The Master of Professional Studies (Human Ecology) program is intended for professionals who need further academic training but whose career goals are not oriented to research and teaching at an advanced level. Often, this degree is appropriate for persons who want a one-year Master's degree. Typically, these individuals are successful professionally but feel they need further concentrated study to increase their usefulness on the job. Their study program in the MPS (Human Ecology) program would include course work primarily focused on a subject or problem area related to their professional career. The applicant's professional accomplishments and motivation should provide evidence that he or she will benefit from and successfully complete graduate work for the MPS (Human Ecology). The common focus of the field is the study of fibrous materials and their use as apparel, as engineering structures (such as composite materials), in biomedical applications, and in home furnishings. The Field of Fiber Science and Apparel Design is applied and multidisciplinary, with faculty members drawn from the Colleges of Human Ecology and Engineering.
Students are expected to develop strength in their base discipline as well as gain appropriate breadth to support the area of specialization. Active research programs exist in high-performance fibers and fiber-reinforced composites, Green composites, detergency and surface chemistry, perfume treated fabrics, textile materials in biomedical and geotechnical applications, polymers for electronics, liquid-crystal polymers, textile-dye chemistry, crystal morphology of fibers, electrospin of fibers, cellulose, apparel and fashion design, design ethnography, sizing and fit of apparel, functional apparel, cultural and historic studies of clothing and textiles, mass customization and technology, and technology management in the apparel industry.
