Labor Studies

About the labor studies major

Labor studies is an interdisciplinary field that deals with work, the workplace, and workers and their organizations. You'll learn about the rapidly changing conditions of work within a national and global perspective and how to respond to the challenges faced by labor institutions. Labor studies will teach you to value the well-being of workers and how to support, strengthen, advocate, and promote the development of the labor movement. This completely online major will prepare you to assume leadership roles in the workplace and in communities.

Skills and abilities this major develops: advocating, critical thinking, supporting individuals, and communicating.

Engaged learning experiences

Regardless of your major or future career, engaged learning is vital to your present and future. It makes you more marketable for jobs and professional schools upon graduation, it enables you to build deeper connections with faculty and staff in your field of study, and it makes your learning personal by connecting your interests and values with the curriculum from your classes. Check out the three ideas below for places to get started, or learn more at IU Indianapolis’s Institute for Engaged Learning website.

Career services

Our career services offers a variety of tools to assist students at every stage of their career path. Services are available to both students and alumni.

Student Outreach Clinic

The School of Social Work Student Outreach Clinic is a student-led free clinic where social work students provide social services to patients on the near eastside of Indianapolis.

Social Workers for Social Justice

Social Workers for Social Justice equips social work degree-seeking students for social work practice rooted in social justice.

Opportunities after graduation

Employment of labor relations specialists is projected to show little or no change from 2022 to 2032. Despite limited employment growth, about 5,200 openings for labor relations specialists are projected each year, on average, over the decade. All of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to other occupations or exit the labor force, such as retirement (Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2023).

According to the IUPUI (now called IU Indianapolis) First Destination Survey in 2023, the average starting salary for School of Social Work graduates was $40,421, and the median salary was $40,000.

The national median annual salary for labor relations specialists was $89,980 in 2023 (Occupational Outlook Handbook).

(This section is intended for informational purposes, not prediction of actual salary.)

Labor studies majors often pursue advanced degrees in the following areas:

Business administration
Higher education
Human resources
Law

Quick facts

Sample coursework

American labor history
Collective bargaining
Contemporary labor problems
Employees with disabilities
Labor law
Union organizing
Workplace discrimination

Possible careers

Affirmative action coordinator
Employee benefits manager
Employment counselor
Labor relations manager
Training specialist
Union staff representative

Where could I work?

Business development
Cummins
Human resources
Operations
State of Indiana

Complementing interests

EEnterprising

CConventional

SSocial

Get your interest code

Where to get more information

Department of Labor Studies

National Labor Relations Board

International Labor Organization

Arts, Humanities, and Human Services Cluster

This major is part of the Arts, Humanities, and Human Services (AHHS) cluster. The AHHS cluster is the academic home of University College students pursuing majors in art and design, education, general studies, journalism, liberal arts, and social work. The AHHS cluster partners with students on their academic advising and career plans to guide them into their degree-granting schools.

Learn about the AHHS cluster

Learn about other clusters

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