Fashion Design (B.A.)
The fashion design major prepares students for positions in the fashion industry as an assistant designer and pattern/drafting/tailoring specialist, as well as 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 that engages the design process to include identifying a design problem, the exploration of multiple design solutions, the creation of spec/technical drawings, and the production of the design solution;
- design and create a line of garments that include design sketches and illustrations, technical drawings, and final garment production for presentation in a professional portfolio for entry into the industry;
- create garments that demonstrate quality workmanship, functional properties, and aesthetic merits for submission into the annual department design show; and
- demonstrate multiple communication skills (hand, digital and/or CAD) in technical spec writings and drawings, design illustrations, and professional presentations of design solutions.
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 101 | DISCOVER First-Year Seminar * | 3 |
Year One — Spring
| AA 103 | Apparel Design I | |
| FA 104 | Color Theory * | 3 |
| FA 105 | Drawing I * | 3 |
| EN 102 | Composition II * | 3 |
| MA | Mathematics (MT) core course * | 3-4 |
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 * | 3 |
| | Natural Science (NS) core course with lab * | 4 |
| | One (1) elective | 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) or Natural Science (NS) core course * | 3 |
| | One (1) elective | 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 | 3 |
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.