Merchandising, MS

Admission Requirements

The student must meet the requirements for admission to the Toulouse Graduate School. 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 must be submitted with application. (GRE or GMAT score must be less than 10 years old.);
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 a B.

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

three letters of recommendation from employers or teachers;
a resume; and
a professional essay that addresses the student’s motivation and perseverance toward educational goals, academic or professional honors, recognitions and awards, and a demonstrated commitment to the field of study.

Degree Requirements

The student must earn a minimum of 36 semester hours.

SMHM Merchandising Core (3 hours)

SMHM 5500 - Merchandising Strategies (is required for all merchandising majors)

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.

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, plus 6 hours of research tools. 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.
Individual Research Option: This option requires a minimum of 36 semester hours with 24–27 hours in the student’s major area (including research tools), 6–9 hours in the minor area, plus 3 hours of SMHM 5920 , Problem in Lieu of Thesis. 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.