Graduate Programs

Philosophy
The focus of the Master's Degree in the School of Family and Consumer Sciences is on the individual, the family, and the relationship between families and the changing social, economic, and physical environments. This graduate program is based on scholarship, integrity, and the betterment of the human condition.

Programs
The School of Family and Consumer Sciences offers four master's degrees. Those program options are:

• Child and Family Development - Master of Arts
• Child Life Specialist - Master of Arts
• Clothing, Textiles and Interiors - Master of Arts
• Nutrition/Dietetics - Master of Science

We also, with the College of Education, offer a combined master's degree in Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher Education. For more information about this program, contact Anne Weiner (aweiner@uakron.edu).

Facility
Housed in Schrank Hall South, our facilities consist of modern, multipurpose seminar and lecture rooms, laboratories, enhanced technology classrooms, a computer laboratory, and the Center for Child Development, all of which are open to graduate students for study and research.

Requirements for Admission
Students seeking entrance to our graduate programs must meet the following admission requirements for acceptance into the program:

- Minimum GPA of 2.75 for four years of undergraduate study or 3.00 for the last two years of undergraduate study;

- Completion of the Graduate Records Exam (GRE) within the five years preceding application, with a score as follows:

• Combined score of 900 or better on the verbal and quantitative sections with a 4.0 or better on the analytical writing section OR
• Combined score of 800 or better on the verbal and quantitative sections with a 4.5 or better on the analytical writing section.
• Submission of a letter of personal career goals, sent to the Director of Graduate Studies for the School of Family and Consumer Sciences
• Three letters of recommendation must be submitted.
• The Graduate Faculty of the School of Family and Consumer Sciences may require an interview with any applicant.

Requirements for Completion of Program
Students who are accepted into the graduate program are expected to comply with the following requirements:

- Complete the course of study in one of the four options, with a minimum of 40 credits (Child Life minimum is 42-46 credits). These credits include:

• Foundation courses to prepare for research in family and consumer sciences in the area of specialty;
• Core courses in the area of specialty;
• Option electives and cognate electives, selected in consultation with academic advisor. These are chosen to strengthen the student's professional goals;
• Pass a written comprehensive examination over major and minor areas after the completion of at least 24 credits of graduate coursework;
• Complete a master's thesis or a master's project;
• Apply for advancement to candidacy upon successful completion of 24 credits of graduate coursework, passing the written comprehensive examination, and an approved prospectus or proposal for a thesis or project;
• Pass an oral examination covering the thesis or project.

Graduate Assistantships
The School awards a limited number of graduate assistantships each year. Selected applicants are afforded a unique educational and employment experience. The graduate assistantship provides the student with:

• A bi-monthly stipend paid for the academic year. In most cases this stipend is renewed for a second year;
• Fee remission for 9-15 credits of graduate coursework each semester;
• Fee remission for 9 credits of graduate coursework in the summer.

The application deadline for graduate assistantships is March 1 for assistantships that begin the following fall semester and October 1 for assistantships that begin in the following spring semester. For more information about assistantships and the graduate program, contact the Graduate Director for the School, Dr. Susan Witt by phone at 330-972-7723 or by email at susan8@uakron.edu.

For other scholarship, loan, or grant funding available, please contact the Financial Aid office at the University.

To apply to Graduate School, use the "Apply online" button on the Graduate School's webpage.