School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management
Main Office
Chilton Hall, 331
P.O. Box 311100
Denton, TX 76203-1100
(940) 565-2436
Web site: www.scs.unt.edu/smhm/
Judith C. Forney, Interim Dean
Johnny Sue Reynolds, Interim Associate Dean
Graduate Faculty: Brandon, Clay, Connors, Crutsinger, Forney, Getty, Hawley, Kennon, Kim,
Kinley, LaBrecque, Reynolds, Tas.
The School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management offers graduate programs leading to
the following degrees:
- Master of Science with a major in hospitality management, and
- Master of Science with a major in industrial-technical merchandising and fabric analytics (merchandising).
The School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management, in collaboration with the College
of Business Administration, offers the following dual degrees:
Master of Business Administration/Master of Science in hospitality management, and
Master of Business Administration/Master of Science in industrial-technical merchandising and
fabric analytics (merchandising).
The program of study for the Master of Science degree in industrial-technical merchandising and
fabric analytics (merchandising) is offered as a resident program as well as a totally web-based program.
The Master of Science degree in hospitality management is offered as a resident program.
These graduate programs are designed to meet personnel needs in product merchandising and
hospitality management. These two fields of study represent high growth global industries with increasing demands
for highly skilled leaders who can solve complex problems, create new opportunities in very
competitive markets, and have a holistic understanding of the many components that support a successful
business venture. Teaching and research focus on the broad concepts of products, service, resource
management, information-exchange technology and total experience management in the consumer-driven global
market. Close proximity to apparel and home furnishings market complex, major retailers, wholesalers,
manufacturers, major hotels, restaurants, and food service businesses provides excellent affiliations and
internship opportunities.
The mission of the division of the hospitality management is to educate students for managerial
positions in the hospitality industry and to contribute to the profession through research, publication, consultation
and related service activities.
The mission of the division of merchandising is to Integrate educational experiences and research
that contribute to critical analyses of merchandising strategies as they relate to the development,
distribution, evaluation and use of products that are fashion-oriented and undergo continuous change in the
consumer-driven global market.
The degree plan is developed in consultation with the student's major professor to meet the
specific student needs and career objectives.
Research
Research in the hospitality management division includes hotel, restaurant, and bed and
breakfast operations, legal and regulatory aspects, cost containment, and consumer issues impacting the
hospitality industry. Other research interests include quality issues, managerial competencies, and nutrition and
dining habits of consumers.
Research in the merchandising division focuses on consumer-driven markets and market
segmentation for fashion-oriented products. Specific emphases are on merchandising in domestic and global markets
and to specific demographic segments. Additional research focuses on merchandising technology, fashion
cross-over between apparel and home furnishings, task-oriented environments in the home and office,
customer service, service quality, recycling, non-store retailing, e-commerce and product criteria.
Scholarships
Information about the following scholarships may be obtained by writing to the associate dean of
the School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management. Completed School of Merchandising and
Hospitality Management scholarship applications are due February 1 in the office of the Dean of the School
of Merchandising and Hospitality Management. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for scholarship
application, unless otherwise noted.
To keep a scholarship, the student must maintain:
- 3.0 GPA each semester and 3.0 overall GPA;
- status as major in the School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management, taking required courses
on degree plan and enrolling in at least one SMHM class per semester; and
- full-time status (i.e., 9 credit hours for graduate students).
The following scholarships may be awarded to either merchandising or hospitality
management majors:
- John W. and Fannie L. Woodruff
- Dean Suzanne V. LaBrecque
- R. L. Cartwright Memorial
The following scholarships are awarded to merchandising majors:
- Merchandising Board of Governors Endowed Scholars
- Murray Munves Scholarship for Fashion Merchandising
- Van Wyk
The following scholarships are awarded to hospitality management majors:
- Alladin Hussein Endowed Memorial Scholarship
- Banfi Vinters Scholarship
- Billie L. Parker
- Chancellor's HRM
- City Club of Fort Worth Work/Study Scholarship
- Colin Ridgeway Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund
- Don Paul and Ester Smith Scholarship
- Friday's Hospitality Worldwide Inc. Endowed Scholarship
- Hiram Walker Hospitality Scholarship
- Hospitality Management Board of Governors
- Jerry W. Dickenson Scholarship in Hotel and Restaurant
- J. T. Whitaker Endowed Scholarship
- Kentucky Fried Chicken Scholarship and Work-Study Program
- Lucille Murchison
- Marriott
- National Association of College and University Food Services Scholarship
- Network of Executive Women in Hospitality
- PFS Scholarship
- Roundtable for Women in Food Service Endowed Scholar
- Ruby Nell McMahan Ruth Scholarship in Hotel and Restaurant
- Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival
- Worthington Hotel Endowed Scholarship
Assistantships
A limited number of graduate teaching and research assistantships are available in the school.
Contact the Office of the Dean for an application.
Degree Programs
Master of Science in Hospitality Management
Admission Requirements
Note: Admission requirements were being revised at the time this catalog went to press. Contact
the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies or the program for current admission requirements, or see
information posted on the graduate school web site (www.tsgs.unt.edu).
The student must meet the requirements for admission to the Toulouse School of Graduate
Studies. Included in these requirements are:
- a bachelor's degree from an accredited university;
- an overall undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 for the last 60 semester hours of course work or a 2.8
GPA on all undergraduate work;
- acceptable scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the GMAT;
- a demonstrated proficiency in oral and written English; and
- a minimum of 24 semester hours of undergraduate work in fashion merchandising or the equivalent; 12
of the 24 hours must be advanced. Students who do not meet the requirements must complete
specified prerequisite courses in fashion merchandising before beginning the graduate program. No single
prerequisite course may have a grade lower than C, and the overall GPA for prerequisite courses must be 3.0
(B) or higher.
Degree Requirements
The student must earn a minimum of 36 semester hours, including SMHM 5300, Research Methods
in Merchandising and Hospitality Management, distributed as follows:
Courses in Major (Select 24 Hours from the following)
- SMHM 5250, Restaurant Development
- SMHM 5280, Hotel and Restaurant Operations: Theory and Analysis
- SMHM 5300, Research Methods in Merchandising and Hospitality Management
- SMHM 5350, Issues and Trends in Merchandising and Hospitality Management
- SMHM 5400, Research Applications in Merchandising and Hospitality Management
- SMHM 5460, Human Relations in Merchandising and Hospitality Management
- SMHM 5550, Promotional Strategies
- SMHM 5600, Concept Merchandising
- SMHM 5700, Service Excellence
- SMHM 5790, Field Experience
- SMHM 5800, Seminar in Hospitality Management (may be repeated for credit as topics vary)
- SMHM 5900-5910, Special Problems in Hospitality Management
- A maximum of 6 hours can be selected from SMHM 4210, 4250, 4260, 4300, 4730, 4750 and 4820
unless these courses were included as deficiency courses or part of an undergraduate degree program.
Minor (6-12 Hours)
The minor must include a statistics course: EDER 5210, Educational Statistics, or MSCI 5180,
Introduction to Decision Making, are recommended.
The thesis option requires 6 hours in a minor area. The non-thesis option requires one minor of
12 hours, or 6 hours in each of two minors. A minimum of 6 hours must be from a department outside
the School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management.
Recommended minors are marketing, recreation, business law, education, business computer
information systems and computer education and cognitive systems.
Thesis Option or Non-Thesis Option
The student will select one of the following options.
- Thesis Option: This option requires a minimum of 36 semester hours with 24 hours in the student's
major area, 6 hours of SMHM 5950, Master's Thesis, and a minor that includes statistics. The student must
have a minimum of 6 hours from a department outside the School of Merchandising and Hospitality
Management. The student must complete and defend the thesis successfully and submit it for approval.
- Non-Thesis Option: This option requires a minimum of 36 semester hours with 24 hours in the
student's major area, plus a minor. A minimum of 6 hours must be from a department outside the School
of Merchandising and Hospitality Management. The student must pass a written comprehensive exam
upon successful completion of all course work.
Master of Science in Industrial-technical Merchandising and
Fabric Analytics (Merchandising)
Admission Requirements
Note: Admission requirements were being revised at the time this catalog went to press. Contact
the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies or the program for current admission requirements, or see
information posted on the graduate school web site (www.tsgs.unt.edu).
The student must meet the requirements for admission to the Toulouse School of Graduate
Studies. Included in these requirements are:
- a bachelor's degree from an accredited university;
- an overall undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 for the last 60 semester hours of course work or a 2.8
GPA on all undergraduate work;
- acceptable scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the GMAT;
- a demonstrated proficiency in oral and written English; and
- a minimum of 24 semester hours of undergraduate work in fashion merchandising, or the equivalent; 12
of the 24 hours must be advanced. Students who do not meet the requirements must complete
specified prerequisite courses in fashion merchandising before beginning the graduate program. No single
prerequisite course may have a grade lower than C, and the overall GPA for prerequisite courses must be 3.0
(B) or higher.
Degree Requirements
The student must earn a minimum of 36 semester hours, including SMHM 5300, Research Methods
in Merchandising and Hospitality Management, distributed as follows:
Courses in Major (Select 24 Hours from the following)
- SMHM 5240, Merchandising Practices
- SMHM 5300, Research Methods in Merchandising and Hospitality Management
- SMHM 5350, Issues and Trends in Merchandising and Hospitality Management
- SMHM 5400, Research Applications in Merchandising and Hospitality Management
- SMHM 5440, Social Psychology of Dress
- SMHM 5460, Human Relations in Merchandising and Hospitality Management
- SMHM 5500, Merchandising Strategies
- SMHM 5550, Promotional Strategies
- SMHM 5600, Concept Merchandising
- SMHM 5650, Global Merchandising
- SMHM 5700, Service Excellence
- SMHM 5750, Electronic Merchandising
- SMHM 5790, Field Experience
- SMHM 5800, Seminar in Merchandising (may be repeated for credit as topics vary)
- SMHM 5900-5910, Special Problems in Merchandising
- A maximum of 6 hours can be selected from SMHM 4000, 4010, 4080, 4090, 4450, 4650, 4660 and
4750 unless these courses were included as deficiency courses or as part of an undergraduate program.
Minor (6 to 12 Hours)
The minor must include a statistics course: EDER 5210, Educational Statistics, or MSCI 5180,
Introduction to Decision Making, are recommended.
The thesis option requires 6 hours in a minor area. The non-thesis option requires one minor of
12 hours, or 6 hours in each of two minors. A minimum of 6 hours must be from a department outside
the School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management.
Recommended minors are marketing, education and business computer information systems.
Thesis Option or Non-Thesis Option
The student will select one of the following options.
- Thesis Option: This option requires a minimum of 36 hours with 24 hours in the student's major and
6 hours of SMHM 5950, Master's Thesis, and a minor that includes statistics. The student must have
a minimum of 6 hours must be from a department outside the School of Merchandising and
Hospitality Management. The student must complete and defend the thesis successfully and submit it for approval.
- Non-Thesis Option: This option requires a minimum of 36 semester hours with 24 hours in the
student's major area, plus a minor. A minimum of 6 hours must be from a department outside the School
of Merchandising and Hospitality Management. The student must pass a written comprehensive exam
upon successful completion of all course work.
MBA/MS in Hospitality Management and MBA/MS in Merchandising
The MBA/MS in Hospitality Management and the MBA/MS in Industrial-technical Merchandising
and Fabric Analytics (Merchandising) each require a total of 54 hours for the dual degree. Hospitality
management and merchandising courses are offered as residency classes in the evening. In addition,
merchandising course may be taken in the web-based format. MBA courses are offered on weekends and/or evenings.
With approval, 12 hours of graduate work may be transferred from another university.
Admission Requirements
Note: Admission requirements were being revised at the time this catalog went to press. Contact
the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies or the program for current admission requirements, or see
information posted on the graduate school web site (www.tsgs.unt.edu).
- a bachelor's degree from an accredited university;
- an overall undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 for the last 60 semester hours of course work or a 2.8
GPA on all undergraduate work;
- a GRE score of 450 on verbal and 550 on quantitative or 450 on GMAT with at least a score in the
25th percentile on verbal and quantitative (refer to MBA background requirements); GRE or GMAT score
must be less than 10 years old;
- a score of at least 550 on TOEFL or a graduate of the Intensive English Language Institute at UNT or
a college/university in the U.S. for applicants whose native language is not English;
- 24-25 hours of prerequisite work are required (12 hours must be advanced):
- 13 semester hours in hospitality management for the MS in hospitality management;
- 12 semester hours in merchandising or a closely related area for the MS in merchandising;
- 12 hours in business for the MBA (background requirements for the MBA program are outlined in
the College of Business Administration section in this catalog).
MS Hospitality Management Prerequisites (13 hours)
- SMHM 1420, Food Sanitation (1 hours)
- SMHM 1470, Introduction to Food Preparation (3 hours)
- SMHM 2550, Dining Room Service Management (3 hours)
- SMHM 3700, Hotel Front Office Management (3 hours)
- SMHM 4210, Hospitality Cost Controls (3 hours)
MS Merchandising Prerequisites (12 hours)
- SMHM 2490, Introduction to Fashion Merchandising (3 hours) or SMHM 2400, Home Furnishings I
(3 hours)
- SMHM 2650, Textiles (3 hours)
- SMHM 4010, Textile and Apparel Industries (3 hours) or SMHM 3380, Home Furnishings Industry
(3 hours)
- SMHM 3370, Dress and Human Behavior (3 hours) or SMHM 3750, Consumer Studies in Apparel
and Home Furnishings (3 hours) or SMHM 2750, Consumers in a Global Market (3 hours)
Program Requirements
MBA Required Core (18 hours)
- ACCT 5130, Accounting for Management
- MGMT 5140, Organizational Behavior and Analysis
- MKTG 5150, Marketing Management
- FINA 5170, Financial Management
- MSCI 5180, Introduction to Decision Making
- BUSI 5190, Administrative Strategy
Specialization in Business (Select one area for 12 hours)
Refer to MBA program for specific requirements for:
- Accounting
- Administrative Management
- Finance
- Human Resource Management
- Insurance
- Marketing
- Production and Operation Management
MS Hospitality Management (Select 24 hours)
- SMHM 5250, Restaurant Development
- SMHM 5280, Hotel and Restaurant Operations: Theory and Analysis
- SMHM 5300, Research Methods in Merchandising and Hospitality Management (required)
- SMHM 5350, Issues and Trends in Merchandising and Hospitality Management
- SMHM 5400, Research Application in Merchandising and Hospitality Management
- SMHM 5460, Human Relations in Merchandising and Hospitality Management
- SMHM 5550, Promotional Strategies
- SMHM 5600, Concept Merchandising
- SMHM 5700, Service Excellence
- SMHM 5790, Field Experience
- SMHM 5800, Seminar in Hospitality Management (may be repeated for credit as topics vary)
- SMHM 5950, Master's Thesis
MS Hospitality Management (Select 24 hours)
- SMHM 5240, Merchandising Practices
- SMHM 5300, Research Methods in Merchandising and Hospitality Management (required)
- SMHM 5350, Issues and Trends in Merchandising and Hospitality Management
- SMHM 5400, Research Application in Merchandising and Hospitality Management
- SMHM 5440, Consumer Theory for Merchandising
- SMHM 5460, Human Relations in Merchandising and Hospitality Management
- SMHM 5000, Merchandising Strategies
- SMHM 5550, Promotional Strategies
- SMHM 5600, Concept Merchandising
- SMHM 5650, Global Merchandising
- SMHM 5700, Service Excellence
- SMHM 5750, Electronic Merchandising
- SMHM 5790, Field Experience
- SMHM 5800, Seminar in Hospitality Management (may be repeated for credit as topics vary)
- SMHM 5950, Master's Thesis
All Courses of Instruction are located in one section at the back of this catalog.
The "Course and Subject Guide," found in the Courses of Instruction section of this book, serves as
a table of contents and provides quick access to subject areas and prefixes.
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