Labor Studies is an interdisciplinary degree program that lets you explore both sides of the labor/management equation. You will learn about the impact of historical events as well as the changing nature of local, national, and international industries and workplaces.
Why Labor Studies?
Labor studies can be a great asset for a wide range of careers in business (particularly human resources), forensic economics, government, higher education, journalism, labor and employment law, labor unions, mediation and arbitration, personal injury law, policy research, public relations, and social justice organizations.
Labor studies also prepares students for graduate programs in labor and industrial relations and in related areas of business, economics, education, journalism, law, media, public administration, and the social sciences.
The Major and Minor
As a labor studies student, you will obtain a perspective on the world of work from a variety of disciplines. You may choose to learn more about employment and pay inequality, job migration, and other important issues of social justice. Perhaps you will delve more deeply into the psychological, sociological, and motivational aspects of work to prepare yourself for success in a corporate environment or immerse yourself in the legal aspects of employment as a precursor to work with labor unions or a career in labor law. But where you finally concentrate your studies is very much up to you.
Major in Labor Studies
Around the world, from the factory to the office to the internet, today's workplace is changing rapidly. These changes are dramatically affecting not only the ways that we work, but also the basic relationships among workers, between workers and labor unions, and between labor and management. Labor studies offers students a broad background in the multiple perspectives on – and different analytical approaches to – job and pay issues in an international context.
Dual Degree Program for Labor Studies BA and MBA
Take the fast track to a professional career with big savings in time and tuition. Qualified undergraduate students may enroll in the dual degree program, combining their BA in Labor Studies with a Master of Business Administration (MBA), completing both with a significant savings in time and tuition.
Minor in Labor Studies
Meet Our Program Director
Dr. Mary Anne Trasciatti, director of the Labor Studies program, is a professor of rhetoric and women’s studies at Hofstra and president of the Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition, a nonprofit group that is working on a permanent memorial on the Greenwich Village site of the 1911 fire, which killed 146 garment workers, most of them immigrant women, more than a century ago.
The Student Experience
The Labor Studies program at Hofstra offers plenty of ways for you to explore the practical applications of what you learn in the classroom.
Internships
Approximately 75% of our students participate in internships with local and regional businesses, labor unions, and more. These experiences provide invaluable real-world insights into workplace dynamics, as well as the chance learn general business skills and build a résumé while earning college credits. What's more, many internships have led to full-time jobs with the same employer, or in the same area of business or government.
Examples of internships held by our students are:
-
Central American Refugee Center
-
Edward Jones Investments
-
Ernst & Young, LLP
-
Foresters Financial
-
Goldman Sachs
-
Northwell Health
-
Queens Supreme Court
-
Wells Fargo
Student Research
The Center for the Study of Labor and Democracy offers a variety of exciting opportunities for students to engage in meaningful, hands-on work in the field. You might help our faculty conduct original research projects or surveys or help coordinate lectures or conferences featuring renowned experts on critical issues of our time. You might even have your own short research papers or book reviews published in the 20-year-old Regional Labor Review magazine - a prized opportunity for undergraduates at any university.
Campus Organization and Activities
You might choose to join Hofstra's Economics Association, become involved with the Center for Civic Engagement, or any of a number of fraternal or service organizations. All of these let you expand your knowledge and build professional contacts and lifelong friendships.
Annual events organized by the Labor Studies program include Equal Pay Day and Mayday at the Movies, which celebrates "International Workers Day." There are also numerous guest speakers and lectures throughout the academic year. Many of these are scheduled in coordination with the Hofstra Cultural Center.
The Outlook
Labor studies prepares you to succeed in graduate programs in labor and industrial relations, business, education, law, public administration, and the social sciences. You will also be well-equipped to take on rewarding careers in business, government, law, teaching, social work, and labor unions.
Among Hofstra 2020-2021 graduates, 94% reported they were employed or attending or planning to attend graduate school within a year of finishing their studies. 86% of those alumni reporting employment responded that they had landed their positions within six months of graduating. Their mean reported salary was $54K.
Contact Us
Economics Department/Labor Studies Program
Room 200 Barnard Hall
Monday-Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Department Website
Senior Executive Secretary
Sharron Papaccio
Room 200 Barnard Hall
Phone: 516-463-5592
Program Director
Dr. Mary Anne Trasciatti
Professor
Room 213 Mason Hall
Phone: 516-463-5427
Email
Economics Chair
Dr. Constantine Alexandrakis
Associate Professor of Economics
Phone: 516-463-6954
Room 200F Barnard Hall
E-mail