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The Bachelor of Science in Labor and Employment Relations is designed for students who want to learn about labor relations from a more quantitative perspective. Graduates will be equipped for various positions in human resources, recruitment, placement management, compensation and benefits, and other labor environments. Others may continue their education and work toward a master's or doctoral degree.

This program requires that you complete a minimum of 123 credits. To earn this degree, you must successfully complete:

  • 61–62 credits required for major
    • 21 prescribed course credits 
    • 13 additional course credits
    • 27–28 supporting and related area course credits
  • 45 general education course credits 
  • 23–28 elective course credits 

The prescribed courses for the bachelor of science degree focus on basic studies of labor and employment relations and economics including research methods. Additional course work includes a historical background. Other course options are available to fulfill the remainder of the degree requirements allowing you to customize the degree to meet your areas of interest or specific needs.

Course List - Bachelor of Science in Labor and Employment Relations 

Requirements for the Major

A student enrolled in this major must receive a grade of C or better in all courses required for the major.

Prescribed Courses (21 credits)
Title Abbreviation Description Credits
Introductory Microeconomic Analysis and Policy ECON 102 Methods of economic analysis and their use; price determination; theory of the firm; distribution. 3 credits
Labor Economics ECON 315 Economic analysis of employment, earnings, and the labor market; labor relations; related government policies.

Prerequisite: ECON 102		 3 credits
Employment Relations LER 100 Introductory analysis of the employment relationship and of the interrelated interests of managements, workers, unions, and the public. 3 credits
Research Methods in Labor and Employment Relations LER 312 Provides an understanding of social science research as employed in the field of human resources and employment relations. 3 credits
History of Work in America LER 458Y A study of selected problems in the history of work in the United States, especially since 1877. 3 credits
Human Resources Ethics LER 460 Ethics of human resources management.

Prerequisite: Take one of the following courses: ARMY 402, H P A460, HM 466, MGMT 341, MGMT 441, NAVSC402, NURS 432, PSYCH281, 3 credits in Labor and Employment Relations (LER), or Human Resources and Employment Relations (HRER)		 3 credits
Introduction to Industrial-Organizational Psychology PSYCH 281 Personnel selection, training, accident prevention, morale, and organizational behavior. 3 credits

Six credits from the prescribed courses table may also be double-counted as general education courses.

Additional Courses (13 credits)
Title Abbreviation Description Credits
Race, Gender, and Employment LER 136 Employment relations and legislative and policy responses to labor force issues of racial and gender inequality. 3 credits

Employment Relationship: Law and Policy

or 

The Law of Labor-Management Relations

LER 201

or

LER 401

An examination of basic legal principles underlying the employment relationship and their social, political, and economic bases.

or

Development of Anglo-American law regulating collective bargaining, with emphasis on American labor-management relations under Wagner, Taft-Hartley, and other acts.

Prerequisite: 3 credits in Labor and Employment Relations or Political Science

 3 credits
Comparative Employment Relations Systems LER 400 Analysis of structure and elements of employment relations systems in developed and developing areas.

Prerequisite: 3 credits in Labor and Employment Relations		 3 credits

Elementary Statistics
 

or

Introduction to Statistics for Business 

STAT 200
 

or

SCM 200

Descriptive statistics, frequency distributions, probability, binomial and normal distributions, statistical inference, linear regression, and correlation.

Prerequisite: Math placement into MATH 21 or higher

or

Topics include descriptive statistics, probability distributions, statistical inference, regression and correlation, and forecasting.

 4 credits

LER courses that are used in the Additional Courses category may not be double counted to satisfy this requirement. Some courses in this category have prerequisites that are not included in the major.

Supporting Courses and Related Areas (27–28 credits)
Title Abbreviation Description Credits
Supporting Courses Various Select 12–13 credits in consultation with an adviser from the LER department; at least 6 credits must be at the 400 level.  12–13 credits

Related Areas Courses

Various

Select 15 credits from appropriate LER courses; at least 9 credits must be at the 400 level (only 3 credits of LER 495 or LER 496 may be used to satisfy this requirement).

 15 credits
General Education (45 credits**)
Description Credits
Arts – GA 6 credits
Humanities – GH 6 credits
Health and Wellness – GHW 3 credits
Natural Sciences – GN 9 credits
Social and Behavioral Sciences – GS 6 credits
Writing and Speaking – GWS* 9 credits
Quantification – GQ* 6 credits
Integrative Studies (6 credits)***

*A student enrolled in this course must receive a grade of C or better.

**12 credits are included in the requirements for the major.

***This requirement only applies to students starting in summer 2018 or later. Learn more about the Integrative Studies options and consult your academic adviser when choosing courses to fulfill these requirements. 

Electives (23-28 credits)

Please note: Among the above degree requirements, students should incorporate at least 3 credits in US cultures, 3 credits in international (IL) cultures, and 3 credits in writing across the curriculum courses. The above course list includes only courses offered by World Campus. An official degree audit or the recommended academic plan for this program may include additional course options and detailed requirements. All students are expected to complete at least 36 Penn State credits to earn this degree. Please consult an academic adviser for details.

Course Availability

If you're ready to see when your courses will be offered, visit our public LionPATH course search (opens in new window) to start planning ahead.