Retail and Consumer Sciences -- Doctoral Program

Retail and Consumer Sciences • Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management • Certificate in Services Management • Certificate in Tourism Development

DEGREE REQUIREMENT

Area	Credit Hours
Required Courses: RCS 614, 615, 625, 641	12
Research Methods: RCS 590, 616	5
Statistics: Statistics 537, 538, 579, elective	12
1Cognate Area	9
2Instructional Methods	3
3Electives	21
Dissertation	24
Total	86

¹Cognate hours must include at least 3 hours at the 600 level.
²Graduate level courses that will help develop students’ instructional capabilities.
³Electives will be selected in consultation with graduate faculty advisor and Master’s coursework may be used as part of elective hours.

SELECTED DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS

• Lim, Chae-Mi (2009).  "Luxe-Bargain Shopping:  Consumer Orientations, Perceived Values, Satisfaction, and Future Intentions "

• Atkins, Kelly (2008).  "The Smart Shopping Construct: Scale Development and Validation"

• Lee, Hyunjoo (2008). "Technology-Based Self-Service Kiosks in Retailing:  An Optional Channel for Service Delivery"

• Lee, Min-Young (2007). "Bidding as a Shopping Experience: The Impact of Consumer Characteristics and Hedonic Shopping Motivations on Shopping Values in Online Auctions Influencing Consumer Preference and Intentions"

• Fogle, Alycia (2007). “The Influence of Atmospherics On Consumer Perceptions of Service Quality, Merchandise Price, and Merchandise Quality Influencing Behavioral Intentions: A Retailing Study of Outlet Malls"

• Kim, Hye-Young (2007). “Toward Customer Love: Investigating the Antecedents and Outcomes of Satisfied Customers' Emotional Attachments to Retailers”

• Yang, Kiseol (2006). “Consumers' Perceived Value and Subjective Norm Effects on the Adoption of Mobile Services: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of American and Korean Consumers”

• Nute, Carol Lynn (2005). “Acculturation and Food Retailer Store Type: Determining Hispanic Consumers' Attitudes Toward Store Attributes in the San Antonio Market ”

• Kim, Minsung (2004). “The Role of Self and Functional Congruity on Online Retail Patronage Behavior ”

• Carpenter, Jason Matthew (2003). “An Examination of The Relationships Between Consumer Benefits, Satisfaction, and Loyalty in The Purchase of Retail Store Branded Products”

• Park, JungKun (2003). “Consumer Attitudes Toward Personalization Features and Intention to Purchase Online”

• Daves, Hester Alicia (2002). “The Predictors of Turnover Intentions: An Investigation of Front-Line Employees in The Retail Industry”

• Moore, Marguerite (2002). “Effect of Strategic Orientation on Innovation and Performance: The Case of Multiple Channel Retailing (MCR)”

• Seo, Heesun (2002). “A Qualitative Investigation of Polish Consumers' Retail Experiences During the Transitional Period: 1989-2001”

• Southward, Leigh (2002). “Expectations and Satisfaction Among Undergraduate Students: A Consumer Behavior Approach”

• Warren, Stephen L. (2002). “Consumer Materialism and Human Values Orientations”

• Kwon, Kyoung-Nan (2001). “The Influence of Expectation for A Future Deal on The Effectiveness of A Current Price Promotion: An Application of Prospect Theory”

• McGowan, Karen M. (1998). “The Validation of Market Beliefs and Their Relationship with Dimensions of The Price Cue”

CAREER OUTLOOK

The retail and Consumer Science’s Ph.D. graduates have been highly sought for teaching and research faculty positions at major universities. Many of our Ph.D. graduates are successful in obtaining academic positions at nationally-recognized universities. These universities include Michigan State University, Purdue University, University of Missouri, University of South Carolina, University of Georgia, Indiana University, Kansas State University, and The University of Arizona.

“ I am extremely proud to be a graduate of UT’s Retail & Consumer Services Ph.D. Program. I am certain that choosing UT for my graduate education provided me with high quality learning experiences in teaching and research that I would not have received in other programs in RCS enjoy a long and celebrated history, and the resulting impeccable national reputation offers graduates a competitive edge in the academic job market.”
-- Dr. Jason Carpenter, Assistant Professor, University of South Carolina

“ I am a 2007 graduate of the UT’s RCS Doctoral program, and extremely proud of it! If you are looking for rigorous academic preparation to conduct research in the retailing discipline, then you should consider coming to RCS at UT. RCS doctoral students are expected to gain a firm grasp on theory and methodology in order to develop into intellectual leaders in higher education. By being intimately involved in every aspect of consumer research, from focus-group interviews to data collection and analysis, I learned what it takes to be a researcher, but more than that, I learned how fulfilling and interesting research can be. Also, other doctoral students I met in this program really enriched my experience. I had the opportunity to interact with so many intelligent colleagues, exchanging and discussing ideas. In this collegial RCS community, we challenged each other, grew together, and enriched the learning process for one another. Also, if you want to take a closer look at innovative teaching, this is the place to do so. The RCS professors are highly respected in retailing education, and very creative in their work. As a graduate teaching assistant, I had the privilege to teach several undergraduate courses. Such invaluable experiences deepened my knowledge and broadened my perspective, which equipped me with the essential tools to secure a faculty position at a major university.”

 --Dr. Hye-Young Kim, Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota

JOB PLACEMENT (Since 2005)

East Tennessee State University--Merchandising

Oklahoma State University--Design, Housing and Merchandising

Philadelphia University--Marketing

University of Kentucky--Merchandising, Apparel & Textiles

University of Minnesota--Retail Merchandising

University of North Carolina-Ashville--Marketing

University of North Texas--Merchandising

Contact the Department of Retail, Hospitality,
and Tourism Management

1215 W. Cumberland Ave.
110 Jessie Harris Building
Knoxville, TN 37996-1911

Email: rhtm@utk.edu
Fax: 865-974-5236

Hotel, Restaurant, & Tourism
Phone: 865-974-2141

Retail & Consumer Sciences
Phone: 865-974-2141