College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Department of Family and Consumer Sciences
Mission Statement, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences
The Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at Sam Houston State University is dedicated to meeting the needs of students through periodic monitoring and improving each program area offered. The curriculum aims to provide students with a holistic theoretical base with awareness of physiological, psychological, sociological and intellectual characteristics and human needs of the public they will serve. There is a continuous striving for the professional development of students through educational opportunities and wise use of faculty and university resources.
The Graduate Program in Family and Consumer Sciences is designed to provide advanced, specialized leadership in various professions, and to further professional competencies for students in extension, business, industry and education.
The Graduate Program in Family and Consumer Sciences is designed to accomplish the following objectives:
Graduate Requirements
Students completing the graduate program must earn 36 semester hour credits; 24 of these must be in Family and Consumer Sciences courses (FCS prefix), and 3 of these hours must be FCS 530: Seminar in Family and Consumer Sciences Research. Students concurrently enrolled in the Dietetic Internship (DI) Program incorporate the nine (9) hours of supervised practice into the required 24 hours. A minor of 12 semester hour credits completes the 36 hour requirement. Suggested minors include health/fitness, business, and education (counseling).
Graduate students must complete written comprehensive exams; exams must be taken in two areas of study in the major field and one in the minor. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA, and no more than two grades of C are allowed; a grade of F will result in student's dismissal from the program.
Admission Requirements
1. Minimum GPA of 2.5 (4.0) scale on all previous college studies.
2. Submit Graduate Record Exam (GRE) with a minimum score of 800.
3. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required of non-native speakers of English.
Applicants must request a Graduate Catalog from and mail graduate school applications to:
Coordinator of Graduate Studies
Box 2478
Sam Houston State University
Huntsville, TX 77341-2478
Telephone: (936) 294-1971
FAX: (936) 294-1271
E-mail: graduate@shsu.edu
A $20 non-refundable one-time application fee must accompany the application form. Checks or money orders must be payable to Sam Houston State University. Do not send cash. Deadlines for graduate school applications are August 1 for the Fall semester and December 1 for the Spring semester. Applicants to the Combined M.S. and Dietetic Internship (DI) Program must meet February 15 as a deadline for graduate school, application to the DI Program and D&D Digital Systems (see DI Program Brochure). Sam Houston State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution.
Sam Houston State University with all of its programs is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
Graduate Application fee ……………………..$20.00
Tuition (36 hours) ……..$5378.00 for Texas residents
……...$17,103.00 for non-residents
Books/supplies ………………………………$450.00
Cost of affiliate memberships ……………..…$43.00
Estimated Room and Board ………………..$6000.00
Workshops, meetings, seminars ………..$250.00/year
Student Health Insurance (optional)** ……$355.00/year
The Sam Houston State University Dietetic Internship (DI) Program is being offered through the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, which has been involved in nutrition education since 1975. The DI program is based upon Accreditation Standards established by The Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) of The American Dietetic Association(ADA), 120 Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60606-6995, 312/899-0400, ext. 5400. www.eatright.org Students who successfully complete the Combined M.S. and Internship are eligible to sit for the ADA registration examination, leading to licensure as a registered dietician (RD).
Sam Houston State University
Huntsville, Texas
Sam Houston State University, one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the State of Texas, was created in 1879 as Sam Houston Normal Institute. The baccalaureate degree in home economics was first awarded in 1919. A graduate degree in home economics was authorized in 1936. In recent years, much of the focus of the graduate degree has been in the field of nutrition and dietetics.
The campus is also home to a state-of-the-art Health and Kinesiology Center (HKC) for personal fitness training and wellness activities. This facility is available to students at Sam Houston State University at no additional charge and is open for extended hours.
A lovely wooded community, Huntsville has small town atmosphere, but its physical proximity to Houston provides many big city advantages. Just south of Huntsville, Sam Houston State Park offers outdoor recreational activities such as camping, boating, hiking and fishing. The Recreation Office at the university has canoes and other outdoor equipment available for rental.
Housing
The Department of Residence Life offers a variety of housing venues, many of which are designed to meet the needs of graduate students. For more information, contact the Department of Residence Life, Box 2416, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas 77341-2416. The website for the Department of Residence Life is http://www.shsu.edu/~hou_www/ . For Huntsville housing information, the website is: http://ci.huntsville.tx.us/
Family and Consumer Sciences
Graduate Faculty
Laura Burleson, Ph.D.
Zaheer Ali Kirmani, Ph.D., L.D., R.D.
Claudia Sealy-Potts, Ph.D., L.D., R.D.
Janis H. White, Ph.D.
For More Information:
Sam Houston State University
Family & Consumer Sciences
Box 2177
Huntsville, Texas 77341-2177
Phone: 936/294-1242
Fax: 936/294-4204
E-Mail: hec_fcs@shsu.edu