Bachelor of Science in Fashion Management
The Juren Sullivan Center for Fashion Management program offers one degree with two concentration options for students who wish to pursue a career in the fashion industry. The degree plan includes a Bachelor of Science in Fashion Management with either a concentration in Apparel Production and Design or a concentration in Merchandising. These options help prepare students for a career in the fashion industry. Student work is showcased in a variety of venues such as gallery presentations.
For all degree plans, it is university policy that students must pass all required coursework with a minimum final grade of C. Students who earn lower than a final grade of C must retake the course and pass with a grade of C or higher. The Fashion Program has an additional stipulation: Students may attempt each FMGT or FADS course twice in order to comply with university policy. If it is necessary for the student to repeat a course for the third time, the student must obtain permission in order to enroll. If on the third attempt, the student does not pass the course with a grade of C or higher, the student must change their major outside of the Fashion Program.
Apparel Production and Design
The Apparel Production and Design concentration is for the student who wishes to pursue a career in the design and manufacturing side of the fashion industry within the Business to Business (B2B) sector. A fashion designer may work for fashion corporations who feature a specific brand or as an independent designer. Apparel production positions for a manufacturer include specializations such as sourcing for raw materials, developing technical specification packages, and mass-market line development. Product development teams are responsible for forecasting, product design, technical design, materials management, and distribution management. Students must develop a global perspective of emerging economies through the understanding of trade agreements, global employment practices, and sustainability of resources. APD students complete 61 fashion core hours followed by 21 specialized hours tailored to meet personal career goals. A career track of courses are available for those students that prefer an emphasis on design. Likewise, for students that favor product development, a separate career track of courses is available. The capstone course work for the APD degree program is a project to showcase a student’s design and production work. APD students take capstone coursework with Merchandising students to integrate responsibilities from the retail and manufacturing sectors for the sale of product from concept to the consumer.
Apparel Production and Design students will undergo a skills assessment within the four-year time frame. The skills assessment test will be administered while the student is enrolled in FADS 2331: Flat Pattern. The purpose of the skills assessment is to determine if the student has mastered fundamental concepts of garment design and construction. However, in order to enroll in the next sequence of design/construction coursework, students must also pass FADS 2331 with a grade of C or higher. Students who do not pass the skills assessment tests and/or do not pass the adjacent enrolled courses, may repeat the tests and/or coursework the following year. Progress toward graduation may be delayed.
Transfer students who have completed fashion design and construction courses at other institutions are required to submit a valid transcript along with a portfolio of work to be reviewed by the UIW fashion faculty to determine course work equivalencies. The transfer student may also be required to take a skills assessment test.
Merchandising
Students who choose the Merchandising concentration develop skill sets that emphasize brand management and sales analyses. Both brand management techniques and sales management include visual merchandising, promotions, product buying, and operations management for either Business to Business (B2B) or Business to Consumer (B2C). Because the retail sector is the ultimate distribution site for fashion product, students learn how the retailing sector is organized by fashion market levels. Each market level requires different sales techniques to reach the final consumer. Most students begin their career in retail sales management positions. At the corporate level, sales management positions are buying offices or within distribution offices. Auxiliary career pathways for fashion merchandising are in promotions or in visual merchandising. Often corporate buying positions lead to positions as account managers with leading brand manufacturers. Students also develop a global perspective of emerging economies through the understanding of trade agreements, global employment sustainability of resources.
A minor in Business Administration is included in the degree plan for the Merchandising concentration. Fashion merchandising students take capstone coursework with Apparel Production and Design students to integrate responsibilities from both the retail and manufacturing sectors for the sale of product from concept to the final consumer.
Degree Plan
Students may choose either the Apparel Production and Design concentration or the Merchandising concentration to complete the Bachelor of Science in Fashion Management degree plan. Both concentrations require a minimum of 125 credit hours to complete.
Apparel Production and Design Concentration
The Bachelor of Science in Fashion Management degree program with a concentration in Apparel Production and Design was developed for the students who wish to pursue a career in the design and manufacturing side of the fashion industry within the Business to Business (B2B) sector. A fashion designer may work for fashion corporations who feature a specific brand or as an independent designer. Apparel production positions for a manufacturer include specializations such as sourcing for raw materials, developing technical specification packages, and mass-market line development. Product development teams are responsible for forecasting, product design, technical design, materials management, and distribution management.
Students develop a global perspective of emerging economies through the understanding of trade agreements, global employment practices and sustainability of resources. Students complete 61 Fashion Management core hours followed by 21 specialized hours tailored to meet personal career goals. A career track of courses are available for students who prefer an emphasis on design. Likewise, for students that favor product development, a separate career track of courses is available.
Fashion Management students can choose courses in creative or technical design, giving them the opportunity to specialize in their area of choice.
Fashion Management Coursework
The Fashion Management Core requires 61 credit hours.
Apparel Production and Design Concentration Coursework
Merchandising Concentration
The Bachelor of Science in Fashion Management degree program with a concentration in Merchandising is designed for students to develop skill sets that emphasize brand management and sales analyses. Both brand management techniques and sales management include visual merchandising, promotions, product buying, and operations management for either Business to Business (B2B) or Business to Consumer (B2C). Because the retail sector is the ultimate distribution site for fashion product, students learn how the retailing sector is organized by fashion market levels. Each market level requires different sales techniques to reach the final consumer. Most students begin their career in retail sales management positions. At the corporate level, sales management positions are located within buying offices or within distribution offices. Auxiliary career pathways for fashion merchandising are in promotions or in visual merchandising. Often corporate buying positions lead to positions as account managers with leading brand manufacturers. Students also develop a global perspective of emerging economies through the understanding of trade agreements, global employment practices, and sustainability of resources.
A minor in Business Administration is included in the degree plan for the Merchandising concentration. Fashion merchandising students take capstone coursework with Apparel Production and Design students to integrate responsibilities from both the retail and manufacturing sectors for the sale of product from concept to the final consumer.
Fashion Management Coursework
The Fashion Management Core requires 61 credit hours.
Merchandising Concentration Coursework
Students will automatically earn a minor in Business Administration with the Merchandising Concentration.