The Master degree in Labor Studies requires 36 credits. This includes required courses and electives.
Required courses include (4 credits each):
- Labor Law
- U.S. Labor History
- Labor in the U.S. Economy
- Labor Research
- Organizing
- Collective Bargaining
- Capstone
Two Special Topics courses are also required and are offered with consideration to interests of the cohort. Special Topics taught in Labor Studies include (4 credits each):
- Pan-African Political Economies
- Comparative Labor Movements
- Issues and Debates in the Contemporary Labor Movement
- Work and the Labor Process
- Working Class and Union Culture
- Race, Gender, Immigration, and Labor
- Labor and Globalization
- Labor and Community
- Women and Work
- Labor and Politics
- Labor and Film
Students complete eight courses (32 credits) during four, ten-day residencies held during January and July on the UMass Amherst Campus. Four additional credits are earned by completing a Capstone paper with no campus residency required.