The Master of Employment Relations (MER) is a multi-disciplinary program
providing advanced level study of all aspects of the employment relationship.
The MER program is offered by full-time or part-time study and involves
30 credit hours of course work, including a major supervised paper. Candidates
registered on a full-time basis will normally complete the program in one
academic year.
The following regulations must be read in conjunction with the GENERAL REGULATIONS of the School of Graduate Studies of Memorial University of Newfoundland.
B) QUALIFICATIONS FOR
ADMISSION
1. The program shall be administered by a Director, who shall be appointed
by the Dean of Graduate Studies on the recommendation of the Deans of Arts
and Business Administration. In making this recommendation, the Deans of Arts
and Business Administration shall consult with the employment relations community
both within and outside the University.
2. The Director shall be responsible to a Graduate Committee in Employment
Relations (GCER) for the purposes of administering the program. The GCER shall
consist of five members appointed by the Dean of Graduate Studies on the
recommendation of the Director. The GCER will include the Director, who shall
chair the committee, and two faculty members from each of the Faculties of
Arts and Business Administration.
3. An Advisory Board in Employment Relations (ABER) shall be established
for the purposes of consulting with and obtaining feedback from the employment
relations community. The ABER will consist of a broad cross-section of members
from the employment relations community both within and outside the University
who shall be appointed by the Dean of Graduate Studies on the recommendation
of the Director.
B) QUALIFICATIONS FOR ADMISSION
1. Admission is limited and competitive.
2. To be considered for admission to the MER program, an applicant shall
have:
a) An undergraduate degree, with a minimum B standing, from an institution
recognized by Senate; and
b) An undergraduate course in organizational behaviour and microeconomics,
from an institution recognized by Senate, with a minimum B standing in each
course.
3. In exceptional cases, applicants who have not completed an undergraduate
degree may be considered for admission. Non-degree holding applicants must
demonstrate significant professional experience and success in employment
relations and have completed an undergraduate course in organizational behaviour
and microeconomics, from an institution recognized by Senate, with a minimum
B standing in each course.
4. All applicants are strongly encouraged to complete an introductory course
in statistics prior to admission.
1. Applicants seeking full-time enrolment will normally only be admitted
to the program in the Fall (September) semester.
2. Applications must be postmarked no later than February 15 for applicants
wishing to enter full-time or part-time studies in the Fall (September) semester.
3. Applications must be postmarked not later than August 15 for applicants
wishing to enter part-time studies in the Winter (January) semester.
4. Individuals submitting applications later than the above dates are not
assured of consideration for admission to the program in the semester desired;
their applications will be processed only if time and resources permit.
1. Applications for admission to the MER program must be made on the appropriate
form and submitted to the School of Graduate Studies.
2. The following documents must be submitted in support of the official
application form:
a) Letter of appraisal from three referees, at least one of whom is capable
of appraising the applicant’s academic potential as a graduate student, and
at least one of whom is capable of appraising the applicant’s professional
experience and/or actual or likely success in a career in employment relations.
b) Two copies of the MER Employment Experience Information Form.
c) Two official transcripts from each university or other post-secondary
institution previously attended, to be sent directly by its Registrar (or
equivalent officer) to the School of Graduate Studies. If not recorded on
the transcript, official evidence of completion of undergraduate degree must
also be submitted.
3. Application files are normally evaluated after the deadline dates for
application noted above and only when all required documentation has been
received.
4. Admission shall be by the Dean of Graduate Studies on the recommendation
of the GCER. Upon notification from the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies
of acceptance into the MER program, applicants must give written notice to
the School of Graduate Studies of their intention to register.
1. The MER program consists of 30 credit hours of course work as specified
in Table I. These include 24 hours of compulsory courses and 6 hours of elective
courses. The compulsory courses are comprised of 18 hours of core courses
specified in Table II and 6 hours for a research seminar.
2. The compulsory core courses introduce students to the three main areas
of study in the program: labour-management relations; human resources management;
and labour market and social policy analysis.
3. Electives allow students to specialize in one or more of the three main
areas of study. Electives must be chosen from the list of approved electives
specified in Table III. Other courses may be approved and added to Table III
from time to time by the GCER.
4. Candidates are responsible for fulfilling all pre-requisites and may
require special permission from the Department offering an elective to enrol
in the course.
5. The Research Seminar in Employment Relations provides students with both
quantitative and qualitative research skills and requires the identification
of a research problem, the development and execution of a methodology appropriate
to addressing the problem, analysis of results, and completion of final report.
The course is divided into three parts, representing 2 credit hours of course
work in each of the Fall, Winter and Spring semesters.
6. Candidates enrolled in Research Seminar in Employment Relations will
normally have completed an introductory course in statistics. If candidates’
records suggest a deficiency in statistics, the GCER reserves the right to
require that they complete a foundation course in statistics as part of,
and to be completed during, their program.
7. Candidates enrolled in part-time studies must complete the 18 hours of
core courses before enrolling in the research seminar course, and at least
9 hours of core courses before enrolling in an elective course.
8. A waiver of a core course may be granted by the Dean of Graduate Studies
on the recommendation of the GCER if the candidate can demonstrate that the
material in the course has been substantially covered by other courses taken
at this or another recognized university. In such cases, the course must be
replaced by another course offered by Memorial University of Newfoundland
in consultation with the candidate, and approved by the GCER. The maximum
number of core courses that can be waived is 3 and all replacement courses
must be taken during the candidate’s period of enrollment in the program.
9. Each student’s program of study must be approved by the GCER. The GCER
reserves the right to restrict candidates from taking particular courses if
it is deemed that those courses do not add sufficient value beyond courses
that the candidate has completed at the undergraduate level.
1. Candidates for the MER Degree must obtain a grade of B or better in
all program courses.
2. Candidates who receive a grade of less than B in a program course will
be permitted to remain in the program, provided the course is repeated and
passed with a grade of B or better. Alternatively, the candidate may, on the
recommendation of the GCER, and with the approval of the Dean of Graduate
Studies, substitute another graduate course. Only one course repetition or
substitution will be permitted during the candidate’s program after which
the candidate shall be required to withdraw from the program.
The schedule of courses for the MER program is as follows:
Term I (Fall)
Three core courses from Table II
One elective from Table III
EMRE 6010. Research Seminar in Employment Relations I (2 credit hours)
Term II (Winter)
Three core courses from Table II
One elective from Table III
EMRE 6020. Research Seminar in Employment Relations II (2 credit hours)
Term III (Spring)
EMRE 6030. Research Seminar in Employment Relations III (2 credit hours)
BUSI 8204. Human Resource Management
BUSI 8210. Labour Relations
BUSI 9329. Labour Law
ECON 6030. Labour Market Economics
HIST 6075. Advanced Studies in Labour and Working-Class History
SOCI 6360. Sociology of Work
Labour-Management Relations:
BUSI 9013. Collective Agreement Administration and Arbitration
Human Resources Management:
BUSI 8104. Organizations: Behaviour and Structure
BUSI 8208. Strategic Management
BUSI 8209. Management Skills
BUSI 9020. International Human Resource Management
BUSI 9311. Seminar in Human Resource Management Prerequisite: 8204]
BUSI 9317. Current Topics in Management
BUSI 9328. Change Management
EDUC 6203. Leadership: Theory and Practice
EDUC 6600. Learning and Motivation
EDUC 6706. Career Education and Career Counselling
EDUC 6802. Adult Learning and Development
EDUC 6401. Attitudes and Social Cognition
EDUC 6402. Group Processes
Labour Market and Social Policy Analysis:
BUSI 8108. Economics for Business
BUSI 9306. International Strategic Management
ECON 6000. Advanced Micro-economic Theory
ECON 6001. Advanced Macro-economic Theory
HIST 6000. Advanced Studies in Newfoundland History
HIST 6070. Advanced Studies in Social History
HIST 6090. Advanced Studies in Women’s History
HIST 6120. Advanced Studies in Economic and Business History
POSC 6700. Canadian Politics
POSC 6770. Canadian Provincial Politics
SOCI 6320. Gender and Society
SOCI 6370. Feminist Theory and Methods
SCWK 6230. Seminar in Community Development
WSTD 6000. Feminist Theory
NOTE: Students may require special permission from the graduate program
prior to enrolling in a course
Up to Calendar Table of Contents
Back to Office of the Registrar's Home Page