Degrees and Minor

The Department of Labor Studies offers a Bachelor degree, an Associate degree and a certificate degree. A minor in Labor Studies is also available. We have Labor Studies degree granting programs on the following IU campuses: Indianapolis, Bloomington, Kokomo, Fort Wayne, South Bend, and Northwest. For students wanting degree information on the Columbus, East, Kokomo, or Southeast campuses, contact the Labor Studies Student Services Coordinator at IUPUI via our toll free number: 800-822-4743.

All of the Labor Studies courses are available online and depending on the IU campus, some may be offered in a face-to-face version. The Labor Studies courses are offered as a full semester course and many as compressed (8 week) courses. There are no prerequisites or co-requisites for the Labor Studies courses. Course selection is at the discretion of the student, however we offer full-time advisors to assist those interested in the Labor Studies program via the toll-free number listed above. 

Bachelor of Science in Labor Studies BS-LS (120 cr.)

• The IUPUI campus wide general-education curriculum (30 cr.)
• Additional general education courses (21 cr.)
• Labor Studies Major concentration (42 cr.)
• Electives (27 cr.)

Click on the link above for details on the IUPUI General Education corse courses.

 Students seeking a Bachelor degree in Labor Studies must take 51 credit hours of general education courses, 30 credit hours from the IUPUI General Education Core courses and 21 credit hours from the list of IUPUI general education courses. As a part of these 51 credit hours, all students must sucessfully complete 12 credit hours from the Labor Studies Required Areas of Learning listed directly below. These courses can count toward the General Education core (30 cr.) or as a general education courses (21 cr.).

Labor Studies Required Areas of Learning (12 credit hours)

To be completed within the General Education core courses (30 cr.) or in the remianing general education courses (21 cr.).

• ENG-W 131 Reading, Writing, and Inquiry 1
• One additional 200/300 level writing course (Visual Literacy: Eng-W-231 or W-270)
• One economics course (LSTU-L-230 Labor and Economy meets this requirement)
• One computer course

Major concentration (42 cr.)

The Labor Studies concentration consists of 15 credit  hours of 100/200 level courses and 27 credit hours of 200/300/400 level courses. There are no pre-requisites or co-requiste Labor Studies courses. Students can take the Labor Studies courses in any order, although, we do suggest a logical profession (100 level, 200 level, 300 level, etc.).

Labor Studies 100/200 courses (15 cr.)

Labor Studies 200/300/400 level courses (27 cr.)

Additional General Education courses (9 cr.)

Open

Electives (27 cr.)

Open (Labor Studies courses recommended)

Lastly, the Labor Studies degree requires 27 credit hours of electives. These courses are at the discretion of the student, but we recommend that yu take Labor Studies courses to strengthen your Labor Studies education.

Please note: Within the 120 credit hours required for the Labor Studies degree, students must have a minimum of 30 credit hours at the 300 or 400 level. In addition, concentration requirements must be completed with a grade of C- or  higher. All courses are 3 credit hours, unless otherwise designated.

General Education Courses

The following are representative subjects for the general education and elective areas:

Arts and Humanities

• Afro American Studies
• Classical Studies
• Comparative Literature
• English
• Fine Arts
• Folklore and Ethnomusicology
• History
• History and Philosophy
• Religious Studies
• Speech and Communication
• Theatre and Drama

Physical Science and Mathematics

• Astronomy
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Geological Sciences
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Psychology (Psychology P101 may be applied as either Science and Mathematics or Social and Behavorial Science, depending on the campus.)
• Zoology

Social and Behavorial Science

• Anthropology
• Economics
• Geography
• Linguistics
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Social Work
• Sociology

Associate of Science in Labor Studies (AS-LS)

At least 12 credit hours must be earned  from Indiana University. No more than 15 credit hours may be earned within a single subject other than Labor Studies.

• Labor Studies Core courses: 15  credit hours
• Labor Studies Additional courses: 12 credit hours
• Arts and Humanities courses: 12 credit hours (ENG W131) and one additional writing course required.)
• Math and Science courses: 6 credit hours (One computer course recommended.)
• Social and Behavioral Science courses: 9 credit hours (One course in economics required. LS230 meets this requirement.)
• Additional Credit Hours: None required
• Elective Courses: 6 credit hours (Any course offered by IU fulfills elective requirements. Students asre encouraged to focus their elective work in related subjects to complete a minor concentration.)

Total credit  hours: 60

Required Areas Learning

The following are representative subjects in the three major required areas of learning:

Arts and Humanities

• Afro American Studies
• Classical Studies
• Comparative Literature
• English
• Fine Arts
• Folklore and Ethnomusicology
• History
• History and Philosophy
• Religious Studies
• Speech and Communication
• Theatre and Drama

Physical Science and Mathematics

• Astronomy
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Geological Sciences
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Psychology (Psychology P101 may be applied as either Science and Mathematics or Social and Behavioral Science, depending on the campus.)
• Zoology

Social and Behavioral Science

• Anthropology
• Economics
• Geography
• Linguistics
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Social Work
• Sociology

Certificate in Labor Studies

Requires 15 hours of core Labor Studies courses and 3 credit hours in Labor Studies additional coures, and 3 credit hours in each of the remaining required areas of learning.

• Labor Studies Core Courses: 15 credit hours
• Labor Studies Additional courses: 3 credit hours
• Arts and Humanities courses: 3 credit hours
• Social Behavioral Science courses: 3 credit hours
• Elective courses: none required

Total credit hours: 30

Required Areas of Learning

The following are representative subjects in the three major required areas of learning:

Arts and Humanities

• Afro American Studies
• Classical Studies
• Comparative Literature
• English
• Fine Arts
• Folklore and Ethnomusicology
• History
• History and Philosophy
• Religious Studies
• Speech and Communication
• Theatre and Drama

Physical Science and Mathematics

• Astronomy
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Geological Sciences
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Psychology (Psychology P101 may be applied as either Science and Mathematics or Social and Behavioral Science, depending on the campus.)
• Zoology

Social and Behavioral Science

• Anthropology
• Economics
• Geography
• Linguistics
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Social Work
• Sociology

Minor in Labor Studies

For a Minor in Labor Studies, students must complete a total of 15 credit hours in Labor Studies courses. Six of these 15 credit hours must be in core Labor Studies Courses (100-200 level), which provide students with a foundation for further specialization in areas relevant to their individual career interests. The remaining nine of the 15 required credits are drawn from a broad range of additional 200, 300, and 400 level Labor Studies courses. These nine additional credit hours should be selected in consultation with the campus Labor Studies advisors or faculty.