graduate Coordinator. Graduate units
give preference to their own students, so MIRHR students
can enrol in these elective courses only when space is
available.
IRE 1650H
Designing Systems for Managing
Workplace Conflict (PR)
IRE 1715H
Special Topics in Industrial Relations and
Human Resources
IRE 1720H
Managing Organizational Change (PR)
IRE 1725H
Cross Cultural Differences in
Organizational Contexts (PR)
IRE 2021H
Financial Information for IR/HR
IRE 2715H
Special Topics in Industrial Relations and
Human Resources
IRE 3615H
Performance Management Systems (PR)
IRE 3620H
Consulting in Compensation (PR)
IRE 3630H
Diversity and Inclusiveness in the
Workplace (PR)
IRE 3635H
Compensation (PR)
IRE 3640H
Recruitment and Selection (PR)
IRE 3645H
Training and Development (PR)
IRE 3650H
Human Resource Planning and Strategy
(PR)
IRE 3655H
Leadership (PR)
IRE 3715H
Special Topics in Industrial Relations and
Human Resources
required when the student's supervisor deems it
necessary for dissertation research or when the centre
deems it necessary for the student's field.
 The program is available only on a full-time basis and
normally has a two-year residency requirement, during
which time the student is required to participate fully in
the department's activities associated with the program.
Program Length
4 years full-time; 5 years direct-entry
Time Limit
6 years full-time; 7 years direct-entry
Course List
Elective Courses
Students must meet the standards and requirements of
the other departments and Faculties in those courses
taken outside the centre. Some courses are offered only in
alternate years, and the availability of elective courses
may be subject to change due to such factors as faculty
research leaves and departmental resources. Some
courses may be available only in the day or in the evening.
Courses marked (PR) require prerequisites; additional
information may be obtained from the Centre for Industrial
Relations and Human Resources.
Further details concerning specific courses and brief
course descriptions are available on the centre's website.
Industrial Relations and Human
Resources
IRE 1002H
Applied Statistics in Industrial Relations
IRE 1260H
Seminar on Labour Arbitration (PR)
IRE 1270H
Law of Labour Relations
IRE 1338H
Law in the Workplace
IRE 1600H
International Developments in Labour and
Human Resource Policy
2014-2015 School of Graduate Studies Calendar
www.sgs.utoronto.ca/calendar
Industrial Relations and Human Resources
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Degree and Diploma Programs by Graduate Unit
Adult Education and Counselling
Psychology
AEC 1101H
Program Planning in Adult Education
AEC 1148H
An Introduction to Workplace and
Organizational Democracy
AEC 1268H
Career Counselling and Development:
Transition in Adulthood
Reading Courses
In certain circumstances, and with the approval of the
Graduate Coordinator, students may be allowed to take a
reading or research course:
IRE 1090H
A reading course or individual research in
an approved field
IRE 2090H
A reading course or individual research in
an approved field
Economics
ECO 2800H
Labour Economics I
ECO 2801H
Labour Economics II (PR)
Management
RSM 2027H
Not-for-Profit Consulting
RSM 2129H
Forecasting Models and Econometric
Methods (PR)
RSM 2605H
International Organizational Behaviour
(PR)
RSM 2612H
Managing Talent for Global Operations
RSM 2615H
Special Topics in Organizational
Behaviour
Political Science
JPJ 2042H
Labour Policy
POL 2307H
The Political Economy of Technology:
from the Auto-Industrial to the Information
Age
Public Health Sciences
CHL 5904H
Perspectives in Occupational Health and
Safety—Legal and Social Context
Social Work
SWK 4403H
Women and Social Policy in Canada
Sociology
SOC 6003H
Immigration II
SOC 6012H
Sociology of Work I
SOC 6112H
Sociology of Work II
Other Elective Courses
With the approval of the Graduate Coordinator, students
may register in the following credit/no-credit course:
IRE 4000H
Work Term in IR/HRM (Credit/No Credit)
2014-2015 School of Graduate Studies Calendar
www.sgs.utoronto.ca/calendar
Industrial Relations and Human Resources
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