The Master's program in Retailing and Consumer Sciences, leading to an M.S. degree, is designed primarily for students who wish to pursue careers in retailing/consumer/marketing consulting firms, corporate retailing management, higher education, or advancement to a doctoral program. Students are exposed to current theoretical and practical knowledge pertaining to diverse areas of retailing/marketing, statistics, research methodology, and coursework in a selected minor area.
The program culminates in a research project, i.e., Master's Report, that is designed and implemented under the direction of a research faculty advisor and committee. Students have two alternatives in completing the Master's Report requirement, i.e., Basic Research or Applied Research Master's Report options. The Basic Research Master's Report is original research, including data collection and analysis, stemming from theoretical and empirical knowledge in the discipline of interest.
Students complete a minimum of 36 units, including six units of Master's Report, for both the Basic Research and Applied Research Master's Report options. However, minimum and maximum unit requirements for RCSC and/or Business foundation and statistics and research methodology coursework differ by option.
Basic Research Master's Report Option
Minimum Requirements
* GRE or GMAT must be retaken if scores are older than 5 years from date of intended acceptance
**Applicants who are non-native speakers of English are required to achieve a satisfactory score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). TOEFL must be retaken if scores are older than 2 years from date of intended acceptance. Under specific circumstances, the TOEFL requirement is waived for those students with a graduate degree from an English-speaking institution.
*** Students not meeting requirements may be accepted under certain conditions. Please contact Chair, Graduate Program, Dr. Sherry Lotz (telephone: 520.621.3346; e-mail: slotz@ag.arizona.edu).
Plan of Study (36 units minimum)*
RCSC** (600 level) 15 units
RCSC and/or Business** 0-6 units
Statistics and Research Methods 9-12 units
Minor Courses 3-6 units
Basic Research Master's Report 6 units
*For transferrable units of non-degree status students, no more than three (3) units of 500- or 600-level RCSC coursework, earned by a student on non-degree status, may be applied to RCSC M.S. or Ph.D. degree program upon regular admittance.
**An approved RCSC internship may be substituted for one three-unit RCSC and/or Business course
Minimum Requirements
* GRE or GMAT must be retaken if scores are older than 5 years from date of intended acceptance
**Applicants who are non-native speakers of English are required by the University to achieve a satisfactory score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). TOEFL must be retaken if scores are older than 2 years from date of intended acceptance. Under specific circumstances, the TOEFL requirement is waived for those students with a graduate degree from an English-speaking institution.
*** Students not meeting requirements may be accepted under certain conditions. Please contact Chair, Graduate Program, Dr. Sherry Lotz (telephone: 520.621.1295; e-mail: slotz@ag.arizona.edu).
Plan of Study (36 units minimum)*
RCSC** (600 level) 15 units
RCSC and/or Business** 3-9 units
Statistics and Research Methods 6-9 units
Minor Courses 3-6 units
Applied Research Master's Report 6 units
*For transferrable units of non-degree status students, no more than three (3) units of 500- or 600-level RCSC coursework, earned by a student on non-degree status, may be applied to RCSC M.S. or Ph.D. degree program upon regular admittance.
**An approved RCSC internship may be substituted for one three-unit RCSC and/or Business course.
Coursework taken for completion of a Master of Science degree in Retailing and Consumer Sciences may consist of up to three units of an internship - RCSC 693. In order to obtain approval for an internship that comprises three units of the RCSC and/or Business component of the Master's program, the work performed via the internship should possess one or both of the following goals:
Creation of intellectual property [e.g., work with corporate-level management of a company to (a) design a conceptual or theoretical model predicting future strategies, business practices, consumer behaviors, etc.; (b) develop and conduct primary or secondary research addressing a significant corporate issue; (c) other similar projects].
Strategy design and/or implementation (e.g., work with corporate-level management of a company to design a strategic program that addresses a significant corporate issue or need and/or assist with implementation of said program, etc.).
Master's Report
A student must complete a Master's Report (Basic or Applied), including data collection and analysis, to demonstrate the ability to conduct original research. The initial proposal and final report must be defended before the student's committee. The final report must be of high quality and will be submitted to an appropriate channel, dependent on Master's Report option chosen, upon completion. The Master's Report is not a thesis as defined by the
Recommended Time Frame for Completion of Master's Program
Students are encouraged to complete their program within two to two and a half years, based on full-time status. Students who are progressing toward completion of their degree within the recommended time frame will be granted priority in awarding graduate assistantships and other financial support.
Financial Assistance
Financial assistance is awarded on a competitive basis - primarily through out-of-state tuition waivers, full tuition waivers, graduate fellowships, and graduate teaching and/or research assistantships.
For additional information, please contact the Graduate Program Coordinator, (520) 621-3346 or email at sfcs@ag.arizona.edu.
RCSC Research Faculty
Doctoral Program
Graduate Classes
Current Graduate Students
Application for Graduate Program Admission
Information for International Students
Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing
Take Charge America Institute for Consumer Financial Education and Research
University of Arizona Graduate College