College of Human Sciences Graduate Programs

Graduate Degree Programs Administered by Dean’s Office
Department of Community, Family and Addiction Sciences
Department of Design
Department of Hospitality and Retail Management

Department of Human Development and Family Studies
Department of Nutritional Sciences
Department of Personal Financial Planning
Program Offerings & Graduate Course Descriptions

The College of Human Sciences offers graduate programs leading to the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. The graduate programs in the college are designed to educate scholars and leaders in areas that affect human development: nutrition; family studies; environmental design; restaurant, hotel, and institutional management; personal financial planning; marriage and family therapy; and family and consumer sciences education.

Persons successfully completing graduate work in the college have traditionally been prepared to serve as leaders in the business world, private sector organizations, and academic institutions.

Master of Science Degree. The Master of Science degree has majors in environmental design; nutritional sciences; family and consumer sciences education; human development and family studies; marriage and family therapy; personal financial planning; and hospitality and retail management.

Doctoral Degree. The Doctor of Philosophy degree has majors in interior and environmental design, nutritional sciences, family and consumer sciences education, hospitality administration, human development and family studies, personal financial planning, and marriage and family therapy.

Admission. Admission to master’s and doctoral programs requires the recommendation of the department as well as approval of the graduate dean. Applicants should contact the program director or the chairperson of the department offering the specialization for college and departmental guidelines.

Distance Education. The College of Human Sciences is a member of the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance (GPIDEA). The GPIDEA is comprised of many institutions of higher education who share a goal of increasing educational options at the graduate level. Twelve of the best state universities in the country have joined together to offer online graduate certificates and master’s degrees in human sciences disciplines. Prospective students may apply for admission to a human sciences graduate program at any of the 12 universities. The student is admitted to one university and receives a graduate degree or certificate from that same university.

The courses are taught by several universities, but students enroll and pay for all their courses through the university where they have been admitted. Students therefore have the advantage of receiving coordinated, diverse, high-quality instruction from topic experts at several universities without the hassle and expense of navigating each institution’s admissions, enrollment, payment, and transcript transfer processes.

Four programs are offered through collaboration of the GPIDEA and the College of Human Sciences. Students can specialize in gerontology or youth development within the M.S. in Human Development and Family Studies or obtain an M.S. in Family Consumer Sciences Education. An undergraduate degree in early childhood is also available through the B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies.

For additional information, see graduate program listings for the department of Human Development and Family Studies or the College of Human Sciences.

For more information about the GPIDEA, its programs, and the participating institutions, visit www.hs.ttu.edu/gpidea.

Graduate students may obtain a teaching certificate in family and consumer sciences by completing coursework that meets the Texas standards for teacher certification.

Post-Baccalaureate Certification. Three post-baccalaureate options are available. The Family and Consumer Sciences Composite Certificate qualifies individuals to teach all family and consumer sciences courses offered in Texas secondary schools. Specialized certificates in human development and family studies and hospitality, nutrition, and food science qualify individuals to teach family and consumer sciences courses in the designated content areas. Postbaccalaureate certification students are eligible to complete a one-year paid teaching internship in lieu of student teaching. Selected graduate credits earned for certification may be applied toward a graduate degree in family and consumer sciences education (M.S. or Ph.D.).

Graduate Degree Programs Administered by Dean’s Office

Most graduate degree programs within the College of Human Sciences are administered by departments and summarized in the catalog sections of those departments. The Office of the Dean, however, administers the graduate programs in the area of Family and Consumer Sciences Education.

Department of Community, Family and Addiction Sciences

The Department of Community, Family and Addiction Sciences supervises graduate degree programs in marriage and family therapy and a Graduate Certificate in Addictions and the Family. Applicants seeking information about admission requirements, programs of study, and financial assistance should contact the graduate advisor in the individual program. Admission to a graduate degree program requires both the recommendation of the department and the Graduate School.

The graduate degree programs in marriage and family therapy provide clinical and academic training to students who will function as marriage and family therapists at the highest level of clinical competence and who will make unique contributions to the field of marriage and family therapy through research, teaching, clinical practice, and other professional activities.

Department of Design

Admission into the master’s and doctoral programs requires submission of the following:

Grade point average
Copy of official transcripts
Three letters of recommendation
A statement of intent including current research interests
A design portfolio or examples of scholarly writing
A resume
TOEFEL scores for international students
GRE scores for Ph.D. applicants

The master’s and doctoral degrees are research- and studio-based programs; students entering without undergraduate degrees in interior design or architecture are advised that the graduate programs in the Department of Design do not prepare students for professional practice. Students who wish to practice as interior designers should enroll in the CIDA-accredited Bachelors of Interior Design degree program offered by the Department of Design.

To obtain departmental procedures and guidelines, students should contact the director of graduate programs or refer to: www.course.ttu.edu/hs-DesignGrad.

Department of Hospitality and Retail Management

The department supervises degree programs leading to the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees described below. Applicants should contact the program graduate advisor concerning admission requirements and programs of study. Admission to a graduate degree program requires the recommendation of the department as well as the approval of the graduate dean.

Department of Human Development and Family Studies

The department offers master’s and doctoral degrees (including a post-baccalaureate Ph.D. option) in human development and family studies (HDFS), as well as a minor in cross-cultural studies (see below). These research-oriented programs require a thesis and dissertation, respectively, and prepare students for careers as university faculty, full-time researchers, medical school faculty, and human service providers. Applicants should contact the department concerning admissions requirements, programs of study, and financial assistance. Admission to a graduate degree program requires the recommendation of the department and the Graduate School.

The department also offers master’s degrees and graduate certificates in gerontology and youth development through its membership in the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance, a multiple-university association with online graduate programs .

Faculty research interests in the HDFS department are broad and multidisciplinary, creating many areas of specialization. Individual development research includes participants across the lifespan as well as within multiple domains of development (e.g., social, emotional, and cognitive). Special emphasis is placed on exploring development in context (e.g., cultural, ecological), measuring brain function using fMRI, and understanding developmental problems and solutions. Relationship process research includes inter-generational family relationships (ranging from infant-parent dyads to adult children and their elderly parents), close relationships (e.g., intimate and marital relationships), social interactions, and family issues (e.g., impact of work and stress on families). The department also specializes in research on theory, statistical methods and analyses, Hispanic and other ethnic studies, and issues specific to rural populations.

Department of Nutritional Sciences

Internship Program. The department offers a fifteen-month dietetic internship program. Participants are selected yearly via a national computerized selection process. Selected credits earned during the program may apply to an optional master’s or doctoral degree. Fifteen hours of graduate credit are required in supervised experience in health and food service facilities. Upon completing the internship, the student is eligible to take the Commission of Dietetic Registration written examination to become a registered dietitian. Visit www.depts.ttu.edu/hs/intern for more information.

Department of Personal Financial Planning

The Department of Personal Financial Planning supervises degree programs leading to the Master of Science degree in Personal Financial Planning and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Personal Financial Planning.

M.S. students must earn a C or better in all courses unless otherwise noted. Students must average a 3.0 GPA in order to maintain good standing with the Graduate School and to graduate. Up to 6 hours of PFP courses can be transferred into the M.S. degree from another university. Ph.D. students are required to earn a B or better in all courses counted toward their degree.

Admission: Applicants may apply to a graduate program by visiting the Graduate School website or by visiting the Department of Personal Financial Planning website.

Program Offerings & Course Descriptions

Programs

Intra-institutional Dual Degree

Personal Financial Planning, M.S. / J.D.

Master’s

Doctoral

Graduate Minor

Cross-Cultural Studies (CCS) Graduate Minor

Graduate Certificates

The director of each certificate, in consultation with the director of graduate studies, will develop and specify a program of study appropriate for each student. If students decide to pursue studies beyond the certificate level, course credit earned toward the certificate can be considered toward a graduate degree.

Graduate certificates are intended to meet the supplemental post-baccalaureate education needs of professionals. A graduate certificate program is a set of courses that provides in-depth knowledge in a subject matter. The set of courses provides a coherent knowledge base.

A student applying for a graduate certificate program will be admitted with a “GCRT” designation. Some certificate programs require the GRE or GMAT, and some do not. To take any graduate course, all prerequisite courses (including undergraduate courses) must be taken and necessary background obtained before attempting the course. A student will be required to have a baccalaureate degree to start a graduate certificate program. There is only one exception to having a baccalaureate degree. If an undergraduate student from Texas Tech University has a 3.0 GPA or better and is within 12 hours of completion of a baccalaureate degree, the student may start taking graduate courses toward a graduate certificate. The student must have a baccalaureate degree to receive a graduate certificate.

Graduate credits earned while the student is enrolled in a graduate certificate program may not be applied toward a graduate degree unless the student completes the GRE or GMA T and enrolls as a fully accredited graduate student. After taking the GRE or GMA T and fulfilling all other admission requirements, a student may use the courses taken for a graduate certificate degree if the courses fulfill the requirements of the program of study for the degree.

Graduate students may pursue a graduate certificate that is outside their graduate program of study. No more than one transfer course (if approved by the advisor of the graduate certificate program and the Graduate School) will be allowed for a graduate certificate program. If a graduate student is in good standing and dropping out of the graduate program, the student may receive a graduate certificate if the necessary courses have been taken. To receive a graduate certificate, a student must have a GPA of 3.0 or better. No grade lower than a C will be accepted.

Courses

Addictive Disorders and Recovery Studies (Graduate Courses)

Environmental Design (Graduate Courses)

Family and Consumer Sciences Education (Graduate Courses)

Human Development and Family Studies (Graduate Courses)

Human Sciences (Graduate Courses)

Marriage and Family Therapy (Graduate Courses)

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