Degree Offered

Master of Science

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Special Departmental Requirements

See also general University Graduate School requirements.

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Master of Science Degree

Admission Requirements

All Students
Minimum of 600 on the verbal section of the Graduate Record Examination General Test.

Foreign Students
Minimum of 573 (paper) or 230 (electronic) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language.

Apparel Merchandising
Eighteen (18) semester hours of undergraduate credit in apparel merchandising and/or a related field (e.g., economics), nine (9) of which must be at the junior or senior level.

Interior Design
Baccalaureate from a FIDER- (interior design) or NAAB- (architecture) accredited program.

Apparel Merchandising
A minimum of 34 credit hours, to include H550, a 3-credit seminar or readings course in area of concentration, H598 Research, H599 Thesis or H597 Project (if project is selected, a total of 37 credit hours is required), and a graduate course in statistics.

Interior Design
A minimum of 34 credit hours, to include H550, H568, H573, H598 Research, H599 Thesis, a graduate course in statistics, and 12 credits in one or two related area(s). H597 Project is not available to graduate students in interior design.

Final Examination
Oral defense of the thesis; for those not electing thesis (apparel merchandising candidates only), a comprehensive written examination.

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Courses

H401 Cultural Aspects of Dress (3 cr.)

H413 Apparel Merchandise Planning and Analysis (3 cr.) Essentials of merchandise buying and planning: consumer trends, market resources and trade practices, seasonal plans, assortment planning and analytic tools for inventory evaluations.

H415 Readings in Textiles and Apparel (cr. arr.)

H504 Textiles and Apparel in the Global Economy (3 cr.) P: graduate standing. Research and analysis of economic issues that affect the development of textiles and apparel at the global level. Critical analysis of labor and development theories and international relations will be included. Global sourcing, production, and import/export strategies will be addressed.

H506 Fashion Analysis and Theory (3 cr.) P: graduate standing. In-depth study and critical analysis of classic and modern fashion theories, with emphasis placed on postmodern fashion theory development. Students are expected to make significant progress toward new theoretical development of fashion theory.

H510 Apparel Entrepreneurship (3 cr.) P: graduate standing, AMID H413 or equivalent. R: accounting and research methods. Research and development of individualized plans for decision making, problem solving, and opening a small apparel-related retail business. Developing, implementing, and analyzing entrepreneurial strategies; financial goals; methods of accounting and control; and merchandising, operation, and management skills.

H511 Behavioral Aspects of Dress (3 cr.) P: graduate standing. Theories from social psychology will be employed in research examining clothing and appearance and their effects on the self and others.

H512 Recent Developments in Textiles (3 cr.) New developments in textiles; analysis of quality control and production standards; evaluation of current problems.

H519 Special Problems: Textiles and Apparel (1-3 cr.) P: consent of department. Independent work in analysis and interpretation of various aspects of textiles and apparel field. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits. Topic may vary.

H550 Research Methods in Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design (3 cr.) Evaluating and understanding of research; identifying needed research; planning a research problem.

H567 Trends in Interior Design (3 cr.) P: H475 or H476 or equivalent, consent of department. Changing patterns in interior design; contemporary furnishings.

H568 Contemporary Issues in Design (3 cr.) P: graduate standing. Contrast between traditional and emerging views of design will be explored in terms of the design philosophy that arose in response to industrialism/modernism and the subsequent reactions to and against it, such as postmodernism, deconstruction, and New Design.

H573 Special Problems: Interior Design (1-3 cr.) P: consent of department. Independent work in advanced interior design problems. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits.

H575 The Productive Work Place (3 cr.) P: graduate standing. Design of nonresidential interior environments through the application of research into the effect of physical factors on productivity in the workplace.

H576 Design for Diverse Communities (3 cr.) P: graduate standing. Design of interior spaces that enhance community-specific needs and lifestyles.

H580 Seminar in Consumer Issues (3 cr.) P: consent of department. Varying topics dealing with consumer interests and family economics.

H590 Workshop in Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design (1-3 cr.) P: consent of department. Workshop in current issues, trends, programs. Emphasis varies and is announced in workshop title. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits.

H597 Projects (1-4 cr.) P: H550 and consent of department. Individual application of student's area of study to the solution of a problem under supervision of an approved advisor; not open to students who select a thesis program.

H598 Research (1-3 cr.) P: H550, a course in statistics, and consent of department. Independent investigation in area of interest under supervision of advisor. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits.

H599 Thesis (1-6 cr.) P: H550 or equivalent, one course in statistics. Individual research under supervision of an approved advisor.

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