Fashion Design (B.A.)
The fashion design major prepares students for assistant designer and pattern/drafting/tailoring specialist positions in the fashion industry as well as positions in apparel manufacturing and product development and merchandising and buying opportunities in the garment industry.
Students in fashion design participate in an annual juried fashion show, Portfolio in Motion, featuring garments they have designed and constructed. The program culminates in a noted designer’s professional evaluation of the student’s original designs. Opportunities to cultivate professional skills are developed through participation in the Marymount Fashion Club and the Pattern Makers Club; affiliations with the Fashion Group International of Greater Washington, DC, Inc.; and internships.
Upon successful completion of the fashion design program, students will be able to
- conduct design research with an in-depth understanding of various customer profiles and global and domestic fashion markets to critically analyze a design problem and explore various design solutions in the creation of a fashion line that meets the needs of the specified target market;
- critically assess and research a design problem to appropriately source fabrics and notions for a fashion line based on specific criteria;
- demonstrate skills in drawing the fashion figure, rendering fabrications, and applying color in a professional manner for presentation in a professional portfolio upon entry into the industry;
- demonstrate digital communication skills (digital/CAD software) in the presentation of detailed technical flats and tech packs for a professional presentation to factories for successful product manufacturing on- and/or offshore; and
- create a cohesive line of garments that demonstrate quality construction and workmanship, functional properties, and aesthetic merits that the fashion industry would submit to seasonal runway shows.
Course Enrollment Policy: Applied arts courses are open only to declared majors and minors in the fashion design or fashion merchandising program.
Minimum Grade Requirements: A minimum grade of C is required in any course within the fashion design major that serves as a prerequisite for a higher-numbered course.
Degree Requirements — Fashion Design
This degree requires a total of 120 credits.
Liberal Arts Core and University Requirements
See University Requirements and the Liberal Arts Core for details. Fashion design majors will satisfy the three-course university Writing Intensive (WI) requirement in the following way: AA 361 Survey of Fashion, AA 485 Senior Design Research and Development, and one additional WI course from the Liberal Arts Core or university electives.
Major Requirements
To fulfill the requirements of the major, all students in this program will take the following coursework in a sequence determined in collaboration with a faculty advisor. Some courses also satisfy Liberal Arts Core and/or University Requirements.
| AA 102 | Sample Room Techniques | 3 |
| AA 103 | Apparel Design I | |
| AA 204 | Methods in Fashion Construction | 3 |
| AA 212 | Fashion Industry & Promotion | 3 |
| AA 251 | Textiles | 3 |
| AA 255 | Digital Presentation for Fashion | 3 |
| AA 265 | Fashion Illustration I * | 3 |
| AA 275 | Fashion Illustration II | 3 |
| AA 305 | Draping | 3 |
| AA 306 | Apparel Design II * | 3 |
| AA 307 | Product Development I | 3 |
| AA 361 | Survey of Fashion * | 3 |
| AA 400 | Internship * | 3 |
| AA 407 | Product Development II * | 3 |
| AA 408 | Advanced Problems in Fashion Design I | 3 |
| AA 409 | Advanced Problems in Fashion Design II | 3 |
| AA 485 | Senior Design Research and Development * | 3 |
| AA 495 | Senior Fashion Design Portfolio | 3 |
| FA 103 | Two-Dimensional Design | 3 |
| FA 104 | Color Theory * | 3 |
| FA 105 | Drawing I * | 3 |
Sample Degree Plan — Fashion Design
Please note that this is a sample plan; all students must consult with an advisor in making course selections.
Year One — Fall
| AA 102 | Sample Room Techniques | 3 |
| FA 103 | Two-Dimensional Design | 3 |
| EN 101 | Composition I * | 3 |
| HI | Introductory History (HI-1) core course * | 3 |
| DSC 201 | New Student Seminar * | 1 |
| | One (1) elective | 3 |
Year One — Spring
Year Two — Fall
| AA 204 | Methods in Fashion Construction | 3 |
| AA 251 | Textiles | 3 |
| AA 265 | Fashion Illustration I * | 3 |
| TRS 100 | Theological Inquiry * | 3 |
| | Introductory Social Science (SS-1) core course * | 3 |
Year Two — Spring
| AA 212 | Fashion Industry & Promotion | 3 |
| AA 255 | Digital Presentation for Fashion | 3 |
| AA 275 | Fashion Illustration II | 3 |
| PH 100 | Introduction to Philosophy * | 3 |
| EN | Introductory Literature (LT-1) core course * | 3 |
Year Three — Fall
| AA 305 | Draping | 3 |
| | Advanced Literature (LT-2) or Advanced History (HI-2) core course * | 3 |
| | Introductory Social Science (SS-1) core course in a second discipline * | |
| | Natural Science (NS) core course with lab * | 4 |
| | One (1) elective - GP course required if not already completed * | 3 |
Year Three — Spring
| AA 306 | Apparel Design II * | 3 |
| AA 307 | Product Development I | 3 |
| AA 361 | Survey of Fashion * | 3 |
| | Introductory Social Science (SS-1) in a third discipline or Second Natural Science (NS) core course * | 3 |
| | One (1) elective - 2nd DSINQ course required if not already completed * | 3 |
Year Four — Fall
| AA 407 | Product Development II * | 3 |
| AA 408 | Advanced Problems in Fashion Design I | 3 |
| AA 485 | Senior Design Research and Development * | 3 |
| | Advanced Social Science (SS-2) core course * | 3 |
| | One (1) elective - 3rd WI course if not already completed * | |
Year Four — Spring
| AA 400 | Internship * | 3 |
| AA 409 | Advanced Problems in Fashion Design II | 3 |
| AA 495 | Senior Fashion Design Portfolio | 3 |
| PH | Advanced Philosophy (PH-2) or Philosophical Ethics (PH-E) core course * | 3 |
| | Advanced Theology/Religious Studies (TRS-2) or Theological Ethics (TRS-E) core course * | 3 |
* Fulfills Liberal Arts Core/University Requirements. See University Requirements and the Liberal Arts Core and the Course Descriptions for further information.