Textiles and Clothing Graduate Program
The Textiles and Clothing Program offers the Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Science degrees, and Master in Family and Consumer Sciences non-thesis degrees, as well as minor work for students with majors in other departments. Program emphases for graduate study and research in textiles and clothing include:
Doctor of Philosophy Each student's program is planned by the student with a Program of Study (POS) Committee, which includes faculty members from both textiles and clothing and related departments. A minimum of 72 semester credits is required, of which approximately 15 credits are for the dissertation. At least 14 credits are taken in such areas as statistics, computer science, and research methods. The remaining credits are divided closely related areas. Three credits are taken in philosophy, and there is a teaching requirement as well. The POS Committee may, at its discretion, apply toward the Ph.D. all or part of the credits of B grade or higher earned by the student for the master's program. Master of Science For the Master of Science degree a minimum of 30 credits is required. The credits are divided into three groups. Group I includes an introductory course to graduate study in textiles and clothing plus courses in research methods and statistics. Included in this group are the 6-7 credits for the required research projects which the student reports in thesis form. Group 2 includes the major course work in textiles and clothing. Group 3 includes a minimum of 2 courses taken in related disciplines outside textiles and clothing. Choice of courses depends on the student's background, goals, and research topic. The program is planned by the student and POS Committee. Master of Family and Consumer Sciences A non-thesis Masters in Family and Consumer Sciences is available with specialization in Textiles and Clothing. The specialization facilitates professional development of graduate students interested in careers in museums, cooperative extension, or business and industry positions related to product development, functional design, computer-aided design technology, marketing planning and research, international sourcing, personnel management, consumer education and service, quality assurance, quick response business systems, and apparel production plant management and training. Entrepreneurship in small business may also be emphasized. Individual programs of study are designed to fit each student's career goal needs. A package of Textiles and Clothing courses are combined with supporting coursework in fields such as marketing, management, economics, industrial engineering, human development and family studies, sociology, psychology, education, art and design, art history, history, and anthropology. Research design and statistics are included to help graduates become consumers of research pertinent to their field of employment. Admission Requirements Students accepted for the Ph.D. or M.S. program who lack supporting course work in their chosen areas of emphasis generally are required to make up these deficiencies by course work or, in some cases, by readings and examination. Online Electronic Applications for both domestic and international graduates as well as an online inquiry system can be found at the Graduate College Web site. Financial Assistance Assistantships, scholarships, and fellowships are available to students with superior scholastic records and good professional potential. All forms of financial assistance offer competitive compensation. Moreover, all graduate assistants, regardless of residency status, pay in-state rates for tuition. One-half of this tuition is covered by a Graduate College Scholarship which is received by assistants in good standing. Thus, graduate assistants pay fees equal to one-half those in-state residents pay. Most assistantships are for 9 months, though some research assistantships continue for 12 months. To be considered for an assistantship, the applicant should complete Graduate College admission by February 1. Later applicants will be considered for unfilled or new positions. Additional scholarships and some fellowships are available through the Graduate College, the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, and the Office of Minority Student Affairs. The prospective student should also investigate fellowships available from the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, home economics honor societies such as Kappa Omicron Nu and Phi Upsilon Omicron, and low interest educational loans.
Pace Awards Applicants who submit superior credentials will be nominated by the department for Premium Academic Excellence (PACE) Awards. An all-university committee decides which applicants will receive PACE awards. .The award pays one-half of the resident fees per semester. Awards are generally granted for one year but on occasion may be granted for two years. The student on a half-time assistantship who, in addition, receives a PACE award attends the university tuition-free. Assistantship Responsibilities All graduate assistants on half-time appointment give 20 hours per week of service to the department; those on quarter time, 10 hours per week. The Teaching Assistants (TAs) are assigned to faculty in various subject areas within the department. Master's TAs assist faculty in preparing teaching materials and in course evaluation. They are expected to participate in the planning of course subject matter and may be asked to teach a class or assist students in laboratory work. They are generally not assigned full responsibility for teaching 4 to 6 credit hours. The Research Assistant (RA) is assigned to an ongoing or a new research project. The student's thesis research may be related to that assistantship, but is not necessarily a part of it. Depending on when the research assistant comes to a research project, he or she may be involved in the planning, collecting, data, analysis of data, or writing of the final report. Research and Teaching ExperienceWe encourage all graduate students, regardless whether they are on assistantship, to be involved with research and teaching activities through independent studies, voluntary collaboration on faculty projects, and teamwork efforts with other graduate students. Other Department SupportEach graduate student is assigned desk space, a mailbox, and an email account. All students have access to a department computer lab. Length of ProgramThe Master's Degree takes about 1.5 to 2 years to complete if a student takes full course loads each semester. Students on assistantships often take longer to finish, about 2 to 2.5 years. International students who need to work on language skills may also take longer to complete the program. Questions? Textiles and Clothing (TC) |
31 MacKay Hall | Ames, IA 50011-1121 | (515) 294-7474 | ude.etatsai@mhsea
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