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Fashion Merchandising - B.S.

COLLEGE: College of the Arts
DEPARTMENT: School of Fashion Design and Merchandising
222 Rockwell Hall
Tel: 330-672-0195
E-mail: fashionschool@kent.edu
Web: www.kent.edu/artscollege/fashion

Resources:

 
DESCRIPTION: Students in fashion merchandising acquire a thorough background in the business aspects of the industry, developing competencies in fashion theory; development and marketing of fashion goods; merchandising for apparel manufacturing; retail operations, management and buying; fashion forecasting and promotion..

Combined Baccalaureate in Fashion Merchandising/Master of Business Administration in the College of Business and Graduate School Management
Fashion merchandising majors who qualify may enroll in the combined Bachelor of Science in Fashion Merchandising/Master's of Business Administration program and complete both degrees within approximately five to five-and-one half years. Careful planning and advising are needed in order to successfully complete the programs in a timely way. Students intending to follow this plan should work closely with their faculty advisor. In the freshman year, it is recommended that the math choice should be Math 11012 or Math 12002. When the student has achieved 90 hours or more in the fashion merchandising program (beginning of the junior year) and has a GPA of 3.30 or higher, he or she should apply for conditional admission to the M.B.A program. This application must occur no later than July 1 after the junior year. The GMAT exam must be completed with an appropriately high score at the time application is made.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES:
 Fashion merchandising careers require a blend of fashion sense and business expertise.  Loving to “shop” and “style” alone won't lead to a successful career in this field.  Strategy and marketing know-how are an integral part of fashion merchandising.
In a fashion merchandising career, your goal is to make fashion relatable to the consumer.  In order to do this, fashion merchandising careers involve the following:
  • Buying products
  • Negotiating with suppliers and manufacturers
  • Conducting fashion marketing using research methodology
  • Developing new products and brand management
  • Selling and distributing brands as a vendor and wholesaler
  • Analyzing, planning, and allocating of inventory to retail outlets
  • Conducting promotional and public relations campaigns for product
  • Managing retail operations in a single and multi-store environment
Essential skills for a successful career in fashion merchandising include analytical, critical thinking, communication, and computational skills.
 
ADMISSION
REQUIREMENTS:
 Freshman Students: Applicants must have at least a 2.75 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) AND a minimum ACT composite score of 21 (or an SAT combined critical reading and math score of 980).

Transfer Students: To be considered for admission, transfer applicants need at least a 2.50 cumulative GPA based on 24 or more semester hours of college-level coursework at an accredited institution. Those students meeting this GPA requirement but with less than 24 semester hours will be evaluated as new freshmen.
GRADUATION
REQUIREMENTS:
 Minimum 2.50 GPA overall and 2.50 GPA in major required for graduation. Minimum 2.50 GPA overall required for internship. Courses with an FDM prefix must be passed with minimum C (2.00) grade. Students are deregistered from FDM classes when minimum C (2.00) grade has not been attained in the course prerequisite.
LANGUAGE
REQUIREMENT:		 Yes
STUDY ABROAD/AWAY OPPORTUNITIES: There are many Study Abroad/Away Opportunities, for more information contact the Office of Global Education.
PROGRAM FEE: $100/semester
ACCREDITATION: National Association of Schools of Art and Design
STUDENT
ORGANIZATIONS:
 Fashion Student Organization (FSO); Modista: Minority Fashion Group
GRADUATE
PROGRAMS:
 Combined Baccalaureate in Fashion Merchandising/Master of Business Administration in the College of Business and Graduate School Management