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.smhm.unt.edu
Judith C. Forney, Dean
Johnny Sue Reynolds, Associate Dean
Richard F. Tas, Graduate Coordinator
Graduate Faculty: Brandon, Clay, Connors, Crutsinger, Dopson, Forney, Getty, Jackson, Josiam,
Kennon, Kinley, Knight, 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 with a major in hospitality management, and
- Master of Business Administration/Master of Science with a major in industrial-technical merchandising
and fabric analytics (merchandising).
The programs of study for the Master of Science degrees in industrial-technical merchandising and
fabric analytics (merchandising), and hospitality management are offered as resident programs as well as a
totally web-based 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 consumer-driven global markets. 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 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, food safety, nutrition and
dining habits of consumers, tourism, and hospitality education and administration.
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, brand
extension across apparel and home furnishings, task-oriented environments in the home and office, customer
service, cross-cultural consumer analyses, non-store retailing, e-commerce, evaluative criteria, experiential retailing
and tourism shopping.
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:
- Bettye Bunge MacArthur Memorial Scholarship
- Murray Munves Scholarship for Fashion Merchandising
- Nordstrom Merchandising Scholarship
- Pier 1 Imports Scholarship
- Ruth L. Hutcheson Scholarship
- Van Wyk Scholarship
The following scholarships are awarded to hospitality management majors:
- Alladin Hussein Endowed Memorial Scholarship
- Banfi Vinters Scholarship
- Ben E. Keith Scholarship
- Billie L. Parker Scholarship
- Chancellor's HRM Scholarship
- City Club of Fort Worth Work/Study Scholarship
- Colin Ridgway Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund
- Don Paul and Esther Smith Scholarship
- FELCOR Lodging Trust Scholarship
- Friday's Hospitality Worldwide Inc. Endowed Scholarship
- Hiram Walker Hospitality Scholarship
- Hospitality Management Board of Governors Scholarship
- Jerry W. Dickenson Scholarship in Hotel and Restaurant Management
- J. T. Whitaker Endowed Scholarship
- KFC Scholarship and Work-Study Program
- Lucille Murchison Scholarship
- Marriott International Scholarship
- National Association of College and University Food Services Scholarship
- Network of Executive Women in Hospitality Scholarship
- PFS Scholarship
- Roundtable for Women in Food Service Endowed Scholarship
- Ruby Nell McMahan Ruth Scholarship in Hotel and Restaurant
- Spring Creek Barbecue Scholarship
- 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 information.
Degree Programs
Master of Science with a Major in Hospitality Management
Admission Requirements
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 (Contact the department or
the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies for information concerning acceptable admission test scores.);
- a demonstrated proficiency in oral and written English; and
- a minimum of 24 semester hours of undergraduate work in hospitality management or the equivalent; 12
of the 24 hours must be advanced. Students who do not meet the requirements must complete
specified prerequisite courses in hospitality management before beginning the graduate program. No single
prerequisite course may have a grade lower than B.
Degree Requirements
The student must earn a minimum of 36 semester hours, including SMHM 5300, Research Methods
in Merchandising and Hospitality Management, and a statistics course (SMHM 5400, MSCI 5010, PSYC
5030 or 5700, or SOCI 5210), 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 (required)
- SMHM 5350, Issues and Trends in Merchandising and Hospitality Management
- SMHM 5400, Research Applications in Merchandising and Hospitality Management
- SMHM 5440, Consumer Theory
- SMHM 5460, Human Relations
- 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
Minor (6-9 hours)
A minor usually consists of 6 hours, but up to 9 hours may be taken in courses outside of
hospitality management with the consent of the dean and the student's major professor.
The thesis option requires 6 hours in a minor area. The non-thesis option requires a minor of 6 to 9 hours.
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 statistics course. The minor must have a minimum
of 6 hours from a department outside 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 with a Major in Industrial-Technical
Merchandising and Fabric Analytics (Merchandising)
Admission Requirements
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 (contact the department or
the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies for information concerning acceptable admission test scores);
- a demonstrated proficiency in oral and written English; and
- a minimum of 24 semester hours of undergraduate work in 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 merchandising before beginning the graduate program. No single prerequisite course may have
a grade lower than B.
Degree Requirements
The student must earn a minimum of 36 semester hours, including SMHM 5300, Research Methods
in Merchandising and Hospitality Management, and a statistics course (SMHM 5400, MSCI 5010, PSYC
5030 or 5700, or SOCI 5210), distributed as follows:
Courses in Major (Select 24 hours from the following)
- SMHM 5000, Merchandising Study Tour
- SMHM 5080, Merchandising Ventures
- SMHM 5090, Virtual Merchandising
- 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 Applications in Merchandising and Hospitality Management
- SMHM 5440, Consumer Theory
- 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 5660, Advanced Merchandising Applications
- 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 5850, Brand Development
- SMHM 5900-5910, Special Problems in Merchandising
Minor (6-9 hours)
A minor usually consists of 6 hours, but up to 9 hours may be taken in courses outside of
merchandising with the consent of the dean and the student's major professor.
The thesis option requires 6 hours in a minor area. The non-thesis option requires a minor of 6 or 9 hours.
Recommended minors are marketing, education, cognitive systems 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
area, including 6 hours of SMHM 5950, Master's Thesis, and a statistics course. The minor must have
a minimum of 6 hours from a department outside merchandising. 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 Industrial-Technical Merchandising and Fabric
Analytics (Merchandising)
The MBA/MS with a major in Hospitality Management and the MBA/MS with a major 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
or in 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
- 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;
- an acceptable GRE score; 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;
- 13 semester hours of prerequisite work (12 hours must be advanced) in hospitality management for the
MS in hospitality management;
- 12 semester hours in merchandising or a closely related area for the MS in merchandising; and
- 12 hours of background work are required 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 hour)
- SMHM 1470, Principles of Food Preparation (3 hours)
- SMHM 2550, Dining Room Service and Management (3 hours)
- SMHM 3700, Hotel Operations (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 4010, Global 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)
- SMHM 4450, Promotion of Apparel and Home Furnishings (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
- Insurance
- Marketing
- Operations Management Science
- Organizational Behavior and Human Resource 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 Applications in Merchandising and Hospitality Management
- SMHM 5440, Consumer Theory
- 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 Industrial-Technical Merchandising and Fabric Analytics (Merchandising) (Select 24 hours)
- SMHM 5000, Merchandising Study Tour
- SMHM 5080, Merchandising Ventures
- SMHM 5090, Virtual Merchandising
- 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 Applications in Merchandising and Hospitality Management
- SMHM 5440, Consumer Theory
- 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 5660, Advanced Merchandising Applications
- 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 5850, Brand Development
- SMHM 5950, Master's Thesis
Graduate Academic Certificates
Hospitality Management/Merchandising
The School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management offers a graduate academic certificate
in hospitality management and a graduate academic certificate in merchandising. The purpose of these
12-hour graduate certificates is to offer professionals
in hospitality, merchandising and retail industries the
opportunity to build skills and knowledge in critical analysis and subject content. Admission criteria are the same for
non-degree and certification-only students. Upon advisement of the SMHM graduate adviser and the chair of
the respective program (hospitality management or merchandising), the student will complete 12 hours of
content-based courses in the area of specialization. All 12 hours must be completed through UNT and with
SMHM courses. The courses may be completed in residence, online or a combination of both. The
merchandising graduate academic certificate program includes 6 semester hours of core courses: SMHM 5440 and 5500;
plus 6 elective hours selected from SMHM 5550, 5600, 5650, 5700, 5750 and 5850. The hospitality
management graduate academic certificate programs includes 6 semester hours of core courses: SMHM 5280 and
5350; plus 6 elective hours selected from SMHM 5250, 5460, 5550, 5700, 5800 (Legal Aspects) and
5800 (Entrepreneurship).
Certificate students who choose to continue in a degree program are required to meet all the
requirements, including GPA, GRE or GMAT, and prerequisites, of students seeking a degree in the school.
Satisfactory work (minimum of a B grade) on graduate courses for the certificate may be applied to a 36-hour master
of science degree program upon advisement of the graduate adviser, division chair, and the student's
major professor, who will be selected when proceeding for a degree.
Courses of Instruction
All Courses of Instruction are located in one section at the back of this catalog.
Course and Subject Guide
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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