This 30-credit Master of Arts in Labor Studies is offered by the School of Professional Studies and the Joseph S. Murphy Institute for Worker Education and Labor Studies. It is designed for students with a range of professional and scholarly interests: labor practitioners and labor activists; individuals who aspire to leadership in their unions, communities and workplaces; and those who wish to explore careers in labor or related fields; and scholars with broad interests in social science.

Labor Studies-broadly defined as the study of work, workers and workers' organizations-is increasingly relevant for professionals in the labor movement and in labor-related fields who must keep up with the intellectual demands posed by a rapidly changing and ever-more complex global economy and culture. In order to meet these demands, the curriculum of this new M.A. program is interdisciplinary and comprehensive in scope, drawing from sociology, economics, history, global studies, political science, and cultural studies. It is grounded in current economic and social conditions and informed by historical analyses of work, workers and workers' institutions, nationally and globally. The degree prepares students for effective leadership in the labor movement; gives those in labor-related fields specialized knowledge; and provides opportunities for advanced scholarship in many areas of social science.

Students in the Master of Arts in Labor Studies will study with renowned faculty from across The City University of New York as well as with expert practitioners in the field.


About the Murphy Institute

The Joseph S. Murphy Institute for Worker Education and Labor Studies was established in July 2005 as a university-wide expansion of the Queens College Worker Education Program, founded in 1984. Now part of the School of Professional Studies (SPS) at the CUNY Graduate School and University Center, the Institute is based on a partnership between the University and the New York City labor movement. In its 24-year history, the Institute has provided several degree and certificate programs for adult workers and union members, including a B.A. and M.A. in Urban Studies, offered through Queens College, and certificate programs in Labor Studies and Public Policy/ Administration, offered through SPS at the undergraduate and graduate level. Many of the students in these programs receive tuition support from their unions. In addition to serving adults, the Institute also serves traditional-aged students, primarily through Union Semester, an academic internship program, offered through SPS, that draws undergraduate and graduate students from colleges and universities nationwide. The Institute also creates customized training programs for unions in New York City; conducts research for and about the labor movement; organizes conferences and symposia; and publishes New Labor Forum, a national journal of analysis and debate.