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Master of Science in Service Management

Linda Underhill, Graduate Program Chair
(585) 475-7359, lmuism@rit.edu

James W. Jacobs, Jr., Lecturer

(585) 475-6017, jwjism@rit.edu

www.rit.edu/~702www/grad-servmanag.html

The MS in service management program fills an emerging need in the many service businesses and industries that focus on understanding various customer relationships. Such businesses will find this program in tune with their educational and training investments. Attention is focused on the management interface between the customer and the service provider, innovation of products and services, and building customer relationships. This program gives individual students access to the interdisciplinary expertise of a technological university.

The program is flexible. Five core courses (20 credit hours) are required. The choice of professional electives—from a wide array of disciplines, including information technology, quality and applied statistics, business, project management and human resources—responds to individual student needs.

Both full- and part-time study are allowed. Courses are offered in the evening and on weekends. Full-time students may complete the MS program within one calendar year (four academic quarters). The program also is offered in the executive leader format and may be completed in 14 to 16 months by taking one course every two months.

This is a broad-based, cross-disciplinary program. Careful selection of courses can provide unique educational preparation for individuals in varying service industries. An individualized professional concentration might include courses from instructional technology, human resource development, computer science, information technology and the MBA program in the E. Philip Saunders College of Business. The student may choose to earn a graduate certificate in statistical quality through the Center for Quality and Applied Statistics in the Kate Gleason College of Engineering.

The research paper or project that provides a capstone to the program may be guided under the mentorship of faculty in the various disciplines represented in the professional concentration.

Most individuals working in service-based industries will find no need to take bridge courses to fill any course work they are lacking from their undergraduate preparation.

Admission requirements

Prior to being admitted to the MS program, applicants must illustrate to the program chair that their previous training, ability, practical experience and education indicate a reasonable chance of success. The complete list of admission requirements includes the following:

The Test of English as a Foreign Language is required for international students. Applicants must achieve a minimum score of at least 550 (paper-based), 213 (computer-based) or 89 (Internet-based) to be considered for admission. All international students will take the Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency upon entry to the program, unless approved otherwise. Students should prepare to complete the Michigan Test before starting their graduate course work.

Curriculum

The service management program includes a minimum of 48 quarter credit hours, 36 of which must be registered through RIT. The program may be completed in four quarters of full-time study or in seven to eight quarters of part-time study. The basic curriculum is a combination of a required core, a professional concentration and a series of elective courses that will satisfy the student’s individual needs. Students who are already qualified for one or more required courses may substitute other course work with the permission of the program chair. Students whose prior undergraduate work has not been in the service industry field may be required to complete additional courses and/or a cooperative education experience. This will be determined after a review of their work by the program chair. A thesis or final project is a requirement for all students.

Students may choose elective courses with the approval of the program chair. Elective courses may be selected from the hospitality and service management program, the human resource development program, the project management program, the E. Philip Saunders College of Business or the B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Technology. Of the possible 8 to 12 hours of electives, students are relatively free to select courses they feel best meet their needs. All courses must be graduate-level and all course prerequisites must be met. A maximum of 12 graduate quarter credit hours may be transferred from outside RIT, and a maximum of 8 graduate quarter credit hours may be taken as independent study or practicum courses.

Note: Students matriculated in the MBA program in the E. Philip Saunders College of Business may use service management courses, offered through the hospitality-tourism management and service management programs, as a concentration within their degree program.

Required core courses (20 credits) Qtr. Cr. Hrs.
0625-750 Elements of Service Management: A Systems Approach 4
0624-770 Service Leadership: Examining and Implementing Change 4
0624-825 Strategic Process of Service Firms 4
0626-725 Human Capital Strategies 4
0625-849 Service Performance Metrics 4
Professional concentration 16-18 quarter credit hours
Hospitality and Service Management Qtr. Cr. Hrs.
0625-841 Benchmarking and the Process of Continuous Improvement* 4
0625-842 Customer Relationship Management 4
0625-844 Breakthrough Thinking 4
0625-845 Relationship Management in Service Firms* 4
0625-846 Service Leadership Futures 4
0625-847 Re-engineering Service Environments* 4
0625-849 Service Performance Metrics 4
0697-798 Introduction to Project Management 4

* This course is only available in the executive leader option.

Concentrations:

Human Resource Management Qtr. Cr. Hrs.
0626-710 Theories of Organizational Development 4
0626-720 Human Resource Management II 4
0626-730 Strategic Employee Development 4
0626-735 Human Capital Strategies 4
Information Technology Qtr. Cr. Hrs.
4002-718 Current Themes in Information Technology 4
4002-745 Foundations of Human Computer Interaction 4
4002-741 Fundamentals of Web-based Multimedia 4
4002-746 Telecom Network Protocol 4
Project Management Qtr. Cr. Hrs.
0681-710 Introduction to Project Management 4
0681-711 International Project Management 4
0681-712 Advanced Project Management 4
E. Philip Saunders College of Business Qtr. Cr. Hrs.
0102-763 Behavioral Skills in Total Quality 4
0106-745 Quality Control and Improvement 4
(Prerequisites or approval of the associate dean of graduate studies in the E. Philip Saunders College of Business may be required.)  
Kate Gleason College of Engineering—Center for Quality and Applied Statistics
Graduate Certificate in Statistical Quality Qtr. Cr. Hrs.
0307-721 Statistical Quality Control I 3
0307-731 Statistical Quality Control II 3
0307-781 Quality Management 3
0307-782 Quality Engineering 3
0307-801 Design of Experiments I 3
0307-802 Design of Experiments II 3

Facilities and equipment

The university maintains a broad array of computer software and equipment for student use. Additional computer laboratories are available across campus and, in particular, at Wallace Library. However, students are encouraged to have their own personal computer. Students taking online classes are required to have a computer.

Within the School of Hospitality and Service Management, there are 15 dedicated Dell computers connected to RIT’s high-speed Ethernet, a high-volume black-and-white printer and a high-quality Xerox Color Laser printer. This computer lab, located in the hospitality and service management department, is for use by students within this program. Applied software packages include: business application software such as MS Office; document publishing software such as Adobe Acrobat Professional and Adobe InDesign; the graphics design programs Adobe Photoshop, Corel Draw, Corel Photo-Paint, Adobe Illustrator and Macromedia Freehand; the Web development tools Macromedia Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Flash and Adobe GoLive; nutritional analysis programs Diet Analysis Plus, The Food Processor and Nutrition Life Cycle; and statistical programs Minitab and SPSS.

Executive leader option

The MS program in service management is also available in an executive leader format, which is highly sought after by working professionals. The program is very intensive, with participants completing a new course every two months. The program consists of eight courses and a project, and is typically completed in 14 to 16 months. (Please note: the executive leader program was formerly available as a two-summer program. This option is no longer available.)

The executive leader option is specifically designed to enhance the continued, lifelong learning and career development of executive, midlevel service organization professionals without significant disruption to employment. The program’s major emphasis is the understanding and ability to create, implement, manage and assess ongoing transformation in service organizations. While considering the strategic direction, performance outcomes, relationship-building, process improvement, innovative or creative approaches to service, or the future potential of service systems, students in the executive leader program will gain valuable insight into the thoughts of current service organizations and embark upon new direction, service organization alignment and service leadership.

Currently, the executive leader program is taught in three international locations and on the RIT campus in Rochester, N.Y. Participants may choose to interact with students from other countries by taking several courses in any of the four locations where the program is offered. Graduate credit is granted for life and management experience.

Executive leader courses

0625-750 Elements of Service Management
0625-844 Breakthrough Thinking, Innovation, and Creativity
0626-735 Human Capital Strategies
0624-825 Strategy Process of Service Firms
0625-849 Service Performance Metrics
0625-842 Customer Relationship Management
0625-846 Service Leadership Futures
0624-770 Service Leadership: Examining and Implementing Change

The executive leader option is offered to service management practitioners who have a minimum of five years experience beyond the baccalaureate degree. Certification through various professional associations—Certified Financial Planner, Certified Case Manager, Certified Corporate Travel Executive, Certified Travel Counselor, Certified Meeting Planner—are accepted as documentation of professional commitment. Endorsements from senior management and administrators are preferred. Graduate credit granted for life and professional experiences is determined by a portfolio assessment.

The complete list of admission requirements includes the following:

The Test of English as a Foreign Language is required for international students. A minimum score of at least 550 (paper-based), 213 (computer-based) or 89 (Internet-based) is required. All international students will take the Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency, unless approved otherwise. Students should prepare to complete the Michigan Test before starting their graduate course work.