Program Overview

Major in Apparel and Merchandising, Apparel Design and Production Concentration

The Apparel Design and Production concentration focuses on the development of knowledge and skills necessary to engage in the design and creation of textile and apparel goods for an identified target market. This includes coursework in aesthetics and design, fashion/trend forecasting, fashion illustration, pattern development, material selection (e.g., fibers, fabrics, dyes/finishes), apparel construction techniques, computer-aided design (CAD), historic dress and textiles, and social-psychological aspects of dress.

Admission Criteria

Students applying to the Apparel Design and Production concentration are accepted first into the Apparel and Merchandising major. Full acceptance into the Apparel Design and Production concentration requires passing the portfolio review held in the spring semester and a minimum 2.5 GPA. Industry professionals in the field of apparel design and manufacturing evaluate student portfolios. Students who receive high scores on the portfolio evaluation and demonstrate skills needed to be successful in the program are accepted into the Apparel Design and Production concentration, and they become eligible to enroll in apparel design and production courses.

Program Requirements

The program requires a total of 120 credits, distributed across eight semesters. The curriculum includes:

• Freshman Year:
  • AM 101: Fashion Industries (3 credits)
  • AM 110: Apparel and Merchandising Digital Technology (3 credits)
  • AM 130: Awareness and Appreciation of Design (3 credits)
  • AM 143: Introduction to Apparel Design (4 credits)
  • CHEM 103: Chemistry in Context (3 credits)
  • CHEM 104: Chemistry in Context Laboratory (1 credit)
  • CO 150: College Composition (3 credits)
  • DM 192A: First Year Seminar: Apparel and Merchandising (1 credit)
  • MATH 117: College Algebra in Context I (1 credit)
  • MATH 118: College Algebra in Context II (1 credit)
  • MATH 124: Logarithmic and Exponential Functions (1 credit)
  • Select one course from the following: PSY 100, SOC 100 (3 credits)
  • Elective (1 credit)
• Sophomore Year:
  • AM 220: Textiles (3 credits)
  • AM 241: Patternmaking I - Flat Pattern (3 credits)
  • AM 244: Fashion Illustration (3 credits)
  • AM 250: Dress and Human Behavior (3 credits)
  • AM 270: Merchandising Processes (3 credits)
  • AM 275: Product Development I (3 credits)
  • AM 340: Patternmaking II - Draping (3 credits)
  • DM 272: Consumers in the Marketplace (3 credits)
  • SPCM 200: Public Speaking (3 credits)
  • Biological and Physical Sciences (3 credits)
• Junior Year:
  • AM 321: Advanced Textiles (3 credits)
  • AM 341: Patternmaking III - Computer-Aided Design (3 credits)
  • AM 342: Computer-Aided Textile Design (3 credits)
  • AM 346: Apparel Collection Design I (3 credits)
  • AM 363: Global Fashion History Perspectives (3 credits)
  • AM 421: Textiles Product Quality Assessment (3 credits)
  • DM 492: Professional Practice (2 credits)
  • Select one course from the following: PHIL 110, STAT 201 (3 credits)
  • Advanced Writing (3 credits)
  • Arts and Humanities (3 credits)
  • Historical Perspectives (3 credits)
• Senior Year:
  • AM 446: Apparel Collection Design II (3 credits)
  • AM 460: Historic Textiles (3 credits)
  • DM 477: Apparel Industry Applications (3 credits)
  • DM 487B: Internship: Apparel Design and Production (9 credits)
  • Upper-Division AM or DM Electives (6 credits)
  • Electives (3 credits)

Internship Alternative Courses

The following courses can be taken as alternatives to the internship:

• AM 330: Global Sourcing of Textiles and Apparel (3 credits)
• AM 335: Textiles and Apparel Supply Chains (3 credits)
• AM 364: History of Fashion Designers/Manufacturers (3 credits)
• AM 366: Merchandising Promotion (3 credits)
• AM 371: Merchandise Planning and Control (4 credits)
• AM 373: Apparel Design and Retail Entrepreneurship (3 credits)
• AM 430: International Retailing (3 credits)
• AM 450: Social-Psychological Aspects of Clothing (3 credits)
• AM 466: Retail Environment Design and Planning (3 credits)
• ART 350: Fibers II (4 credits)
• ART 351: Fibers III (4 credits)
• ART 450: Fibers IV (4 credits)
• ART 451: Fibers V (4 credits)
• DM 360/MKT 360: Retailing (3 credits)
• DM 400: U.S. Travel-New York City (3 credits)
• DM 470A: International Design and Merchandising: Apparel (2 credits)
• DM 470B: International Design and Merchandising: Interior Design (2 credits)
• DM 474: Fashion Show Production and Event Planning (3 credits)
• DM 482: Travel Abroad (1 credit)
• JTC 301: Corporate and Professional Communication (3 credits)
• JTC 310: Copy Editing (3 credits)
• JTC 311: History of Media (3 credits)
• JTC 316: Multiculturalism and the Media (3 credits)
• JTC 320A: Reporting: General News (3 credits)
• JTC 320B: Reporting: Sports (3 credits)
• JTC 320C: Reporting: Business (3 credits)
• JTC 320D: Reporting: Government and Political (3 credits)
• JTC 320H: Reporting: Special Topics (3 credits)
• JTC 326: Online Storytelling and Audience Engagement (3 credits)
• JTC 340: Video Editing (3 credits)
• JTC 342: Writing for Visual Media (3 credits)
• JTC 350: Public Relations and Advertising (3 credits)
• JTC 361: Writing for Specialized Magazines (3 credits)
• JTC 372: Web Design and Development (3 credits)
• JTC 411: Media Ethics and Issues (3 credits)
• JTC 412: International Mass Communication (3 credits)
• JTC 413: New Media Trends and Society (3 credits)
• JTC 414: Media Effects (3 credits)
• JTC 415: Communications Law (3 credits)
• JTC 471: Research for Public Communicators (3 credits)
• MGT 320: Contemporary Management Principles/Practices (3 credits)
• MGT 330: Creativity, Innovation, and Value Creation (3 credits)
• MGT 340: Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship (3 credits)
• MGT 410: Leadership and Organizational Behavior (3 credits)
• MGT 420: New Venture Creation (3 credits)
• MGT 440: New Venture Management (3 credits)
• MGT 470: Managerial Decisions-Issues and Analysis (3 credits)
• MGT 475: International Business Management (3 credits)
• MKT 366: Services Marketing (3 credits)
• SOC 301: Development of Sociological Thought (3 credits)
• SOC 302: Contemporary Sociological Theory (3 credits)
• SOC 330: Social Inequality (3 credits)
• SOC 342: Work and Leisure in Society (3 credits)
• SOC 362: Social Change (3 credits)
• SOC 460: Environmental and Natural Resource Sociology (3 credits)
• TH 363: Costume Design II (3 credits)

Distinctive Requirements for Degree Program

The program has a competitive selection process, which includes a portfolio review required for all students who desire to declare Apparel Design and Production (ADAZ) concentration. Upon successful passing of the Portfolio Review, students are able to take AM 143. There are no course requirements to submit a Portfolio.