Labor and Human Resources, B.A.

Program Description

This major permits students to undertake a study of work and the employment relationship in the context of a liberal arts education. A broad foundation of theoretical and professional knowledge is provided through a multidisciplinary approach. The B.A. and B.S. degrees draw on the perspectives of disciplines such as industrial relations, economics, history, law, sociology, and psychology. This focus includes the nature and functions of the institutions involved in the employment relationship. The B.S. degree requires more course work in quantification than the B.A. degree.

Graduates of Labor and Human Resources are equipped for careers in business, government, and labor organizations as labor relations specialists, personnel and human resource specialists, researchers, organizers, consultants, and professionals in mediation and arbitration. The degree is also appropriate preparation for graduate study and law school.

What is Labor and Human Resources?

Every day, 135 million Americans go to work and surprising stuff happens. Welcome to the world of human resources and labor relations! Labor and Human Resources focuses on subjects ranging from globalization and talent management, to unions and social justice, to gender equity and workers' rights. It encompasses a variety of growing career areas, all of which address the complex social, cultural, and professional issues one is likely to encounter in modern workplaces. You will learn in a highly student-centered program with great faculty, wonderful resources, and an in-house career counselor for help as you approach completion.

You Might Like This Program If...

You want to earn a first-rate liberal arts education and a ticket to a satisfying, remunerative, and fascinating career. Our students receive tons of support! Recent courses have taken students to globally reputed workplaces in Silicon Valley, Ireland, China, and Sweden. Our students also land summer internships around the country and globe. Our great student groups are fun, encourage student professional development, and explore issues like voting rights, student debt, immigration reform.

Entrance to Major

In order to be eligible for entrance to this major, a student must:

1. attain at least a C (2.00) cumulative grade-point average for all courses taken at the University; and
2. have at least third-semester classification.

READ SENATE POLICY 37-30: ENTRANCE TO AND CHANGES IN MAJOR PROGRAMS OF STUDY

World Campus

Direct Admission to the Major

Incoming first-year students who meet the program admission requirements are admitted directly into the major. Admission restrictions may apply for change-of-major and/or change-of-campus students.

For more information about the admission process for this major, please send a request to the college, campus, or program contact (listed in the Contact tab).

Degree Requirements

For the Bachelor of Arts degree in Labor and Human Resources, a minimum of 123 credits is required:

3-6 of the 45 credits for General Education are included in the Requirements for the Major. This includes 3-6 credits of GS courses.

3 of the 24 credits for Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements are included in the Requirements for the Major, General Education, or Electives and 0-12 credits are included in Electives if world language proficiency is demonstrated by examination.

Per Senate Policy 83-80.5, the college dean or campus chancellor and program faculty may require up to 24 credits of course work in the major to be taken at the location or in the college or program where the degree is earned. For more information, check the Suggested Academic Plan for your intended program.

Requirements for the Major

A grade of C or better is required for all courses in the major. To graduate, a student enrolled in the major must earn at least a C grade in each course designated by the major as a C-required course, as specified by Senate Policy 82-44.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Prescribed Courses
Prescribed Courses: Require a grade of C or better
LHR 100	Exploring Work and Employment	3
LHR 201	Employment Relationship: Law and Policy	3
LHR 304	Labor and Employment Relations Fundamentals	3
LHR 305	Human Resources Fundamentals	3
LHR 312	Research Methods in Labor and Employment Relations	3
LHR 460	Ethics in the Workplace	3
Additional Courses
Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better
ECON 14	Principles of Economics	3
or ECON 102	Introductory Microeconomic Analysis and Policy
or ECON 104	Introductory Macroeconomic Analysis and Policy
LHR 202	Understanding Employee Behavior	3
or PSYCH 281	Introduction to Industrial-Organizational Psychology
LHR/WMNST 136Y	Race, Gender, and Employment	3
or LHR 458Y	History of Work in America
Supporting Courses and Related Areas
Supporting Courses and Related Areas: Require a grade of C or better
Select 6 credits from any 400-level LHR courses (only 3 credits of LA 495 or LA 496 may be used to satisfy this requirement)		6
Select 6 credits from the following list in consultation with an adviser:		6
ACCTG 211	Financial and Managerial Accounting for Decision Making
AFAM 100N	Black Freedom Struggles
AFAM 110N	Introduction to African American Studies
BA 243	Social, Legal, and Ethical Environment of Business
BA 304	Management and Organization
BLAW 243	Legal Environment of Business
CAS 203	Interpersonal Communication
CAS 352	Organizational Communication
ECON 342	Industrial Organization
HIST 155	American Business History
MGMT 100	Survey of Management
MGMT 301	Basic Management Concepts
MGMT 321	Leadership and Motivation
OLEAD 100	Introduction to Leadership
OLEAD 409	Leadership Development: A Life-Long Learning Perspective
OLEAD 464	Communication Skills for Leaders in Groups and Organizations
OLEAD 465	Collective Decision Making
SOC 103	Racism and Sexism
SOC 110	Sociology of Gender
SOC 119N	Race, Ethnicity and Culture
Any 400-level AFAM, CAS, ECON, HIST, LTNST, MGMT, PHIL, PSYCH, SPAN, SOC, WMNST course

General Education

Connecting career and curiosity, the General Education curriculum provides the opportunity for students to acquire transferable skills necessary to be successful in the future and to thrive while living in interconnected contexts. General Education aids students in developing intellectual curiosity, a strengthened ability to think, and a deeper sense of aesthetic appreciation. These are requirements for all baccalaureate students and are often partially incorporated into the requirements of a program. For additional information, see the General Education Requirements section of the Bulletin and consult your academic adviser.

The keystone symbol appears next to the title of any course that is designated as a General Education course. Program requirements may also satisfy General Education requirements and vary for each program.

Foundations (grade of C or better is required and Inter-Domain courses do not meet this requirement.)

• Quantification (GQ): 6 credits
• Writing and Speaking (GWS): 9 credits

Breadth in the Knowledge Domains (Inter-Domain courses do not meet this requirement.)

• Arts (GA): 3 credits
• Health and Wellness (GHW): 3 credits
• Humanities (GH): 3 credits
• Social and Behavioral Sciences (GS): 3 credits
• Natural Sciences (GN): 3 credits

Integrative Studies

• Inter-Domain Courses (Inter-Domain): 6 credits

Exploration

• GN, may be completed with Inter-Domain courses: 3 credits
• GA, GH, GN, GS, Inter-Domain courses. This may include 3 credits of World Language course work beyond the 12th credit level or the requirements for the student’s degree program, whichever is higher: 6 credits

University Degree Requirements

First Year Engagement

All students enrolled in a college or the Division of Undergraduate Studies at University Park, and the World Campus are required to take 1 to 3 credits of the First-Year Seminar, as specified by their college First-Year Engagement Plan.

Other Penn State colleges and campuses may require the First-Year Seminar; colleges and campuses that do not require a First-Year Seminar provide students with a first-year engagement experience.

First-year baccalaureate students entering Penn State should consult their academic adviser for these requirements.

Cultures Requirement

6 credits are required and may satisfy other requirements

• United States Cultures: 3 credits
• International Cultures: 3 credits

Writing Across the Curriculum

3 credits required from the college of graduation and likely prescribed as part of major requirements.

Total Minimum Credits

A minimum of 120 degree credits must be earned for a baccalaureate degree. The requirements for some programs may exceed 120 credits. Students should consult with their college or department adviser for information on specific credit requirements.

Quality of Work

Candidates must complete the degree requirements for their major and earn at least a 2.00 grade-point average for all courses completed within their degree program.

Limitations on Source and Time for Credit Acquisition

The college dean or campus chancellor and program faculty may require up to 24 credits of course work in the major to be taken at the location or in the college or program where the degree is earned. Credit used toward degree programs may need to be earned from a particular source or within time constraints (see Senate Policy 83-80). For more information, check the Suggested Academic Plan for your intended program.

B.A. Degree Requirements

World Language (0-12 credits): Student must attain 12th credit level of proficiency in one world language in addition to English. This proficiency must be demonstrated by either examination or course work. See the Placement Policy for Penn State World Language Courses.

B.A. Fields (9 credits): Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Arts, World Languages, Natural Sciences, Quantification (may not be taken in the area of the student's primary major; world language credits in this category must be in a second world language in addition to English or beyond the 12th credit level of proficiency in the first language). Credits must be selected from the list of approved courses.

World Cultures (0-3 credits): Select 3 credits from approved list. Students may count courses in this category in order to meet other major, minor, elective, or General Education requirements, except for the University Cultural Diversity (US/IL) requirement.​

Program Learning Objectives

• Graduates will be able to evaluate the interrelationships among fundamental theories, concepts, facts, and issues involving labor, ER, and HR topics related to workplaces, workers, and their communities.
• Analyze alternative approaches, solutions, and conclusions related to practical and legal challenges involving labor, ER, and HR by:
  • Comparing and contrasting options
  • Identifying relative strengths and weaknesses of different approaches
  • Recognizing the interests and perspectives of different stakeholders including employees, employers, the public, and the organizations that represent them
  • Summarizing different disciplinary perspectives, such as those of sociology, psychology, political science, and economics
  • Evaluating and synthesizing relevant research and theories (All of the above referred to below as "critical thinking skills")
• Demonstrate effective communication skills in two-way interactions with individuals and groups involving labor, ER, and HR facts, concepts, and principles in order to interact effectively with other stakeholders (referred to below as "communications skills").
• Solve multi-faceted problems in labor, ER, and HR by selecting, adapting (when necessary), and applying relevant knowledge and skills to help develop, implement, and enforce organizational policies and strategies in domestic and global workplaces (referred to below as "applications capabilities.")
• Respond to practical, legal, and ethical challenges in domestic and global workplaces in accordance with societal norms, values, mores, as well as professional and ethical standards. Be able to address ethical issues with appropriate recognition of human rights, social responsibility and sustainability principles (referred to below as "ethical competence.")
• Summarize the interactive impact of numerous cultural and international factors on work, workers, employers, and industries by synthesizing information about:
  • National and transnational cultures and institutions
  • International businesses, global trade, foreign investments, and global business strategies
  • Global workers’ rights
  • Workplace diversity
  • Work-family and work-life dilemmas
  • Immigration
  • (All of the above referred to below as "global awareness")

Academic Advising

The objectives of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.

Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.

READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY

University Park

Liberal Arts Academic Advising
814-865-2545
Use the Liberal Arts Meet the Academic Advisers web page to see the contact information for the specific adviser(s) of this program

World Campus

Undergraduate Academic Advising
100 Innovation Blvd
Suite 225
University Park, PA 16803
814-863-3283
advising@worldcampus.psu.edu

Suggested Academic Plan

The suggested academic plan(s) listed on this page are the plan(s) that are in effect during the 2024-25 academic year. To access previous years' suggested academic plans, please visit the archive to view the appropriate Undergraduate Bulletin edition.

Labor and Human Resources, B.A. at University Park Campus and World Campus

The course series listed below provides only one of the many possible ways to move through this curriculum. The University may make changes in policies, procedures, educational offerings, and requirements at any time. This plan should be used in conjunction with your degree audit (accessible in LionPATH as either an Academic Requirements or What If report). Please consult with a Penn State academic adviser on a regular basis to develop and refine an academic plan that is appropriate for you.

*

Course requires a grade of C or better for the major

‡

Course requires a grade of C or better for General Education

#

Course is an Entrance to Major requirement

†

Course satisfies General Education and degree requirement

¹

Only PSYCH 281 satisfies a GS.

University Requirements and General Education Notes:

US and IL are abbreviations used to designate courses that satisfy Cultural Diversity Requirements (United States and International Cultures).

W, M, X, and Y are the suffixes at the end of a course number used to designate courses that satisfy University Writing Across the Curriculum requirement.

General Education includes Foundations (GWS and GQ), Knowledge Domains (GHW, GN, GA, GH, GS) and Integrative Studies (Inter-domain) requirements. N or Q (Honors) is the suffix at the end of a course number used to help identify an Inter-domain course, but the inter-domain attribute is used to fill audit requirements. Foundations courses (GWS and GQ) require a grade of 'C' or better.

All incoming Schreyer Honors College first-year students at University Park will take ENGL 137H/CAS 137H in the fall semester and ENGL 138T/CAS 138T in the spring semester. These courses carry the GWS designation and satisfy a portion of that General Education requirement. If the student’s program prescribes GWS these courses will replace both ENGL 15/ENGL 30H and CAS 100A/CAS 100B/CAS 100C. Each course is 3 credits.

Bachelor of Arts Requirements:

Bachelor of Arts students must take 9 credits in Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Fields (Humanities; Social and Behavioral Sciences; Arts; World Languages [2nd language or beyond the 12th credit level of proficiency in the 1st]; Natural Sciences; Quantification). The B.A. Fields courses may not be taken in the area of the student’s primary major. See your adviser and the Degree Requirements section of this Bulletin.

Bachelor of Arts students must take 3 credits in World Cultures.
See your adviser and the full list of courses approved as World Cultures courses.

Advising Notes:

• Students are welcome to take LHR courses via the World Campus—in the summer session only.
• LHR 304, LHR 305, and LHR 312 may be taken in any order; these courses are not sequential in any way.
• LHR 460 and LHR 458Y do not count as LHR 4XX.
• The list of Supporting Courses may be found under Program Requirements in the Bulletin.
• The undergraduate course designation is expected to change from LER to LHR; students should be prepared to search under both course designations during this transition.

Labor and Human Resources, B.A. at Commonwealth Campuses

The course series listed below provides only one of the many possible ways to move through this curriculum. The University may make changes in policies, procedures, educational offerings, and requirements at any time. This plan should be used in conjunction with your degree audit (accessible in LionPATH as either an Academic Requirements or What If report). Please consult with a Penn State academic adviser on a regular basis to develop and refine an academic plan that is appropriate for you.

*

Course requires a grade of C or better for the major

‡

Course requires a grade of C or better for General Education

#

Course is an Entrance to Major requirement

†

Course satisfies General Education and degree requirement

¹

Only PSYCH 281 satisfies a GS.

University Requirements and General Education Notes:

US and IL are abbreviations used to designate courses that satisfy Cultural Diversity Requirements (United States and International Cultures).

W, M, X, and Y are the suffixes at the end of a course number used to designate courses that satisfy University Writing Across the Curriculum requirement.

General Education includes Foundations (GWS and GQ), Knowledge Domains (GHW, GN, GA, GH, GS) and Integrative Studies (Inter-domain) requirements. N or Q (Honors) is the suffix at the end of a course number used to help identify an Inter-domain course, but the inter-domain attribute is used to fill audit requirements. Foundations courses (GWS and GQ) require a grade of 'C' or better.

Bachelor of Arts Requirements:

Bachelor of Arts students must take 9 credits in Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Fields (Humanities; Social and Behavioral Sciences; Arts; World Languages [2nd language or beyond the 12th credit level of proficiency in the 1st]; Natural Sciences; Quantification). The B.A. Fields courses may not be taken in the area of the student’s primary major. See your adviser and the Degree Requirements section of this Bulletin.

Bachelor of Arts students must take 3 credits in World Cultures.
See your adviser and the full list of courses approved as World Cultures courses.

Advising Notes:

• Students are welcome to take LHR courses via the World Campus—in the summer session only.
• LHR 304, LHR 305, and LHR 312 may be taken in any order; these courses are not sequential in any way.
• LHR 460 and LHR 458Y do not count as LHR 4XX.
• The list of Supporting Courses may be found under Program Requirements in the Bulletin.
• The undergraduate course designation is expected to change from LER to LHR; students should be prepared to search under both course designations during this transition.

Career Paths

Statistics. Others have gone on to work as labor union organizers, labor arbitrators, and professionals in non-profit careers. Virtually every employer--multinational corporations, small companies, hospitals, non-profit agencies, universities, and federal, state, and local governments--employ HRER professionals. Labor and Human Resources majors have gone on to graduate school earning advanced degrees in Human Resource Management, Law, Business, and Sociology.

Careers

Labor and Human Resources majors do exceedingly well in the job market, and have been hired by a long list of companies (link below). For students interested in social and economic justice at work, a career with a union provides an opportunity to put your beliefs into actions. Our alums have gone on to work for national and international labor organizations and unions such as the AFL-CIO, United Steelworkers, and the American Federation of Teachers to name a few. Government agencies such as the National Labor Relations Board and the U.S. and state Departments of Labor regularly hire Penn State LER School grads.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT POTENTIAL CAREER OPTIONS FOR GRADUATES OF THE LABOR AND HUMAN RESOURCES PROGRAM

Opportunities for Graduate Studies

Along with three top Masters programs (M.S. and M.P.S. degrees in Human Resources and Employment Relations and an M.P.S. in Labor and Global Workers Rights, we offer a five-year Integrated Undergraduate Graduate (IUG) program through which you can earn your Bachelors and Masters degrees in a total of five years, instead of six years as can otherwise be needed. Students with a Masters degree land better paying jobs in coveted positions. Many of our top performing IUG students receive assistantships that helps to pay their tuition.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRADUATE STUDIES

Professional Resources

• Society for Human Resource Management
• Penn State World Campus
• The LABOR School at Penn State
• Academy of Human Capital Development
• International Brotherhood of Teamsters
• American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)

Contact

University Park

SCHOOL OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS
506 Keller Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-5425
lerpsu@psu.edu

https://ler.la.psu.edu

World Campus

SCHOOL OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS
506 Keller Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-5425
lerpsu@psu.edu

https://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/degrees-and-certificates/penn-state-online-labor-and-human-resources-bachelor-of-arts-degree