Graduate Catalog

2010-11 Academic Year

School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management

Culinary students preparing food in the kitchen.

Main Office
Chilton Hall, Room 331
Mailing address:
1155 Union Circle #311100
Denton, TX 76203-5017
940-565-2436

Web site: www.smhm.unt.edu

Judith C. Forney, Dean

Christy Crutsinger, Associate Dean

Dee Knight, Associate Dean

Lisa Kennon, Graduate Programs Coordinator

Lea Dopson, Chair, Division of Hospitality Management

Tammy Kinley, Chair, Division of Merchandising

Graduate Faculty: Brandon, Clay, Connors, Crutsinger, Dopson, Forney, Josiam, Kennon,
H. Kim, J. Kim, Kinley, Knight, Pookulangara, Spears, Tas, Xiang, Yang, Youn, Zorola.

The School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management offers graduate programs leading to the following degrees:

The School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management, in collaboration with the College of Business, offers the following dual degrees:

The programs of study for the Master of Science degrees in merchandising and hospitality management are offered as resident programs as well as totally web-based programs.

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 a major apparel and home furnishings market complex, major retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, major hotels, restaurants, and food service businesses provides excellent affiliations and internship opportunities. The Dallas–Fort Worth region is the headquarters for numerous retail, lodging and restaurant companies.

The School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management operates as one unit but is organized into divisions based on the following programs.

Hospitality Management

The mission of the division of hospitality management is to educate students for management and leadership positions in the hospitality industry and to contribute to the profession through teaching excellence, research, publication, consultation and related service activities. Lea Dopson is chair of the division of hospitality management.

Merchandising

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. Tammy Kinley is chair of the division of merchandising.

Degree Plan

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 and restaurant 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 service quality, cross-cultural consumer analyses, non-store retailing, e-commerce, retail employee professional development, evaluative criteria, experiential retailing and tourism shopping, garment size issues, and brand quality.

Financial Assistance

Numerous scholarships are available to SMHM majors. Students may apply for financial awards from a wide range of national, state, university and school resources. Please check the SMHM web site for specific information and guidelines at www.smhm.unt.edu.

A limited number of graduate teaching assistantships and teaching fellowships 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:

In addition, to be considered for admission into the hospitality management program, students need to submit the following to the SMHM Graduate Programs Coordinator:

Degree Requirements

The student must earn a minimum of 36 semester hours.

SMHM Hospitality Management Core (9 hours)

SMHM Hospitality Management Courses (18–21 hours)

* A maximum of 6 hours may be included on the degree plan.

Minor (6 hours)

The thesis and non-thesis options require 6 hours in a minor area. A minor consists of course work taken in one subject area outside of hospitality management. Suggested minors are marketing, management, finance, education, computer education and cognitive systems, and decision sciences.

Thesis Option or Individual Research Option

The student will select one of the following options.

Online Master of Science with a Major in Hospitality Management

The student must earn a minimum of 36 semester hours.

Online Thesis Option

SMHM Hospitality Management Core (3 hours)
Research Tools/Minor (6 hours)

Thesis Course (6 hours)

SMHM Courses (select 15–21 hours, excluding SMHM 5950)
Minor (0–6 hours)

Courses must be approved by SMHM advisor.

Online Non-Thesis Option

SMHM Hospitality Management Core (6 hours)
Research Tools/Minor (6 hours)
SMHM Courses (select 21–24 hours, excluding SMHM 5950)
Minor (0–3 hours)

Courses must be approved by SMHM advisor.

Master of Science with a Major in International Sustainable Tourism

Pending approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Admission Requirements

The student must meet the requirements for admission to the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies. Included in these requirements are:

Go to graduateschool.unt.edu/admissions for the online application (applytexas.org) and other specific information.

In addition, to be considered for admission into the international sustainable tourism program, students need to submit the following to the SMHM graduate coordinator:

Should an otherwise academically eligible student be precluded from coming to the United States for the first two terms, due solely to visa denial, UNT will work with that student to develop an appropriate alternative completion option. In the event a student is not academically eligible to come to Texas for the first two terms, or does not successfully complete the terms in Texas, no degree will be awarded, though they may have earned sufficient credits for a lesser credential, such as a certificate. Should a student choose not to come to Texas, no degree will be awarded, but a certificate may be awarded at UNT’s sole discretion.

Degree Requirements

This is a joint degree with the University of North Texas (UNT) and Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) — in English, Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center — in Turrialba, Costa Rica. Courses will be taken by cohorts of students. The first 18 credits of the program (first year) will be taken at the University of North Texas and the second 18 credits of the program (second year) will be taken at CATIE in Costa Rica. Students must pass a written comprehensive exam upon completion of all course work.

Students must earn a minimum of 36 semester hours as follows:

Courses offered by UNT (18 hours)

Courses offered by CATIE (18 hours)

Master of Science with a Major in Merchandising

Admission Requirements

The student must meet the requirements for admission to the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies. Included in these requirements are:

In addition, to be considered for admission into the merchandising program, students need to submit the following to the SMHM graduate coordinator:

Degree Requirements

The student must earn a minimum of 36 semester hours.

SMHM Merchandising Core (3 hours)
Research Tools (6 hours)
Courses in Major (select 18–21 hours from the following)
A maximum of 6 hours from the following may be included as part of the major:
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 division chair 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, management, education, computer education and cognitive systems, and decision sciences.

Thesis Option or Individual Research Option

The student will select one of the following options.

Online Master of Science with a Major in Merchandising

The student must earn a minimum of 36 semester hours.

Online Thesis Option

SMHM Merchandising Core (3 hours)
Research Tools/Minor (6 hours)
Thesis Course (6 hours)
SMHM Courses (select 18–21 hours, excluding SMHM 5950)
Additional Course Work (0–3 hours)

Courses must be approved by SMHM advisor.

Online Individual Research Option

SMHM Merchandising Core (6 hours)
Research Tools/Minor (6 hours)
SMHM Courses (select 21–24 hours, excluding SMHM 5920)
Additional Course Work (0–3 hours)

Courses must be approved by SMHM advisor.

MBA/MS with a major in Hospitality Management and MBA/MS with a major in Merchandising

The MBA/MS with a major in hospitality management and the MBA/MS with a major in merchandising each require a total of 54 hours for the dual degree. Hospitality management and merchandising courses are offered face-to-face at the Denton campus in the evening, or online. With approval, 12 hours of graduate work may be transferred from another university.

Admission Requirements

In addition, to be considered for admission into the merchandising or hospitality management programs, students need to submit the following to the SMHM Graduate Coordinator:

Program Requirements

MBA Required Core (18 hours)
Specialization in Business (select one area for 12 hours)

Refer to MBA program for specific requirements for the following:

MS Hospitality Management (24 hours)
Required (6 hours)
In the required 24 hours, a maximum of 6 hours may be included from the following list:
MS Merchandising (24 hours)
Required (6 hours)
In the required 24 hours, a maximum of 6 hours may be included from the following list:

Graduate Academic Certificates

The School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management offers graduate academic certificates in hospitality management, merchandising, and event management. 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. See the Admissions section of this catalog for admission requirements. Upon advisement of the SMHM graduate advisor 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 SMHM 5500; plus 6 elective hours selected from SMHM 5240, SMHM 5520, SMHM 5550, SMHM 5600, SMHM 5650, SMHM 5700, SMHM 5750 and SMHM 5850. The hospitality management graduate academic certificate program includes 6 semester hours of core courses: SMHM 5250 and SMHM 5280; plus 6 elective hours selected from SMHM 5350, SMHM 5460, SMHM 5550, SMHM 5700, SMHM 5800 and SMHM 5830. The event management graduate academic certificate program includes SMHM 5550, SMHM 5600, SMHM 5630 and SMHM 5700. SMHM 5800 can be substituted for any course except SMHM 5630 with the approval of the SMHM graduate advisor.

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 advisor, 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.

Graduate Admissions

(940) 565-2636
graduateschool@unt.edu

UNT Switchboard

(940)565-2000