Graduate Program
The graduate program (M.S. and Ph.D.) Human Ecology: Consumer Behavior and Family Economics emphasizes consumer and household well-being. The program explores consumers’ interactions with the marketplace and the public sector. Current topics of interest include: consumer cooperatives, consumer demand, consumer and household decision-making, consumer health issues, family, marital, and property policy, financial security, food security, retailing, sustainable consumption, and time use.
All Masters students must complete a thesis and all Ph.D. students must complete a dissertation. Students often select topics related to faculty research interests. Faculty are trained in a variety of disciplines including economics, family ecology, retailing, social work, and sociology. These backgrounds contribute to a strong interdisciplinary research and training program. Special interests are promoted through faculty affiliations with: the Center for Cooperatives, Center for Financial Security, Development Studies, the Institute on Aging, Institute for Research on Poverty, Nelson Institute of Environmental Studies, and UW-Extension.
