Fashion Design and Retailing Major

College of Arts and Humanities - Department of Fashion Design and Retailing

Mission

The mission of the Fashion Design and Retailing department is to prepare students as ethical and responsible leaders in the fashion design and retailing industry.

Vision

To empower graduates to excel in a variety of careers such as design, product development, buying, retail management, and fashion promotion.

Learning Goals

The Fashion Design and Retailing Department has two majors: Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising. The first four learning goals apply to both concentrations; additional learning goals relate to each specific concentration.

   Students enrolled in the Fashion Design major will:
  • Apply the principles of design, motives of dress, business cycles, and the soft goods chain to the overall fashion industry.
  • Investigate and evaluate the interrelationship of textile products, apparel production methods, and product life cycle.
  • Research the major factors that affect the design, purchase, and trade of apparel and textiles to create a well written research project.
  • Analyze the apparel design and retailing industry in the world marketplace.
  • Identify, describe, demonstrate and evaluate apparel construction and production methods.
  • Create and develop original apparel designs from initial concept to finished garment utilizing flat pattern, draping, tailoring, and couture techniques.
  • Draw fashion illustrations and flat sketches, by hand and on computerized systems to create an illustrated collection of designs and garment specification/product development materials.
  • Develop and present orally and visually a professional quality portfolio of original design ideas and concept boards to demonstrate product knowledge and terminology used in the apparel industry.
Students enrolled in the Fashion Merchandising major will:
  • Apply the principles of design, motives of dress, business cycles, and the soft goods chain to the overall fashion industry.
  • Investigate and evaluate the interrelationship of textile products, apparel production methods, and product life cycle.
  • Research the major factors that affect the design, purchase, and trade of apparel and textiles to create a well written research project.
  • Analyze the apparel design and retailing industry in the world marketplace.
  • Identify and apply the principles of retailing to create a complete business plan including an assortment of merchandise to meet the needs of a specific target market.
  • Investigate the major strategies of the retailing industry in regards to location, sales, merchandise management, and promotion.
  • Integrate current technologies as they relate to business practices in fashion industries
  • Present information in an organized and effective manner incorporating written, oral, and visual components.
The General Education Requirement

All students must satisfy a general education requirement consisting of ten (10) courses outside of the major department. The General Education Domain III-C (Global Competency, Ethical Reasoning, and/or Human Diversity) is satisfied through the completion of either the major in Fashion Design or the major in Fashion Merchandising.

Course Prerequisites

Courses may have specified conditions for enrollment, such as prior completion of less advanced courses, permission of the instructor, or appropriate placement test scores. Students should refer to course descriptions in the department listings for prerequisite requirements.

MAJOR IN FASHION DESIGN (U_FA) 

Major Core Requirements (13 courses):

  • FSHN 110 Fashion: Designer to Consumer
  • FSHN 120 Consumer Textiles
  • FSHN 223 History of Costume or
    • FSHN 226 History of Textiles
  • FSHN 245 Research Methods for the Fashion Industry
  • FSHD 140 Principles of Apparel Construction
  • FSHD 205 Essential Methods for Fashion Design
  • FSHD 230 Advanced Apparel Construction
  • FSHD 330 Digital Tools for the Fashion Industry
  • FSHD 342 Flat Pattern Design
  • FSHD 352 Draping
  • FSHD 372 Computerized Pattern Design: Gerber
  • STAT 107 Business Statistics or
    • STAT 117 Introduction to Statistics

Required Capstone Course:

  • FSHD 487 Apparel Design Portfolio

Apparel Design Concentration (UFAA)

Concentration Requirements (5 courses):

  • FSHD 355 Fabric Structure and Design
  • FSHD 357 Fashion Illustration
  • FSHD 448 Tailoring and Couture Techniques
  • FSHD 449 Specialized Apparel Design

Choose one (1) elective from:

  • FSHN 229 Cultural Dress
  • FSHN 250 Special Topics in Fashion
  • FSHN 290 Study Tour: Fashion
  • FSHN 350 Special Topics in Fashion
  • FSHM 241 Omni-channel Fashion Retailing
  • FSHM 310 Retail Buying and Analysis I
  • FSHM 326 Fashion Merchandising: Theory and Industry Analysis
  • FSHN 354 Advanced Textiles
  • FSHM 362 World Market: Textiles to Retailing
  • FSHM 386 Apparel Product Development
  • FSHM 455 Case Studies in Fashion
  • FSHD 490 Independent Study in Fashion Design
  • FSHD 495 Internship in Fashion Design
Effective as of the 2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog