Consumer Behavior & Family Economics
Welcome to the page for the Human Ecology PhD – Consumer Behavior & Family Economics! The Human Ecology PhD is housed within the School of Human Ecology and broadly aims to understand how humans interact with their lived environment. The Consumer Behavior & Family Economics named option does so by using social science theories to examine how market structures and policy, along with consumer decision-making, impacts the social and economic well-being of individuals and families.
Graduates of this program are prepared for tenure-track academic faculty positions, especially in other schools of human ecology, consumer science, or related units; government, nonprofit, or think tank research positions; and applied research in the public and private sectors, including market research, policy research, and consulting.
What makes this program unique?
- Small, tight-knit program with approximately 20 students total
- Four years of guaranteed funding, including tuition remission, health benefits, and a living stipend
- Potential for a four-year time to degree with the ability to develop disciplinary or field sub-specialties, certificates and minor designations
- In-depth skills and training for professional researchers, including:
- Causal inference techniques
- Analysis of major public datasets as well as administrative data
- Understanding and applying consumer and household well-being theories to solve real world problems
- Access to the extensive courses, faculty, resources and expertise of disciplinary departments and centers across the UW–Madison campus with opportunities to work with UW–Madison research centers and institutes
- Access to high quality statistics servers and unique datasets
- An emphasis on applications and applied research for strategy and policymaking in the public sector
- A focus on teaching, teaching experiences, outreach and presenting findings for the public
- An emphasis on publication and dissemination of research, including support to attend professional conferences
Get to Know the Department
Program Emphases
- Applied research in consumer and household decision making that can inform market structures and policy
- Contributing to our understanding of consumer well-being (broadly defined)
- Applying a variety of methodological and theoretical approaches to consumer issues
Faculty Research
- Consumer Decision-making processes (Wong & Zhang)
- Household Finance (Zhang)
- Food insecurity (Bartfeld, Bublitz, Fitzpatrick)
- Financial Capability (Harvey)
- Financial Well-being (Bea & Wong)
- Financial Inequality (Bea, Harvey, Pate)
- Cultural Values and Consumption Decisions (Wong)
- Health Policy (Fitzpatrick)
- Public Policy Considerations (Bartfeld, Fitzpatrick, Harvey, Pate)
Department Affiliations
The Consumer Science department is committed to fostering a fair and healthy marketplace that promotes the well-being of families and individuals across the U.S. and internationally. We have a variety of partnerships and affiliations that are meant to help us carry out this mission. Click the button below to explore partner, centers, and lab affiliations.
CBFE Faculty
Interested in learning more about the faculty in the CBFE program? Click the button below to explore CBFE faculty!
Careers we prepare you for
Tenure-track academic faculty positions, primarily in other schools of human ecology, human sciences, consumer science, or related fields.
Examples of universities where our students received employment:
- State University of New York at Buffalo
- The University of Alabama
- University of Utah
- University of Georgia
- University of Rhode Island
- University of Sussex Business School
- University of Washington St. Louis
Research administration positions in government, non-tenured academic units, nonprofit organizations, think tanks, and related entities.
Applied consumer research in the public and private sector, including market research, policy research, and consulting.
Program Resources
Prospective Student Information Sessions
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Join program faculty and current students to learn more about the Department of Consumer Science, the CBFE PhD program, and how we might further your academic and professional goals. If you have any questions or require accommodations to attend, please contact gradprog@sohe.wisc.edu.
Information Session Slides
Interested in Applying?
Impressed with what you have seen? Feeling like this program is the one for you? Then check out our admissions page to get more information on the admissions process and start an application!
Students & Alumni
Student Stories
Alison Berube Wins Saturday Poster Session Contest at APPAM
CBFE PhD student, Alison Berube, won first place in the Saturday Poster Session Contest at the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management’s (APPAM) 47th Annual Fall Research Conference in Seattle, Washington!!
Suparit Suwanik’s Paper Accepted for Publication in Journal of East Asian Studies
Huge congratulations to CBFE PhD student, Suparit Suwanik! Recently, Suparit had his paper, “Misunderstood Differences: Perception, Media, and Out-Group Animosity in Thailand”, accepted for publication in the Journal of East Asian Studies
The journey to a PhD: Four graduates of the Consumer Behavior & Family Economics program reflect on their experiences
“Earning a PhD is a long journey. You will encounter difficulties in both research and life. However, you will also meet smart & fantastic people, and you can learn so much from them. Not everyone has the opportunity to experience this, so enjoy it!”
CBFE Graduate Students
Inspired to learn more about the amazing students in the CBFE program after reading some student stories? Click the button below to explore CBFE graduate students
Alumni
Program Contacts
Graduate Program Committee Chair
Katie Fitzpatrick, PhD
Associate Professor of Consumer Science
608-262-2831