Fashion Merchandising - BS
The St. Kate's fashion merchandising major prepares students for a dynamic career and leadership role within the fashion and apparel industry. Students study merchandising strategies at the U.S. and global retail spectrum at a multichannel level, including store, digital, and catalog. In addition to taking major-related courses, students will complete a minor. Students choose a minor in consultation with the department. Minors include Business Administration, Business Analytics, Communications, Leadership, Marketing, Social Media and Marketing, and Sustainability Studies. Students will study environmental and social justice issues and sustainability in fashion and apparel throughout the program.
Students are prepared for careers in fashion retail and wholesale careers including merchandise coordinator, manufacturer's representative, product developer, business analyst, buyer, visual merchandiser, stylist, personal shopper, and retail manager. A required internship and real-world course projects provide hands-on rich experiences. Students can take advantage of the opportunity to study for a semester or year at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, London College of Fashion, Acadia Fashion Institute in Florence, or other approved off-campus study programs.
See also: Fashion Design
This major is offered in the College for Women only.
Curriculum
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Prerequisite Course | ||
| FASH 1000 | Introduction to Fashion Careers | 2 |
| Total Credits | 2 | |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| FASH 2050 | Textiles with Lab | 4 |
| FASH 2100 | Apparel Construction and Analysis | 4 |
| FASH 2150W | Sociocultural Aspects of Dress | 4 |
| FASH 3000 | History of Dress | 4 |
| FASH 3150 | Trend Forecasting and Analysis | 4 |
| FASH 4571 | Internship Practicum | 1 |
| FASH 4603 | Fashion Internship and Leadership | 3 |
| MRCH 3100 | Global Sourcing | 4 |
| MRCH 3200 | Technical Garment Analysis | 4 |
| MRCH 3300 | Omnichannel Retail | 4 |
| MRCH 3450 | Visual Merchandising | 4 |
| MRCH 4850 | Retail Buying | 4 |
| DSCI 1000 | Telling Stories with Data - Introduction to Data Visualization | 4 |
| or MRCH 4400 | Sustainable Product Development | |
| Total Credits | 48 | |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Supporting Courses (minimum grade of C- required) | ||
| APPD 2500 | Fashion Illustration and Portfolio Development | 4 |
| or ART 2250 | Art and Technology | |
| COMM 1030 | Speaking to Lead and Influence | 4 |
| Total Credits | 8 | |
Required Minor
Students must complete one of the following minors. (The requirements for each minor are listed under the department offering the minor.)
- Business Administration
- Business Analytics
- Integrated Marketing Communications and Design
- Marketing
- Sustainability Studies
Fashion merchandising majors satisfy the Writing Requirement for Majors by completing FASH 2150W Sociocultural Aspects of Dress. They complete the Liberal Arts and Sciences Core Writing Requirement with three other writing-intensive courses (CORE 1000W The Reflective Woman, CORE 3990W Global Search for Justice, and one other writing-intensive course in this or another department).
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Fall Term | ||
| APPD 2500 | Fashion Illustration and Portfolio Development | 4 |
| or ART 2250 | Art and Technology | |
| FASH 1000 | Introduction to Fashion Careers | 2 |
| Spring Term | ||
| COMM 1030 | Speaking to Lead and Influence | 4 |
| FASH 2150W | Sociocultural Aspects of Dress | 4 |
| Select one from: | 4 | |
| Statistical Analysis for Decision Making | ||
| Statistical Methods in Psychology | ||
| Statistical Analysis | ||
| Fall Term | ||
| ACCT 2110 | Financial Accounting | 4 |
| BUSI 2012 | Business Analytics | 2 |
| FASH 2050 | Textiles with Lab | 4 |
| FASH 3000 | History of Dress | 4 |
| LEAD 2202 | Leadership and Influence | 2 |
| MGMT 2402 | Principles of Management | 2 |
| Spring Term | ||
| FASH 2100 | Apparel Construction and Analysis | 4 |
| FASH 3150 | Trend Forecasting and Analysis | 4 |
| MKTG 2302 | Introduction to Marketing | 2 |
| or SALE 2332 | Introduction to Selling | |
| MRCH 4850 | Retail Buying 1 | 4 |
| Fall Term | ||
| ACCT 2130 | Managerial Accounting | 4 |
| FASH 4571 | Internship Practicum | 1 |
| MRCH 3200 | Technical Garment Analysis | 4 |
| Take the first of two electives required for the minor | 4 | |
| Spring Term | ||
| MRCH 3450 | Visual Merchandising 1 | 4 |
| Take the second of two electives required for the minor | 4 | |
| Fall Term | ||
| MRCH 3100 | Global Sourcing 1 | 4 |
| MRCH 3300 | Omnichannel Retail 1 | 4 |
| Spring Term | ||
| FASH 4603 | Fashion Internship and Leadership | 3 |
| MRCH 4400 | Sustainable Product Development 1 | 4 |
| or DSCI 1000 | Telling Stories with Data - Introduction to Data Visualization | |
| Total Credits | 86 | |
- 1
Offered every other year