Built for the future of work

80 years of pioneering research, education, and real-world impact.

ILR by the Decade
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Undergraduate Admissions

Our flexible, interdisciplinary major lets students pursue a wide range of academic interests and careers.

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Graduate Programs

Study the workplace comprehensively with the world’s highest concentration of workplace faculty.

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Professional Education

Invest in your career by learning from instructors who blend world-leading research with business-tested practicality.

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High Road Fellowship

Applications are open for the High Road Fellowship programs based in Buffalo and NYC. If you are a student interested in community engagement opportunities that aim to teach practical methods for civic participation, collaborative leadership, evidence-based policy and strategic development, apply today!

Apply to High Road Buffalo Apply to High Road NYC

Exploring ILR Career Pathways: Law

The ILR School’s interdisciplinary curriculum gives students the freedom to explore many interests, and law is one of the most popular. Approximately 23%-25% of ILR undergraduates pursue law school within five years of graduating, with many applying to law school in two to three years after graduation.

ILR alumni work in many areas of the law, including tech, health care, immigration, transportation, natural resources and criminal defense, while others who earn a law degree, forgo practicing law and instead thrive in business, finance, the entertainment industry or as leaders of professional sports organizations.

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The statue Contemplation of Justice by sculptor James Earle Fraser stands on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court.

ILR School Events

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Building Pathways to Collaborative Partnerships to Support Successful Pre-Employment Transition Services

Free webinar about pre-employment transition services (Pre-ETS)
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Building Pathways to Collaborative Partnerships to Support Successful Pre-Employment Transition Services

Labor’s Fight for Justice in the Workplace and Society: Lessons from the UAW

Join us for a discussion of this new book: Roy Reuther and the UAW: Fighting for Workers and Civil Rights, with the author Alan Reuther.
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Labor’s Fight for Justice in the Workplace and Society: Lessons from the UAW

From Awareness to Action: Suicide Prevention in the Workplace

Free webinar about implementing suicide prevention in the workplace
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From Awareness to Action: Suicide Prevention in the Workplace

Groat & Alpern Awards

Join us for an evening of celebration!
The Plaza Hotel, New York City
March 26, 2026 | 6 - 9 PM

Register
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“My time at the ILR School helped me understand both labor and management perspectives, which has proven to be a solid foundation for my career.”
– Rob Manfred, Commissioner of Major League Baseball

Rosemary Batt Reflects on Notable Career at ILR School

Faculty Spotlight

After 30 years at the ILR School, Rosemary Batt retired prior to the 2025-26 academic year.

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ILRies Change
the Future of Work.

Learn about ILR's impact

Catherwood Library

The Martin P. Catherwood Library is the most comprehensive resource on labor and employment in North America, offering expert research support through reference services, instruction, online guides and access to premier collections.

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Latest News and Research

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Narrative-Based Performance Reviews Deemed Fairest by Employees

Cornell Chronicle
Shifting from numerical to narrative-based performance reviews can significantly impact employees’ perceptions of fairness and their likelihood of improving performance based on the feedback, according to new research by Associate Professor Emily Zitek.
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Narrative-Based Performance Reviews Deemed Fairest by Employees

Q&A with Adam Schoenbachler

Future of Work fellow Adam Schoenbachler looks back to his roots and forward to new projects at the ILR School.
Adam Schoenbachler
Q&A with Adam Schoenbachler

Nick Salvatore, ‘One of Our Foremost Historians,’ Dies at 82

Cornell Chronicle
Nick Salvatore, a professor emeritus in the ILR School, an award-winning historian and teacher and lifelong champion for working people, died on Nov. 29 in Ithaca. He was 82.
Nick Salvatore headshot; Cornell University File Photo
Nick Salvatore, ‘One of Our Foremost Historians,’ Dies at 82

Future of Work Fellow Brings Technology Lens to Worker Struggle

As a Future of Work fellow, Joy Ming ’25 has worked with Ariel Avgar, Ph.D. ’08, to examine ways technology can be utilized to enhance the home health care industry.
Joy Ming
Future of Work Fellow Brings Technology Lens to Worker Struggle

Campus Life

A view of student life at Cornell University's ILR School in Ithaca, NY.

@cornellilr

⏰ Don't forget: the deadline for @ilrgradprograms' MILR applications is tomorrow, January 15! Join an incredible cohort and connect with top HR executives and Cornell alumni at special events. Interested in leveling up and getting your Master of Industrial and Labor Relations degree? ➡️ Apply…

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From historic contracts to union archives, the Kheel Center in Catherwood Library keeps labor history alive for the next generation of scholars 🔍📁

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A warm welcome to Adam Schoenbachler, a new Future of Work fellow at the ILR School and a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Global Labor and Work! 👋 In our latest Q&A, Schoenbachler reflects on an ethnography he completed of Nashville’s honky-tonk entertainment district, and looks…

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Snowy walks through campus never get old 😊

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As a senior in high school, McKenna “MJ” Raade ’25 was interested in law but hesitant to commit to that path as a then 17-year-old. The ILR School at Cornell seemed like a good fit: “I wanted to sample everything. I knew ILR would set me up." As an ILRie, Raade solidified her interest in law…

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Ives Hall looking peaceful under a winter blanket ❄️ We hope you are enjoying your break, ILRies!

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