Writing Your Personal & Academic Statements
MASTER'S DEGREE IN HR & LABOR RELATIONS
CURRENTLY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR FALL 2025
Please note: The GRE and GMAT requirement is currently optional. If you choose not to take the GRE or GMAT, you will need submit an Academic Statement instead. Learn more
Contact Melanie Zaremba at mzaremba@msu.edu with questions or to schedule an advising appointment.
If you are applying to MSU as a future undergraduate student, please visit MSU Admissions at https://admissions.msu.edu/. You will be prompted to send your transcripts through the MSU Admissions application packet.
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The personal statement should describe your career goals and objectives and explain why you believe our Master of Human Resources and Labor Relations degree will help you achieve those goals and objectives. This statement should be no longer than two typed, double-spaced pages.
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For those applying under the work experience procedure, the personal statement should discuss how your decision to pursue our master's degree was influenced by your previous work experience, describe your career goals and objectives, and explain why you believe our Master of Human Resources and Labor Relations degree will help you to leverage your experience and achieve your goals.
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Academic statements have historically been submitted by students who wish to explain some area of concern with their academic record. This is still an option for students. For example, if you want to explain the reasons for a lower GPA, this should be in an academic statement and not included as part of your personal statement.
If you are not submitting a GRE or GMAT score as part of your application materials, please submit a specific academic statement that includes a discussion of both your past experiences (work or academic) involving data analysis and the strength of your quantitative analytical skills. This statement should be roughly one page double spaced.
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You may upload your personal statement as a PDF in the Application Portal under "Upload Materials." Choose "Personal Statement" from the drop-down menu, then browse and upload your statement. You will receive an email from MSU Admissions with the link and login information to the Application Portal after you submit the application and pay the graduate application fee.
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You may follow the same process if you are providing an academic statement in lieu of taking the GRE/GMAT or writing an academic statement to explain an academic performance concern. This supporting documentation can also be uploaded in the Application Portal.