Fashion Design (B.A.)
The fashion design major prepares students for positions in the fashion industry related to the role of an assistant designer.
Students in fashion design participate in an annual juried fashion show, Portfolio in Motion, featuring garments they have designed and constructed. Opportunities to cultivate professional skills are developed through participation in the Marymount Fashion Club and the Patternmakers Club ; affiliations with the Fashion Group International of Greater Washington, DC, Inc.; and internships.
Students are prepared to work for apparel manufacturers or in departments of product development. Seniors produce an original line of fashions and a portfolio, and complete an internship with a cooperating employer. The program culminates in a noted designer’s professional evaluation of the student’s original designs.
Upon successful completion of the fashion design program, students will be able to
- create garments of appropriate quality, function, and aesthetics;
- design an aesthetically pleasing and functional line of apparel that is appropriate for a target market and visually expressed in a portfolio for entry into the industry;
- make technical drawings of apparel (flats and specs), fashion illustrations, and fashion presentations; and
- demonstrate competency in design research and its application to design problems.
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 320 Fashion Research and Communication (a major elective) and two other WI courses in 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 260 | Sample Room Techniques II | 3 |
| AA 265 | Fashion Illustration I * | 3 |
| AA 272 | Textile Design I | 3 |
| AA 274 | The Fashion Industry and Promotion | 3 |
| AA 307 | Product Development I | 3 |
| AA 350 | Apparel Design I | 3 |
| AA 361 | Survey of Fashion | 3 |
| AA 365 | Fashion Illustration II | 3 |
| AA 385 | Apparel Design II * | 3 |
| AA 395 | Digital Presentation for Fashion | 3 |
| AA 400 | Internship * | 3 |
| AA 407 | Product Development II * | 3 |
| AA 415 | Apparel Design III | 3 |
| AA 418 | Advanced Problems in Fashion Design I | 3 |
| AA 420 | Advanced Problems in Fashion Design II | 3 |
| AA 423 | 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
Year One — Spring
| AA 260 | Sample Room Techniques II | 3 |
| AA 274 | The Fashion Industry and Promotion | 3 |
| FA 103 | Two-Dimensional Design * | 3 |
| EN 102 | Composition II * | 3 |
| MA | Mathematics (MT) core course * | 3-4 |
Year Two — Fall
| AA 265 | Fashion Illustration I * | 3 |
| AA 350 | Apparel Design I | 3 |
| FA 104 | Color Theory * | 3 |
| | Introductory Social Science (SS-1) core course * | 3 |
| TRS 100 | Theological Inquiry * | 3 |
Year Two — Spring
| AA 307 | Product Development I | 3 |
| AA 361 | Survey of Fashion | 3 |
| PH 100 | Introduction to Philosophy * | 3 |
| HI | Introductory History (HI-1) core course * | 3 |
| | Introductory Social Science (SS-1) core course * | 3 |
Year Three — Fall
| AA 272 | Textile Design I | 3 |
| AA 385 | Apparel Design II * | 3 |
| EN | Introductory Literature (LT-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 365 | Fashion Illustration II | 3 |
| AA 395 | Digital Presentation for Fashion | 3 |
| AA 415 | Apparel Design III | 3 |
| | Advanced Literature (LT-2) or Advanced History (HI-2) core course * | 3 |
| | Advanced Social Science (SS-2) core course * | |
Year Four — Fall
| AA 407 | Product Development II * | 3 |
| AA 418 | Advanced Problems in Fashion Design I | 3 |
| PH | Advanced Philosophy (PH-2) or Philosophical Ethics (PH-E) core course * | 3 |
| | Natural Science (NS) core course with lab * | |
| | One (1) elective | 3 |
Year Four — Spring
| AA 400 | Internship * | 3 |
| AA 420 | Advanced Problems in Fashion Design II | 3 |
| AA 423 | Senior Fashion Design Portfolio | 3 |
| | Two (2) electives | |
* Fulfills Liberal Arts Core/University Requirements. See University Requirements and the Liberal Arts Core and the Course Descriptions for further information.