Fashion Merchandising - BA, BS
The St. Kate's fashion merchandising major prepares students for a dynamic career to lead in 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 business administration minor and take relevant courses in art, communications, and data analytics. Students may choose an alternative minor in consultation with the professors. Students will study environmental and social justice issues and sustainability in fashion and apparel, valuable knowledge for any student's future career because Eco-fashion and a focus on human rights in manufacturing are essential for consumers and the fashion industry. In classes, students discuss fair trade practices, workers' rights, up-cycling, and sustainable design, and sourcing ethically. It is all about the triple bottom line-People, Planet, and Profit.
Students will be prepared for careers in wholesale and retail aspects of fashion 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, London College of Fashion, Acadia Fashion Institute in Florence, or other approved study-abroad programs.
Students may want to participate in 10- to 21-day off-campus study courses in London/Paris/Florence, Hong Kong/China, India, or other locations. On these trips, they will experience first-hand discussions with fashion designers, trend and color forecasters, costume designers for Broadway or the London Theater, fashion magazine editors, buyers, textile wholesalers, and manufacturers. Students also will attend fashion exhibitions and view collections at major museums and global sustainability.
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 | Internship | 3 |
| MRCH 3200 | Technical Garment Analysis | 4 |
| MRCH 3300 | Omnichannel Retail | 4 |
| MRCH 3450 | Visual Merchandising | 4 |
| MRCH 4200 | Global Sourcing | 4 |
| MRCH 4850 | Retail Buying | 4 |
| DSCI 1000 | Introduction to Data Visualization or MRCH 4400 Sustainable Product Development | 4 |
| 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 |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Statistical Analysis for Decision Making (recommended) | ||
| Biostatistics | ||
| Statistical Methods in Psychology | ||
| Statistical Analysis with Corequisite | ||
| Statistical Analysis | ||
| Total Credits | 12 | |
Required Business Minor1
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ACCT 2110 | Financial Accounting | 4 |
| ACCT 2130 | Managerial Accounting | 4 |
| BUSI 2012 | Business Analytics | 2 |
| LEAD 2202 | Leadership and Influence | 2 |
| MGMT 2402 | Principles of Management | 2 |
| MKTG 2302 | Introduction to Marketing | 2 |
| or SALE 2332 | Introduction to Selling | |
| Select eight credits from: 2 | 8 | |
| Business Finance | ||
| Advanced Finance | ||
| Legal Environment of Business | ||
| Business Law - Contracts | ||
| Leadership, Effective Teams and Change Management 3 | ||
or MBA 6100 | Foundations for Personal and Team Leadership | |
| Managing Within a Diverse Workforce | ||
| Integrated Marketing Communications | ||
| Interactive Marketing: Social Networks, Multi-Media and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) | ||
| Buyer Behavior and Market Research | ||
| Strategic Marketing 3 | ||
or MBA 6400 | Marketing Management | |
| Introduction to Selling | ||
| Professional Sales: Customer Centered Selling | ||
| Total Credits | 24 | |
| 1 | May be replaced with another minor with departmental approval. |
| 2 | Students are advised to check the prerequisites for these courses prior to making their selections |
| 3 | MBA courses are only available to students admitted to the MBA articulation program. See the MBA section of the Graduate Catalog for details. |
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 or CORE 2000W The Reflective Woman, CORE 3990W Global Search for Justice, and one other writing-intensive course in this or another department).
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 | Internship | 3 |
| MRCH 3200 | Technical Garment Analysis | 4 |
| MRCH 3300 | Omnichannel Retail | 4 |
| MRCH 3450 | Visual Merchandising | 4 |
| MRCH 4200 | Global Sourcing | 4 |
| MRCH 4850 | Retail Buying | 4 |
| DSCI 1000 | Introduction to Data Visualization or MRCH 4400 Sustainable Product Development | 4 |
| 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 |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Statistical Analysis for Decision Making (recommended) | ||
| Biostatistics | ||
| Statistical Methods in Psychology | ||
| Statistical Analysis with Corequisite | ||
| Statistical Analysis | ||
| Total Credits | 12 | |
Required Business Minor1
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ACCT 2110 | Financial Accounting | 4 |
| ACCT 2130 | Managerial Accounting | 4 |
| BUSI 2012 | Business Analytics | 2 |
| LEAD 2202 | Leadership and Influence | 2 |
| MGMT 2402 | Principles of Management | 2 |
| MKTG 2302 | Introduction to Marketing | 2 |
| or SALE 2332 | Introduction to Selling | |
| Select eight credits from: 2 | 8 | |
| Business Finance | ||
| Advanced Finance | ||
BUSI 3642 | The Legal Environment of Business | |
| Business Law - Contracts | ||
| Leadership, Effective Teams, and Change Management 3 | ||
or MBA 6100 | Foundations for Personal and Team Leadership | |
| Managing Within a Diverse Workforce | ||
MKTG 3250W | Integrated Marketing Communications | |
| Interactive Marketing: Social Networks, Multi-Media and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) | ||
| Buyer Behavior and Market Research | ||
| Strategic Marketing 3 | ||
or MBA 6400 | Marketing Management | |
| Introduction to Selling | ||
| Professional Sales: Customer Centered Selling | ||
| Total Credits | 24 | |
| 1 | May be replaced with another minor with departmental approval. |
| 2 | Students are advised to check the prerequisites for these courses prior to making their selections |
| 3 | MBA courses are only available to students admitted to the program that allows seniors to take MBA courses. See the MBA section of the Graduate Catalog for details. |
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 or CORE 2000W The Reflective Woman, CORE 3990W Global Search for Justice, and one other writing-intensive course in this or another department).