Our Mission
We prepare students to be problem solvers and leaders who create and manage products, people, services, and experiences for the global marketplace.
Program Goals
- Educate students for careers in the global marketplace including buying, merchandise planning, product development, sourcing, styling, and e-commerce.
- Develop students’ critical and creative thinking skills, communication skills, technological abilities, and quantitative and qualitative research skills.
- Provide students with experiential learning opportunities through internships, field trips and study tours.
- Develop students’ ability to function as ethical team members and leaders within professional, socially responsible, and culturally diverse environments.
- Analyze sustainability and environmental impact issues as they relate to industry activities.
Program Learning Outcomes
Core Requirement
- Industry Process: Understand functions of apparel/textile industry sectors and analyze global consumer markets to develop, evaluate and sell profitable product lines.
- Appearance and Human Behavior: Understand and apply theories and concepts regarding the interrelationships among historic, cultural, and psychological factors on the role of dress and its impact on human behavior.
- Global Interdependence: Evaluate theoretical perspectives and issues within the global marketplace in relation to ever-changing trade, political, and technological landscapes of international business frameworks.
- Aesthetics and Design Process: Use aesthetics and the design process to develop products that are marketable, sustainable and culturally appropriate.
- Ethics, Social Responsibility and Sustainability: Demonstrate an understanding of the role that ethics, social responsibility, sustainability, and environmental impact plays in the global apparel and textile complex.
- Critical and Creative Thinking: Develop the ability to apply critical thinking strategies to identify problems and apply creative solutions within the global apparel and textile complex.
- Professional Development: Demonstrate communication skills, leadership and team work appropriate to the industry.
Fashion Product Development
- Industry Process: Develop knowledge of apparel construction terminology, techniques and trends for a specific target market.
- Industry Process: Evaluate quality and serviceability standards of ready to wear apparel.
- Aesthetics and the Design Process: Apply the design process and aesthetic principles in developing fashion products for a variety of people and markets.
Fashion Entrepreneurship/Retail Merchandising
- Industry Process: Develop retail financial strategies, analyzing micro- and macro-factors and applying financial terms and formulas.
- Industry Process: Analyze trends in the marketplace to transform products and services to meet consumer needs in the international retail environment.
- Global Interdependence: Analyze diverse political, legal, cultural and economic systems in the global market to evaluate retail markets and develop retail strategies.