SDSU Faculty * SDSU GPIDEA Home Page * GPIdea Home Page

Master’s Degree In Family and Consumer Sciences – Merchandising

Faculty from five universities in the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance (Great Plains IDEA) have developed an Internet-based M.S. in Merchandising. This inter-institutional M.S. program in Merchandising draws on the knowledge and expertise of graduate faculty and graduate courses from Colorado State University, Kansas State University, North Dakota State University, Oklahoma State University, and South Dakota State University. All institutions are members of the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance and have a history of success in distance education. The program is taught entirely via the Internet and students completing the program at South Dakota State University will earn an M.S. in Family and Consumer Sciences with a specialization in Merchandising.

Benefits

• You will receive a graduate degree from a quality university, taught by nationally recognized experts in the field of merchandising.
• Networking opportunities will emerge from your electronic learning community.
• You are able to complete the program without relocating to a university setting.

Educational Objectives
The Merchandising Program is based on three general program outcomes. Upon successful completion of the Master’s Degree in Merchandising, the student will be able to: 

·         Demonstrate a global centric perspective that articulates the interconnectedness of cultural, economic, political, social and environmental systems.

·         Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the character traits and skills associated with good leadership, along with the ability to analyze and synthesize these traits and skills to develop a personal leadership philosophy that can be applied to changing situational contexts.

·         Assimilate and evaluate knowledge of and critical thinking related to consumers, technology, current and future trends, product development and distribution, the research process, the strategic planning process, ethics, and social responsibility. 

Course Registration, Fees, & Materials
Instructions about course registration and course material will be sent to admitted students by the Merchandising program advisor prior to registration each session. Students enroll for all courses at their home institution so there is only one enrollment form to complete and one payment to be made to the home institution. The home institution enrolls the students in the selected courses at the other participating institutions. All institutions hold to a common price of $415 per credit or $1245 per 3-credit course (price is valid for 2007-2008 academic year).  This course fee covers all costs except textbooks, course packet materials, and access to a computer with internet capabilities. All courses typically require one or more textbooks and/or supplementary materials such as a course packet; directions for ordering those materials are sent to the student prior to the beginning of each course. Students will need a computer meeting the minimum specifications, the capability to access and download materials from the Internet, and a browser equivalent to Netscape/Explorer 4.0 or newer. An e-mail address is essential as well as access to a VCR (VHS) and FAX. 

All courses will use Internet classrooms. Some have supplemental materials on videos or CDs and others may require phone conferencing. Interactivity between students and professor is through e-mail, phone conferencing, and the Internet classroom. Students should be able to complete the 36 credit hour program in three years or less while employed full time.  

Master's Degree Program Requirements
The Merchandising Program offers two levels of courses, the 500-level and the 600-level, and students are required to complete 36 credit hours, including 10 required courses equaling 30 credit hours and 6 credit hours of MRCH 695 (Practicum), MRCH 788 (Research Report / Design Paper), and/or MRCH 798 (Thesis). 

All courses will be taught at least once every two years except for the MRCH 650 Strategic Planning in Merchandising which is the capstone course for the Master’s program. In order to accommodate students entering the program in different semesters, this course will be taught every year beginning spring 2007. See the Course Matrix and review the Course Descriptions for this program. 

Core courses offered within the program include ten courses worth 3 credit hours each.   

MRCH 510: Consumer Behavior in Merchandising

MRCH 520: Professional Advancement in Merchandising

MRCH 530: Product Design, Development, & Evaluation

MRCH 540: Promotional Strategies in Merchandising

MRCH 550: Retail Theory and Current Practice

            MRCH 610: Historical and Contemporary Issues in Trade

MRCH 620: International Merchandise Management

MRCH 630: Research Methods in Merchandising

MRCH 640: Financial Merchandising Implications

MRCH 650: Strategic Planning in Merchandising

Additional Courses from which to choose 6 hours of elective include:

MRCH 695 (Practicum)

            MRCH 788 (Research Report / Design Paper)

            MRCH 798 (Thesis)   

Graduate Certificate Program Requirements
The Certificate program offered through South Dakota State University is a graduate certificate. Students must apply for Graduate School admission in order to take these courses. The 12-credit graduate certificate program consists of three required 3-credit courses and one elective 3-credit course, listed below.
 

Required:

MRCH 510: Consumer Behavior in Merchandising

MRCH 520: Professional Advancement in Merchandising

MRCH 550: Retail Theory and Current Practice

Elective:

MRCH 530: Product Design, Development, & Evaluation

MRCH 540: Promotional Strategies in Merchandising

Program Application 
There is not a deadline for admissions; applicants are accepted throughout the year. However, a limited number are accepted, so apply early for admission. If students are not admitted this year to SDSU they may apply to one of the other institutions or apply again the next year at SDSU. A completed application will include the Graduate School Application, Transcripts, Letters of Recommendation, Goals Statement and a Resume.

SDSU Admission Instructions
To request an application, or check on the status of an application, please contact Dr. Jane Hegland. You select the institution to be your degree conferring institution. This institution will award your degree on successful completion of the program of study. Each course has a maximum enrollment; those who have been admitted to a degree program at one of the participating universities will be given preference for space in the class. Contact persons can provide specifics about admission and placement on wait-lists. 

GRE
South Dakota State University does not require the GRE for admission into the M.S. in Family and Consumer Sciences: Merchandising Specialization. 

Course Registration
Your Great Plains IDEA Campus Coordinator Lanida Czekus will send instructions and course registration materials for each course. Students enroll for all courses through their home institution, even when another participating university is teaching the course. This means students will have only one enrollment process to complete and one payment to make. All coursework completed will immediately be recorded on your SDSU transcript. Financial aid may also be easier to secure. 

Tuition & Fees
As stated previously, students admitted to the program at South Dakota State University enroll at SDSU for all courses, whether they are taught at SDSU or at another participating university. All courses have a common price of $395 per graduate credit hour ($1185 per 3-hour course) for the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 academic year. 

Financial Aid  
Contact the Financial Aid Office at SDSU for information about financial aid. For scholarship information in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences refer the scholarship information in the FCS College Website.

The College of Family and Consumer Sciences offers scholarships for full- and part-time graduate students. To qualify for any scholarships, students must be enrolled in at least six hours of graduate work. Most assistance for graduate students comes in the form of Graduate Assistantships. If you live in or near Brookings and are interested in information on available assistantships, please contact Dr. Jane Hegland.

Transfer of credits
The Graduate School of the degree-awarding institution will maintain transcripts for students matriculated at that university. Each semester, course rosters and grade sheets will be transferred between institutions allowing the grades to be automatically, and immediately, recorded on the student’s transcript.

Master’s Degree Plan of Study—Filing the Form
Graduate students are required to submit a Master’s Degree Plan of Study to the Graduate School for approval by the end of the second semester. The student and the faculty advisor, who is a member of the Graduate Faculty, must sign it. Click here to access the Merchandising Masters Plan of Study Guidelines and Document or the Merchandising Graduate Certificate Plan of Study Guidelines and Document.

For more information on the M.S. in Family and Consumer Sciences, Merchandising specialization contact GPIdea@sdstate.edu.