The Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design degree program offers creative opportunities to transform design ideas into garments and accessories. Students are introduced to fundamental skills of garment construction, flat pattern drafting, and draping to provide a solid grounding in the basics of apparel engineering. Design courses are designed to emphasize the principles of good design, textile design and development, and the drawing and illustration techniques essential for design communication. Students have the opportunity to learn to take an idea from the planning stage through the construction process to the finished garment.

Students can hone their creative problem-solving skills through a variety of design challenges utilizing computer-aided design. The combination of professional skills, technical knowledge, and creative problem-solving skills helps students prepare to seek entry-level opportunities into the industry as an assistant in the design or production departments in the fashion industry.

The objective of the Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design degree program is to help students attain a fundamental grounding in fashion design, including an introduction to the theory and practice of tailoring, draping, pattern drafting, construction and sewing, fashion illustration and creative design. These skills are enhanced through computerized pattern making and design hardware and software systems. Advanced courses provide students with the opportunity to focus upon surface design and select a professional direction in women?s, men?s, children?s, or accessory design.

Objectives: Upon completion of this program, graduates will be able to:
? Demonstrate the ability to analyze and apply appropriate patternmaking techniques and construction methodology utilizing industry standard technology.
? Translate a design from two dimensions to three dimensions and apply the design elements to ensure the aesthetic of the design is appropriate for the target market.
? Articulate and evaluate a garment for quality, including fit and functionality as they relate to design aesthetics.
? Apply textile knowledge to appropriate end use and define current regulations and laws, ethical business practices, and global diversity influences that apply to the textile and apparel industry.
? Demonstrate competency in industry standard software and the ability to apply these standards to the manufacturing processes.
? Identify resources including library, internet, trade journals, and trend reports to research and develop a clothing line.

The Fashion Marketing 12-quarter bachelor?s degree program prepares graduates to seek entry-level career opportunities in retail, marketing, and merchandising apparel and related products. The program is designed to emphasize innovation and creativity with professional skills and technical knowledge necessary to seek entry-level opportunities into the apparel, retail, and marketing industry.

Fashion Marketing students have an opportunity to acquire in-depth knowledge of the apparel industry and fashion cycles. Course work in fashion history and design, manufacturing, and sales is designed to provide a foundation in the evolution of the apparel industry. Students can explore consumer behavior and its role in driving fashion trends and purchasing patterns. Additionally, students can advance their skills in visual display design, catalog design, marketing, and advertising as well as business development and management.

Students graduate from the Fashion Marketing program with the training and portfolio required to seek entry-level positions in retail management, marketing and promotions, retail buying, product development, fashion event coordination, manufacturing, visual merchandising, and distribution outlets within the fashion industry.

Objectives: Upon completion of this program, graduates will be able to:
? Demonstrate the ability to gather and produce materials that deliver a meaningful message which is supported by analysis, data and visual elements to capture the purpose of the content being presented.
? Apply industry knowledge and critical thinking skills to describe and develop key elements of effective fashion marketing problems and solutions using the language and concepts of the profession.
? Demonstrate the ability to effectively use aesthetic and visual concepts within the fashion industry to effectively deliver visual marketing communication strategy and business plan.
? Articulate and apply the professional standards of the industry through a demonstration of their ability to relate fashion and marketing techniques along with visual communication skills to client-driven projects.

The Fashion Retailing Diploma program teaches students how to use their combined creative and business skills to display, market, and sell fashion merchandise. The well-trained student will be able to effectively understand and meet the customer?s needs, and ultimately encourage sales. This is accomplished by having a keen awareness to the changing needs of the consumer, learning how to identify and predict new style trends, and by being able to conceptualize and promote fashion displays and sales campaigns.

Individuals in fashion retailing will have the opportunity to learn how to evaluate apparel construction, identify appropriate characteristics and uses of different textiles. They will also gain knowledge of consumer behavior, retail operations, visual merchandising, the larger marketplace, and business skills.

The general objectives for the program are:
? Define retailing, to include ?bricks-and-mortar?, ?clicks-and-mortar?, direct marketers with clicks-and-mortar retailing operations, and bricks-and-mortar retailers, relate them to the marketing concept with an emphasis on the total retail experience.
? Discuss why customer and channel relationships must be nurtured in today?s highly competitive marketplace.
? Explain the steps in strategic planning for retailers, to include: situation analysis, objectives, and indentification of consumers, overall strategy, specific activities, control and feedback.