Labor Day may signal the end of summer, but PhD students are just as busy as usual. Did you know that human resources (HR) and labor relations specialists are currently in high demand in both industrial and academic institutions?
Curious what human resources and labor relations are about? Check out these PhD programs and career opportunities:
PhD programs
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), PhD in Management–Institute for Work and Employment Research at MIT Sloan School of Management
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, PhD in Human Resources and Industrial Relations at School of Labor and Employment Relations
- University of California, Berkeley and University of California, Los Angeles, PhD in Social Sciences (multidisciplinary research) at Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (more info)
- Cornell University, PhD in Human Resource Studies, International and Comparative Labor, Labor Relations, Law, and History, Organizational Behavior, Social Statistics, and Labor Economics at School of Industrial and Labor Relations
- Rutgers University, PhD in Industrial Relations and Human Resources at School of Management and Labor Relations
- Michigan State University, PhD in Human Resources and Labor Relations at School of Human Resources and Labor Relations
PhD Career Opportunities
- If you enjoy teaching, mentoring, and doing research, an academic position at a research university will be perfect for you:
- Salary ranges from $70k to $100k (more info), typically including summer salary and travel support
- If you enjoy working with people and are interested in management, consider becoming a HR manager or training and development specialist:
- Salary ranges from $60k to $110k (more info), depending on the job title and company
- Top paying metropolitan areas and annual mean wages of HR professionals in 2016 (more info):
- Newark, NJ and PA: $170,570
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA: $164,920
- San Francisco-Redwood City, CA: $162,090
- Top paying non-metropolitan areas and annual mean wages of HR professional in 2016 (more info):
- West Central, NH: $133,450
- Southwest NY: $127,530
- Northern VT: $123,060
With a PhD in HR and Labor Relations, you have options to go into academia or industry and easily earn a six-figure salary. Factors such as your publications, experience, the number of people you manage, and the type of employer can impact your base salary. Salary is simply one of the factors in your career decision, but ultimately you should just follow what you really love to do!
Sources: phdinhr.org, BLS.gov
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