Fashion Merchandising (B.A.)
The major in fashion merchandising focuses on retail buying, product development, and fashion promotion, which includes visual merchandising, public relations and fashion events, and writing and media. Graduates attain positions such as department manager, assistant manager, assistant buyer, and fashion events coordinator. Liberal Arts Core requirements sharpen communication and organization skills; ample provision for elective choices permits a variety of minors. Many students choose a minor in business administration, communication, media design, or fashion design.
The required internship in the senior year brings students valuable experience with department stores, retail shops, clothing manufacturers, and distributors.
Students in fashion merchandising participate in the Marymount Fashion Club; activities sponsored by the Fashion Group International of Greater Washington, DC, Inc.; and fashion shows on and off campus.
There is an opportunity to study product development related to prominent businesses and agencies, such as Nordstrom, L.L. Bean, and Cotton Incorporated.
Fashion merchandising students plan and produce the annual student fashion show, Portfolio in Motion.
Seniors complete a seminar in which merchandising problems are solved using the case method. The case analysis is sometimes evaluated by representatives of industry.
Upon successful completion of the fashion merchandising program, students will be able to
- identify and foster salable apparel based on quality, appropriateness, price, target market, and aesthetic appearance, for the purpose of retail buying;
- promote apparel effectively through visual merchandising, writing and media, public relations, and fashion events;
- apply the process of product development, including consumer and trend research, forecasting, fabricating, garment styling and line development, technical design, pricing, sourcing, and retail distribution; and
- conduct merchandising research and consumer and data analysis, and apply findings to merchandising problems.
Course Enrollment Policy: Applied arts courses are open only to declared majors and minors in the fashion merchandising or fashion design program.
Degree Requirements — Fashion Merchandising
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 merchandising majors will satisfy the three-course university Writing-Intensive (WI) requirement in the following way: AA 320 Fashion Research and Communication and two (2) additional WI courses 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 151 | Textiles | 3 |
| AA 250 | Sample Room Techniques I | 3 |
| AA 273 | Visual Merchandising * | 3 |
| AA 274 | The Fashion Industry and Promotion | 3 |
| AA 281 | Fashion Retailing | 3 |
| AA 307 | Product Development I | 3 |
| AA 320 | Fashion Research and Communication * | 3 |
| AA 361 | Survey of Fashion | 3 |
| AA 381 | Buying Fashion Apparel | 3 |
| AA 382 | Merchandise Planning and Analysis | 3 |
| AA 395 | Digital Presentation for Fashion | 3 |
| AA 400 | Internship * | 3 |
| AA 405 | Fashion in the Global Marketplace * | 3 |
| AA 407 | Product Development II * | 3 |
| AA 414 | Fashion Show Production | 3 |
| AA 422 | Senior Seminar in Fashion Merchandising * | 3 |
| MKT 301 | Principles of Marketing | 3 |
Sample Degree Plan — Fashion Merchandising
Please note that this is a sample plan; all students must consult with an advisor in making course selections.
Year One — Fall
| AA 151 | Textiles | 3 |
| EN 101 | Composition I * | 3 |
| HI | Introductory History (HI-1) core course * | 3 |
| MA | Mathematics (MT) core course * | 3-4 |
| DSC 101 | DISCOVER First-Year Seminar * | 3 |
Year One — Spring
| AA 274 | The Fashion Industry and Promotion | 3 |
| EN 102 | Composition II * | 3 |
| PH 100 | Introduction to Philosophy * | 3 |
| | Natural Science (NS) core course with lab * | |
| | One (1) elective | 3 |
Year Two — Fall
| AA 250 | Sample Room Techniques I | 3 |
| AA 273 | Visual Merchandising * | 3 |
| AA 281 | Fashion Retailing | 3 |
| EN | Introductory Literature (LT-1) core course * | 3 |
| TRS 100 | Theological Inquiry * | 3 |
Year Two — Spring
| AA 307 | Product Development I | 3 |
| AA 361 | Survey of Fashion | 3 |
| MKT 301 | Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| | Fine Arts (FNA), Advanced Literature (LT-2) or Advanced History (HI-2) core course * | 3 |
| | Introductory Social Science (SS-1) core course * | 3 |
Year Three — Fall
| AA 320 | Fashion Research and Communication * | 3 |
| AA 381 | Buying Fashion Apparel | 3 |
| | Introductory Social Science (SS-1) core course * | 3 |
| | Introductory Social Science (SS-1) or Natural Science (NS) core course * | |
| | Advanced Theology/Religious Studies (TRS-2) or Theological Ethics (TRS-E) core course * | 3 |
Year Three — Spring
| AA 382 | Merchandise Planning and Analysis | 3 |
| AA 395 | Digital Presentation for Fashion | 3 |
| AA 405 | Fashion in the Global Marketplace * | 3 |
| AA 414 | Fashion Show Production | 3 |
| PH | Advanced Philosophy (PH-2) or Philosophical Ethics (PH-E) core course * | 3 |
Year Four — Fall
| AA 407 | Product Development II * | 3 |
| | Fine Arts (FNA), Advanced Literature (LT-2) or Advanced History (HI-2) core course * | 3 |
| | Advanced Social Science (SS-2) core course * | |
| | Two (2) electives | |
Year Four — Spring
| AA 400 | Internship * | 3 |
| AA 422 | Senior Seminar in Fashion Merchandising * | 3 |
| | Three (3) electives | |
* Fulfills Liberal Arts Core/University Requirements. See University Requirements and the Liberal Arts Core and the Course Descriptions for further information.