Program Description
Advancements in technology and globalization of the marketplace make the fashion industry an ever-changing, exciting place to work. This trillion-dollar industry needs bright, talented executives to guide the rapid pace of today’s merchandising revolution. Skilled executives are required to deal with an increasingly complex variety of products and sourcing strategies and product development tasks, such as planning product lines months before they will appear in the stores. Once developed, new products must be sourced globally and then delivered to the consumer within a very short period.
The Fashion Merchandising and Management curriculum combines the fundamentals of business, including accounting, economics, marketing, finance and management, with textile and fashion courses taught by industry savvy professionals. Students learn the process of product development, Omni channel engagement, sourcing and supply chain strategy from fiber development to final product, and become familiar with the use of technology application as well as analytics. Additional topics in product lifecycle management, design concepts and merchandising are explored. Students are also involved in the process of selection, procurement and distribution of products in a retail setting where they learn the significance of product execution through visual presentation.
Learning Goals/Outcomes
In addition to the goals and outcomes outlined by the School of Business Administration, graduates from the fashion merchandising and management program will be able to:
- Identify the interrelationship between the supply and value chain
- Explain retail strategies and company structure in global environments
Curriculum: 4 years, 122-123 credits
| First Year | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| FYS 100 | Pathways Seminar | 1 |
| WRIT 101 | Writing Sem I: Written Comm. | 3 |
| WRIT 201 | Writing Seminar II:Multi Comm | 3 |
| AVIS 101 | American Visions | 3 |
| MATH 1XX | Mathematics Placeholder | 3 |
| DECF 102 | Finding & Shaping Opportunity | 3 |
| ECON 205 | Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ACCT 101 | Financial Accounting | 3 |
| ACCT 102 | Managerial Accounting | 3 |
| MKTG 102 | Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| FASM 101 | Global Fashion Insight | 3 |
| AVIS 101 | American Visions | 3 |
| Credits | 34 | |
| Second Year | ||
| ETHIC 2XX | Ethics | 3 |
| GDIV 1xx | Global Diversity | 3 |
| DECS 2XX | Science (Select one DECSYS) | 3-4 |
| Specialization Course | 3 | |
| ABA 201 | Intro to Business Analytics | 3 |
| ECON 202 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| MGMT 301 | Principles of Management | 3 |
| ABA 202 | Statistical Data Analytics | 3 |
| MKTG 217 | Retailing Strategy & Structure | 3 |
| TEXT 101 | Survey of Textile Industry | 3 |
| Credits | 30-31 | |
| Third Year | ||
| ADIV 2XX | American Diversity | 3 |
| GCIT 2XX | Global Citizenship | 3 |
| CGIS 300 | Contemporary Global Issues | 3 |
| DECM 300 | Research Methods | 3 |
| BLAW 301 | Business Law | 3 |
| FIN 301 | Financial Management | 3 |
| ABA 301 | Data Mining & Predic Analytics | 3 |
| DSGF 423 | Design Concepts | 3 |
| CAD 201 | Intro to Digital Imaging | 3 |
| Specialization Course | 3 | |
| Credits | 30 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| PHIL 499 | Philosophies of the Good Life | 3 |
| MGMT 498N | Bus Capstone: Strategy Sim | 3 |
| MGMT 499N | Business Capstone: CSR | 3 |
| ABA 401 | Operations and Data Analytics | 3 |
| TEXT 411 | Textile Industry Issues | 1 |
| Specialization Course | 3 | |
| General Electives / Internship | 12 | |
| Credits | 28 | |
| Total Credits | 122-123 | |
Specializations
Students select one based on Career Pathway
(a) Buying & Merchandising
Merchandise Buying/Operations
Product Development & Innovation -Visual
Merchandising
(b) Global Brand Strategy
Contemporary Brand Mgt.
Apparel Merchandising Mgt.
Business Licensing
(c) Fashion Product Development
Prototyping
Integrated Technology
Value Chain Innovation