Texas Tech University

Retail Management

Degree and Course Details

The Retail Management program at Texas Tech University provides you with the academic background and the necessary skills to prepare you for an exciting career in the dynamic, fast-paced technology-driven retailing industry.

You will experience many real-world aspects of the retailing industry including buying, assortment planning, allocation, selling, visual merchandising, e-commerce, retailing research, and management. Courses in the major are designed to encompass current retailing issues and policies, such as globalization, retail technology, customer behavior, and e-commerce. Students participate in team projects to solve problems ranging from the simple to the complex, and individual projects including a comprehensive retail buying simulation. They interact with professionals by conducting focus group research to analyze current retail strategies and practices. Students solve real-life case studies, participate in international field study tours, and utilize state-of-the-art technology for category and space management and store planning provided by JDA, an industry leader. This $2.4 million annual gift enables the students at Texas Tech University to compete for well-paid, corporate-level positions in the emerging field of retail technology and category management. The multidisciplinary curriculum enables you to include a minor in another complementary field such as business, mass communications or hospitality.

Today's retail industry requires professionals with a wide range of skills. The expertise you develop in the retailing program will help you open the door to executive training programs leading to careers in both American and international marketplaces. The supervised internship program provides an important foundation for career advancement and employment. There are many career opportunities for graduates with a Retail Management major, including store management, international trade, procurement, corporate buying, mall management, merchandise analysis, sales management, product development, category, and space management. An established network of alumni and human resource managers can help you to develop student/mentor relationships and after graduation, to work with executives in many different locations and organizations.

The mission of the retail management program is to prepare students to make a contribution to the retail industry and to society as a whole through quality education, research, and service. By focusing on both the role of diverse and global consumers and the complex infrastructure of retailing goods and services, faculty members maintain and expand a partnership between the retail industry and academics. Retail management courses emphasize the integration of theory, e-commerce, category management, leadership, industry application, and career planning strategy (includes study in technology, communication, marketing, management, accounting, and economics). An internship program, industry-sponsored course projects, and a strong alumni base afford students the opportunity to interface with a dynamic combination of retail executives and organizations throughout their academic study.

Scholarships are available to Texas Tech retailing students. They are awarded based on academic excellence and financial need. Students must reapply each year in order to sustain awarded scholarships.

The curriculum emphasizes work-related experiences, internship opportunities, and career placement. A 10-week, 300- to 400-hour supervised internship in the retail industry is required of each student with a retail management major. The supervised internship experience is planned jointly by the faculty and student. RTL 3389, Professional Practices in Retailing, is required during the spring semester prior to enrollment in RTL 3390, Internship in Retailing.

Tracks in Retail Management. The retail management program offers tracks in (1) store management and (2) corporate/research to better meet the needs of students and the retail community by focusing on the specific skills needed at the store level, operations or corporate level. Students may choose a single track or complete both tracks. Students may choose six hours from the following courses for the store management track: RTL 3345, 3375 or 3380; RTL 4340, RHIM 3308, 3320, and 4313. The corporate/research track requirements are a 2.75 GPA and RTL 3380, 4320, and 4330.

Minor in Retail Management. A student may minor in retail management by completing a minimum of 18 semester hours of selected coursework. Specific courses for the minor should be finalized and approved in conjunction with the student's major and minor advisors.

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