Fashion Merchandising (B.A.)
The major in fashion merchandising focuses on retail buying, product development, and fashion promotion. Graduates attain positions such as assistant retail buyers, wholesale account managers, product allocators, retail managers, visual merchandisers, fashion stylists, and fashion event coordinators. The Liberal Arts Core requirements serve as a foundation for the critical thinking needed to be successful in fashion merchandising courses and in the industry. Ample elective choices permit a variety of minors that include fashion design, business, and communication. The required senior-year internship offers students valuable and practical hands-on experience with a variety of retailers, such as department and specialty stores, manufacturers, and distributors, and helps develop a career path in fashion merchandising.
Students in fashion merchandising can join the Marymount Fashion Club to participate in various activities related to real-world experiences in the fashion industry, such assisting with fashion shows on and off campus or organizing guest lectures with fashion industry professionals.
Juniors and seniors have the opportunity to study product development and take part in the production of the annual student fashion show, Portfolio in Motion. Seniors complete a seminar in which they solve real-world merchandising problems using the case study and simulation method.
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, and fabrication, to the development of a product line that includes knowledge in technical design, pricing, sourcing, and retail distribution; and
- conduct merchandising research and consumer data analysis, and apply the results to solving merchandising problems.
Course Enrollment Policy: Applied arts courses are open only to declared majors and minors in the fashion merchandising or fashion design program.
Minimum Grade Requirements: A minimum grade of D is required in any course within the fashion merchandising major that serves as a prerequisite for a higher-numbered course.
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 Forecasting, AA 361 Survey of Fashion, 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 110 | Apparel Quality and Analysis | 3 |
| AA 111 | Fashion Apparel and Accessory Coordination | 3 |
| AA 150 | Fashion Retailing | 3 |
| AA 211 | Visual Merchandising * | 3 |
| AA 212 | Fashion Industry & Promotion | 3 |
| AA 251 | Textiles | 3 |
| AA 255 | Digital Presentation for Fashion | 3 |
| AA 307 | Product Development I | 3 |
| AA 320 | Fashion Research and Forecasting * | 3 |
| AA 330 | Omni-Channel Fashion Retailing | 3 |
| AA 361 | Survey of Fashion * | 3 |
| AA 382 | Merchandise Planning and Analysis | 3 |
| AA 400 | Internship * | 3 |
| AA 407 | Product Development II * | 3 |
| AA 413 | Fashion Event Planning | 3 |
| AA 414 | Fashion Show Production | 3 |
| AA 440 | Fashion in the Global Marketplace * | 3 |
| AA 483 | Senior Seminar in Fashion Merchandising * | 3 |
| MKT 301 | Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| FA 104 | Color Theory * | 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 150 | Fashion Retailing | 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 110 | Apparel Quality and Analysis | 3 |
| AA 111 | Fashion Apparel and Accessory Coordination | 3 |
| FA 104 | Color Theory * | 3 |
| EN 102 | Composition II * | 3 |
| TRS 100 | Theological Inquiry * | 3 |
Year Two — Fall
| AA 211 | Visual Merchandising * | 3 |
| AA 251 | Textiles | 3 |
| PH 100 | Introduction to Philosophy * | 3 |
| EN | Introductory Literature (LT-1) core course * | 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 |
| | Introductory Social Science (SS-1) core course * | 3 |
| | Natural Science (NS) core course with lab * | 4 |
| | One (1) elective | 3 |
Year Three — Fall
| AA 320 | Fashion Research and Forecasting * | 3 |
| MKT 301 | Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| | Advanced Literature (LT-2) or Advanced History (HI-2) core course * | 3 |
| | Introductory Social Science (SS-1) or Natural Science (NS) core course * | 3 |
| | One (1) elective | 3 |
Year Three — Spring
| AA 307 | Product Development I | 3 |
| AA 330 | Omni-Channel Fashion Retailing | 3 |
| AA 361 | Survey of Fashion * | 3 |
| AA 382 | Merchandise Planning and Analysis | 3 |
| PH | Advanced Philosophy (PH-2) or Philosophical Ethics (PH-E) core course * | 3 |
Year Four — Fall
| AA 407 | Product Development II * | 3 |
| AA 413 | Fashion Event Planning | 3 |
| AA 440 | Fashion in the Global Marketplace * | 3 |
| | Advanced Theology/Religious Studies (TRS-2) or Theological Ethics (TRS-E) core course * | 3 |
| | One (1) elective | 3 |
Year Four — Spring
| AA 400 | Internship * | 3 |
| AA 414 | Fashion Show Production | 3 |
| AA 483 | Senior Seminar in Fashion Merchandising * | 3 |
| | Advanced Social Science (SS-2) core course * | 3 |
| | One (1) elective | 3 |
* Fulfills Liberal Arts Core/University Requirements. See University Requirements and the Liberal Arts Core and the Course Descriptions for further information.