Graduate Programs
- Hospitality and Tourism Management
- Family and Consumer Economics
- Consumer Behavior
The workload to successfully complete a graduate program is intense and immense. Graduate students must balance classes, thesis/dissertation requirements, work responsibilities, and often personal/family responsibilities. It requires motivation and commitment, but it can be done — and the department will provide the resources, support, and encouragement to help you.
There are two essential parts to your graduate career: coursework and research.
Coursework. At the graduate level, coursework will immerse you in issues requiring integration, insight, and critical thinking. While undergraduate education focuses on transmitting knowledge, the goal of graduate education is teaching you how to create knowledge. The focus is not so much on content but on how to present knowledge that can be used to illuminate and create new knowledge. Students will be given guidance by the Program Director, acting as the academic advisor, on what courses can fulfill the degree requirement.
Research. Since graduate education is so special, accomplishing it requires a more one-on-one relationship with a research advisor. Unlike similar programs across the nation, research advisors are not appointed by the faculty but rather a student-initiated and mutually agreed mentor/mentee relationship. We believe this allows students to pursue their research passions, and allow them to specialize in one of many research areas:
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When applicants know not only what discipline they want to enter but the exact area within that discipline in which they want to specialize, then these goals can figure prominently within the application materials.
Some of our program's highlights are:
- Different Master’s Program Tacks: thesis for future academics, and non-thesis which is competitive to an MBA
- Concentrated Coursework: complete in as little as 2 years (MS) or 3 years (Ph.D.)
- Interdisciplinary Degree Plans: customize your coursework to best benefit your future career or research goals
- A dedicated Career Center and community of industry partners and alums that can facilitate hands-on learning experiences (internship)
- Three Research Centers in Foodservice, Lodging and Tourism.
Explore our website to review the details about each of our programs, graduate research achievements, and review the application requirements.
