Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management Major, PhD

The Department of Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, offers the PhD degree in which students can focus on one of the following research areas: Retail and Consumer Sciences and Hospitality, Restaurant and Tourism. Our PhD program prepares students to become leaders in academic and executive research fields. The program offers advanced doctoral courses and exceptional experiences for students to achieve teaching excellence and gain an in-depth knowledge of key theories, source relevant literature information, employ appropriate research methods and apply them when conducting research. More information on the PhD program can be found on the RHTM webpage.

Campus Code

Knoxville Campus

Admissions Standards/Procedures

Admission to the PhD program is decided on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration an applicant’s Graduate Application for Admission file, undergraduate record, performance on Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) (required), three Graduate Rating Forms completed by individuals who can attest to the graduate education, and adequate academic and/or industry backgrounds in the desired specialization (i.e., Retail and Consumer Sciences, Hospitality, Restaurant and Tourism).

Academic Standards

Evaluation of student progress occurs prior to enrollment and during the second semester of full-time enrollment in the program. The graduate committee reviews the student’s performance each semester with consideration given to factors such as GPA (minimum 3.00), portfolio evaluation, and demonstrated research capability. If progress or performance is deemed insufficient to meet our standard, the graduate committee may recommend probation with specific goals set for a specified time or termination.

Credit Hours Required

65 graduate credit hours

Required Courses

RHTM 600 - Doctoral Research and Dissertation (24 credit hours)
Required Courses (18 credit hours)
RHTM 604 - Qualitative Research Methods in Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management
RHTM 614 - Theories in Retail, Hospitality and Tourism Management
RHTM 615 - Literature and Thought in Retail, Hospitality and Tourism Management
RHTM 616 - Quantitative Research Methods in Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management
RHTM 641 - Consumer Behavior
RHTM 635 - Grantsmanship
Research Methods (6 graduate credit hours)
Course options include, but are not limited to:
STAT 573 - Design of Experiments
STAT 575 - Applied Time Series Models
STAT 579 - Multivariate and Data Mining Techniques
ACED 530 - Methods of Action Research
EDPY 604 - Special Topics
IT 695 - Special Topics
SOCI 640 - Discourse Analysis
CCI 643 - Qualitative Communication and Information Research Methods II
Consult with your advisor.
Statistics (6 graduate credit hours), consult with your advisor
Select one:
STAT 537 - Statistics for Research I
PSYC 521 - Analysis of Variance for Social Sciences
SOWK 605 - Analysis of Social Work Data I
Select one:
STAT 538 - Statistics for Research II, Regression Modeling
PSYC 522 - Multiple Regression for Social Sciences
SOWK 606 - Analysis of Social Work Data II
Cognate (9 graduate credit hours) selected in consultation with the major professor and/or committee
Cognate credit hours must include at least 3 credit hours at the 600-level
Examples include but are not limited to Statistics (STAT), Marketing (MARK), Communication Studies (CMST), etc., chosen in consultation with the major professor and / or guidance committee.
Instructional Methods (2 graduate credit hours) selected in consultation with the major professor and/or committee, at the graduate-level, and intended to help develop students’ instructional capabilities.

Non-Course Requirements

Comprehensive examinations
Dissertation proposal
Dissertation defense

Undergraduates

Graduate Students