MILR/MBA Dual-Degree
Combine business leadership with expertise in people, organizations, and labor relations. Earn your Master of Industrial and Labor Relations and an MBA while developing the strategic, organizational, and leadership capabilities needed to guide today’s complex workforce and business environments.
- Schedule
- Full-time, Dual degree
- Format
- In person
- Location
- Ithaca, NY
- Start
- August
- Requirements
- Admission to both programs
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Industrial and Labor Relations (MILR) + Master of Business Administration (MBA)
- This program is part of
- Johnson Graduate School of Management
MILR/MBA Dual-Degree
Organizations are navigating rapid change across workforce strategy, labor relations, organizational culture, talent management, and leadership development. The MILR/MBA program prepares you to operate at the nexus of business strategy and people leadership by combining the management education of the Johnson School with the specialized expertise of the Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
Throughout this unique program, you’ll develop a broader understanding of how organizations function, from finance and operations to labor relations, negotiation, human capital, and organizational effectiveness. If you want to lead organizations, shape workforce strategy, and influence decision-making at the highest levels of business, this is your program.
Why choose Cornell?
With two nationally respected programs in one collaborative university environment, you’ll develop business leadership capabilities alongside specialized workforce expertise rarely found within a single degree experience.
Two elite Cornell schools
Business + workforce leadership
Interdisciplinary expertise
Law, economics, behavior
Leadership-focused MBA
Enterprise-level decision making
Strategic workforce insight
Talent + business strategy
Top employer connections
Consulting, finance, tech
Flexible career pathways
HR, consulting, leadership
Powerful Cornell network
Access to 250,000+ global alumni
Why this matters now
Workforce strategy has become central to business performance. Organizations increasingly need leaders who understand how talent, labor dynamics, organizational culture, and business operations connect to long-term success. The MILR/MBA prepares students to navigate complex workplace environments while helping organizations adapt, grow, and lead through change.
Program snapshot
Through the MILR/MBA program, you’ll complete coursework across finance, strategy, operations, negotiation, and human capital management while building a deeper understanding of how organizations function and evolve. The integrated curriculum combines enterprise-level business education from Johnson with specialized expertise from the ILR School in workforce strategy, labor relations, organizational behavior and workplace dynamics.
By studying across both schools, you’ll develop the ability to navigate complex organizational challenges from both business and workforce perspectives. The dual-degree structure also supports career acceleration by preparing you for leadership roles that increasingly require expertise in organizational performance, talent strategy and business decision-making.
Where this degree takes you
Graduates pursue leadership roles across human resources, labor relations, consulting, organizational strategy, operations and executive management, where understanding both business performance and workforce dynamics creates a distinct advantage. The combination of Johnson’s enterprise-level business education and the ILR School’s interdisciplinary expertise prepares graduates to lead organizations through workforce transformation, organizational change and evolving workplace challenges.
The degree is especially valuable in consulting, finance, technology and corporate leadership environments where organizations increasingly need leaders who can align talent strategy with business objectives, navigate complex organizational systems and make sound, strategic decisions.
Curriculum overview
Students complete coursework across both Johnson and the ILR School, combining MBA core disciplines such as finance, strategy, marketing, operations, and leadership with specialized study in labor relations, negotiation, organizational behavior, human resources and workforce strategy.
The interdisciplinary curriculum emphasizes collaboration, analytical problem-solving, organizational leadership and the relationship between business performance and workforce management.
Admissions process
Students should review the admissions requirements and application processes for both programs before applying.
Applicants must apply separately to:
- Johnson School
- The Cornell ILR School through the Cornell Graduate School application
September, October, January and April
Johnson School Application Deadline Rounds
December and January
ILR School Application Deadline Rounds
Your path forward
If you want to lead organizations with a deeper understanding of both business strategy and workforce dynamics and two prestigious master’s degrees, start your application today.