Consumer Sciences Courses
Study of laws and agencies affecting the consumer's well-being, sources of consumer information, and discussion of current consumer issues.
Focus on personal investing in marketable securities. Covers the basics of investing, including detailed definitions of investment terms, descriptive materials on how securities are purchased and sold, theoretical models of security valuation and practical examples of how to calculate growth rates.
A detailed analysis of U.S. public policy, recognizing the broader social and economic impacts of selected policies. Students will develop a better understanding of how and why specific policies are implemented and assess the strengths and weaknesses of different policy structures.
Provides in-depth coverage of the primary theories and methods necessary for quality assurance in a wide range of organizational settings.
Provides a comprehensive study of facilitation skills necessary to lead an organization in continuous improvement.
Provides an in-depth analysis of management systems as a method of organizing and leading business, educational, and health care institutions. Covers the primary issues related to management systems.
Provides an overview of the American financial system with emphasis on financial service providers, products and markets. Includes a 6-day tour of New York's financial district, presentations by financial professionals, team activities, assignments and stock market analysis.
This course provides a comprehensive overview of the theory and methods necessary for promoting employee engagement. The role of employee engagement in improving service, product quality, and consumer satisfaction are explored. Methods used to promote a culture of quality and customer care through continuous improvement methods, Six Sigma implementation, and socio-technical systems redesign are addressed.
This course introduces quantitative tools and concepts that are useful for process analysis and quality control. Conceptual understanding and data analysis using software is required and emphasized throughout the course.
This course builds on Personal Investment Planning and Management I with a focus on the valuation of investments and the management of investment portfolios. Financial securities analyzed include equities, derivatives, fixed income, and alternative investments.
Course provides an in-depth study of the functions and structures of customer relations as it relates to business and government agencies. Course analyzes consumer needs, complaints, and education.
Foundational financial planning principles and practice for graduate students without exposure to financial planning as an undergraduate student. Topics include time value of money, financial goal setting, budgeting, risk management, savings, and investments.
Foundational statistics for consumer sciences graduate students. Topics include descriptive measures, statistical testing and inference, confidence intervals, bivariate correlation, and regression analysis. Examples and exercises emphasize real-world applications.
Foundational consumer economics principles for graduate students without exposure to elementary microeconomics as an undergraduate student. Topics include consumer and producer behavior, market structures, equilibrium, elasticity, efficiency/welfare, externalities, and public goods.
This course provides skill building and practical methods for handling organizational and personal conflicts. Appropriate for the student who has received no formal preparation in managing conflict, and also for the professional who is educated in conflict theory and negotiation strategy, but needs grounding in basic interpersonal communication and management skills, such as rapport building, empathic listening, behavior modeling, reframing, problem solving, and decision making.
This course teaches students to accurately identify and express emotions, and to develop and improve the emotional intelligence skills essential to managing conflict successfully. Students are directed through a series of self-evaluations to determine their current skill levels, learn the characteristics of specific skills, and apply and model the new learning. Students learn to break the habit of emotional reactivity and to model emotional proactivity.
This course deepens students’ understanding of negotiation skills that can be used across a variety of settings. Students explore best practices in negotiation and learn to identify and apply optimal strategies. The dynamics of negotiating across diverse cultures and contexts are also examined.
The study of family law for non-lawyers. Topics include marriage, divorce, custody, child support, alimony and property division, and the role of alternative dispute resolution in the family law setting, including mediation, private judges, and collaborative practice. Students will acquire a general understanding of legal terms, resources, and the legal system and its adversarial proceedings.
Innovative study of financial behaviors and their relationship to money management with emphasis placed on both theory and its application.
An in-depth look at leadership principles, qualities, styles, and models with a focus on developing leadership skills and potential within the individual students. Designed to assist students in identifying opportunities for improvement.
The course content is focused on current genre of communication tools identified as ‘social media’. Content includes an overview of the origins of the current social media tools, definitions and terminology, and case studies of current uses of social media in specific settings. The social media tools selected are examined as discrete units and as components of larger initiatives within organizations. Connections of these tools to the functions of various organizations and individual professional initiatives are explored; the applications presented are those within large organizations, smaller groups and individual, professional offices. Popular press items on these tools as well as research foundations are included as background for the selection and use of social media. Case studies from a range of disciplines will be used as primary instructional tools. The precise suite of tools is revised each term.
Examination of the role of the consumer in the economy; economic analysis of market and non-market consumption activities, incorporating relevant social, psychological, political, and ecological considerations.
This course will focus on developing students’ ability to understand consumer demographics and impacts from these demographic changes. The course will cover basic concepts and measurement issues of demography as it relates to consumer and families. This class will also develop student’s ability to adapt to changing trends in a dynamic world. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course.
Introductory research methods emphasizing non-experimental research designs. Examples and exercises are drawn from real-world research applications that inform consumer behavior and policy. Topics include: research design, measurement, sampling, data management, descriptive statistics, data visualization, and statistical inference.
Introduces students to basic interactional interviewing skills and strategies. Course is beneficial to those entering the fields of financial planning, business, management, sales or any commercial activity that involves interpersonal communication. Students who plan to supervise and manage others would benefit by expanding theory with practical application. Students with career goals involved counseling families, couples and individuals regarding life decisions will benefit from this course.
A systems approach to financial management for individuals and families from the perspective of planner/counselor. Focuses on analytical techniques. Emphasizes identification and development of strategies for meeting client goals.
This course will provide an interactive exploration of management skills that enable an individual to effectively communicate, build and lead teams, delegate, make presentations and manage priorities to achieve success.
This course lays some of the cornerstones of the program emphasis in interactive technology, guiding students in the development of their philosophy and understanding about the use of technology in teaching and learning as well as human interactions. Topics include synchronous vs. asynchronous learning, paradigm shifts in how people learn, and a review of the theory serving to underpin this topic.
The focus of this course is the use of a broad range of digital tools, including the skills considered core skills required to function in the asynchronous environment of this online degree program, the digital workplace, and in today’s global economy. Building a collaborative environment, a course goal, requires this specific skill set. Computer mediated communications applied to collaborative, web-based environments are emphasized.
Course outcomes include demonstrated understanding of program evaluation strategies based on a systems theory model for comprehensive planning, formative and summative evaluation. These evaluation activities focus on e-learning environments and applications in a wide-range of settings. Planning models are also introduced around which projects and action research can be structured.
This course is an introduction to some of the basic issues confronting technology users, especially those in today’s workplaces. It is designed for entrepreneurs, small business owners and managers, freelance consultants, and anyone who works with technology but in organizations which may or may not have IT departments. It is also appropriate for those working remotely at home or concerned about privacy and security in personal technology use. The topics include threats to computer and communication systems and privacy concepts; basic security defense techniques; web and network security issues; portable device security; operating systems security issues; email security; and security issues for home networks and smaller work environments such as privately-held companies and non-profit groups.
This course is an introduction to the use of collaborative tools for project management. Many professionals use collaborative tools but this class emphasizes their use specifically for project management, as using collaborative tools for project management is emerging as a managerial skill set. In today’s global economy, the ability to work virtually is paramount, because organizations are increasingly distributed, with remote members and locations. Just knowing how to use virtual communication tools does not equate specifically to project management. Communication techniques in these organizations are no longer the same as they were when all members were located in the same building. Traditional managerial communication techniques do not apply to distributed teams, where in-person meetings may occur but are limited. Further, even employees who are geographically co-located need to communicate and plan using virtual means. Online collaboration tools provide opportunity for project success and will be covered, using examples and case studies from project management. Social media tools offer exciting opportunities to improve team communication, efficiency, and success and will be discussed. While online tools and strategies may be familiar to enrollees, this class focuses on the particular use of these for project management. Project management is significantly different from even usual business communications, something emphasized in the materials provided and the learning activities used in the class.
Sound advice and vital practical help on developing an idea into a business on the internet. Addresses the different aspects of designing a web site, internet marketing, the role of search engines, measuring the effectiveness or an internet strategy.
Supervised experience in a related business, industry, or social agency.
Course focuses on preparation and planning for the Capstone Project, including examination and analysis of collateral research studies. Students will prepare articles for possible submission to a referred journal or presentation at a professional conference or online module.
A culminating experience for Consumer Sciences students designed to increase knowledge of current and emerging issues in the field. With the instructor, students identify specific learning goals and provide evidence of achievement relative to these jointly-established criteria.
An in-depth study of principled, interest-based negotiation, which replaces adversarial approaches with problem-solving. Students formulate a personal strategy of thoughtful introspection with the goal of satisfying interests on all sides of a conflict and strengthening relationships among conflict partners.
No description available.
This course gives the graduate student the opportunity to work directly with a professor in the graduate program to explore a problem related to technology in Consumer Sciences.
No description available.
This course is open to qualified graduate students who will study special problems in technology.
This independent research course partially fulfills required master’s-level research thesis hours toward the master’s degree in Consumer Sciences. The course is conducted under the guidance of the thesis advisor. Material covered will be of an advanced nature aimed at providing master's students with an understanding of the latest research and current developments within the field. Discussion and advisor guidance will be directed towards readings of research articles and development of research methodology, with the aim of producing an original research contribution that represents a novel development in the field, or a novel perspective on a pre-existing topic in the field.