FAQ

FAQs - Masters Day Program

What is the admissions process for the Masters Day program?

What are the prerequisites for admission to the Masters Day program?

Do I have to take the GRE? Is there a minimum score needed?

What is the application deadline?

How long does it take for the Admissions committee to come to a decision?

Do I need to have work experience to be considered?

What does the program cost? What kind of financial aid is available?

How long is the Masters Day program?

When are classes held?

What courses will I be taking?

Does the Masters Day program offer career services?

Can I work and still enroll in the Masters Day program?

If I’m accepted, how do I find housing?

I’d like to visit the Center for Human Resources and Labor Studies. Can I take a tour? Where should I stay?

Are there additional requirements for international applicants?

Does the Carlson School have any special services or support programs for international students?

I have a student visa; am I eligible for in-state tuition rates once I’ve lived in Minnesota for a year?

What is the admissions process for the Masters Day program?

All applicants to the MA and PhD programs must complete 2 application forms: an online University of Minnesota Graduate School application and a separate paper application for the HRIR program. We do not need to receive all application materials at the same time.

International applicants whose native language is not English must earn an overall score of at least 237 on the computer-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). (This is equivalent to 580 on the paper-based test.)

Detailed admissions information is available here.

What are the prerequisites for admission to the Masters Day program?

We do not require any specific undergraduate major. Admitted students have degrees in fields ranging from engineering to the fine arts. Common majors include psychology, business, economics, human resources, and speech communications.

Before enrolling, all students must complete an undergraduate course in microeconomics with a grade of C or better. We also recommend but do not require introductory courses in macroeconomics, general psychology, and statistics.

Do I have to take the GRE? Is there a minimum score needed?

Masters applicants must submit either Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores. Both tests are computer-adaptive tests that are available year-round at test centers throughout the world. Applicants most likely to be admitted are those with strong GRE scores (30th percentile or better on the verbal and quantitative sections). Masters applicants can substitute comparable GMAT scores for the GRE. Applicants may want to consider re-taking the GRE if their scores are older than 5 years (10 years for GMAT). Learn more about the GRE or GMAT

What is the application deadline?

For fall semester admissions, the application deadline is June 15. Students who want to be considered for departmental financial aid must submit a complete application by February 1. For spring semester admissions, the application deadline is October 15.

How long does it take for the Admissions committee to come to a decision?

Once all admissions documents have been received, decisions are typically made within 4 weeks. During the busiest seasons, decisions may take slightly longer.

Do I need to have work experience to be considered?

Applicants for admission to the HRIR Masters program do not need to have previous work experience, although it is encouraged.

What does the program cost? What kind of financial aid is available?

For residents of Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Manitoba, full-time student tuition is approximately $11,700 per year. Non-resident tuition is approximately $21,300. There is an additional student services fee (approximately $430/semester) and a Carlson School technology fee ($310/semester).

Graduate assistantships and fellowships are awarded to highly qualified students, generally for one academic year. There is no separate application, but interested students must submit a complete admissions application by February 1. Assistantships are usually for quarter time and require 10 hours of work per week during the school year. Participants help with faculty research projects and with CHRLS Reference Room services. In addition, loans and work-study opportunities for US citizens and permanent residents are available.

How long is the Masters Day program?

Through the Masters Day program, students spend 2 years (4 semesters) earning a degree that prepares them for careers with corporations and public sector organizations in human resource management, labor relations, and related areas.

The HRIR Masters Day degree requires 48 semester credits (equivalent to 2 academic years). Nearly all students complete the degree under the non-thesis option, which requires 40 credits in human resources, 8 credits in related fields, and the capstone course. A foreign language is not required. Most students take 12 credits per semester. The first half of the program consists of 4-credit (14-week) courses in each of the 6 areas of HRIR. The second half includes 14 credits of HRIR electives, 8 credits of related field courses, plus a final class on strategy, execution, and ethics.

When are classes held?

During the first year of study, students attend classes during the day; during the second year, students typically hold an internship during the day, allowing them to attend late afternoon and early evening courses.

What courses will I be taking?

View course listings »

Does the Masters Day program offer career services?

Go to Career Management page »

Can I work and still enroll in the Masters Day program?

In order to fully concentrate on the program, it is recommended that full-time students do not hold outside employment, other than any HR-related internships or assistantships they may hold.

If I’m accepted, how do I find housing?

To start your housing search, contact the University's Department of Housing and Residential Life in Comstock Hall East at 612-624-2994 or email the Housing and Residential Life program. The HRIR program office also helps students find roommates.

Most students live off campus in the Stadium Village, Dinkytown, Como Corridor, and Uptown areas. Stadium Village and Dinkytown are adjacent to the University's East Bank campus. The Como Corridor is northeast of the East Bank and has excellent bus service to campus. The Uptown neighborhood is centered at Lake Street and Hennepin Avenue, 4 miles southwest of campus, and features a wide range of apartments, restaurants, coffee shops, stores, and nightlife.

As with other urban areas, some neighborhoods are safer than others. We recommend that you avoid north Minneapolis (which is different from northeast Minneapolis) and south Minneapolis, unless you are south of 38th Street or west of 35-W.

Rent for off-campus housing varies. In general, rooming houses and shared housing are most affordable. Apartments, duplexes, and houses charge higher rents. The apartment complex for U of M graduate students located 1 block from the Center for Human Resources and Labor Studies features a number of amenities, but is quite expensive.

I’d like to visit the Center for Human Resources and Labor Studies. Can I take a tour? Where should I stay?

Although the Center for Human Resources and Labor Studies does not schedule regular tours, we're happy to arrange individual visits and encourage you to see everything we offer. Many prospective students have found it valuable to tour our facilities and speak with faculty, current students, and alumni. If you're interested, please contact our Admissions Coordinator at:

Phone: 612-624-5704
Fax: 612-624-8360
hrirgrad@umn.edu

Transportation

Carlson School of Management is located on the West Bank of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Light Rail or Mass Transit

Directions and Parking

Hotels

When making a reservation at one of the following hotels, be sure to ask for the University of Minnesota rate.

Holiday Inn Metrodome
1500 Washington Avenue
Minneapolis
612-333-4646
Located on the West Bank campus, 2 blocks from the Center for Human Resources and Labor Studies.

Radisson Hotel University
615 Washington Avenue
Minneapolis
612-379-8888
Located on the East Bank campus, about a 10-minute walk to the Center for Human Resources and Labor Studies

Days Inn
2407 University Avenue SE
Minneapolis
612-623-3999

Includes continental breakfast, high speed wireless, free parking, and free shuttle service to the University. Located on the eastern edge of the East Bank campus, about a 20-minute walk to the Center for Human Resources and Labor Studies.

Residence Halls

One of the University’s residence halls provides short-term summer rooms between mid-June and September 1 for $32-$42 per night. Centennial Hall is located on the east bank of the Minneapolis campus near restaurants and coffee shops. Credit cards are not accepted and advance reservations are required.

Centennial Hall
612-625-1660

Are there additional requirements for international applicants?

International applicants whose native language is not English must earn an overall score of at least 237 on the computer-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). This is equivalent to 580 on the paper-based test).

Does the Carlson School have any special services or support programs for international students?

GLOBE, the Carlson School’s international business club, encourages international students to become involved with their events on campus. The University of Minnesota’s International Scholar and Student Services department provides a wide range of helpful information for international students. Visit their website at http://www.isss.umn.edu

I have a student visa; am I eligible for in-state tuition rates once I’ve lived in Minnesota for a year?

If you have a student visa you are not eligible for in-state tuition rates. In order to be eligible for in-state tuition rates, you must hold a valid immigrant visa. Immigrant status is granted to persons holding immigrant visas issued by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). Visit http://admissions.tc.umn.edu/PDFs/ResidencyReciprocity00.pdf for more information.