The Fashion Merchandising major at UGA is designed to provide students with a basic understanding of merchandising related to the apparel and textile industries. The curriculum emphasizes the skills and competencies needed for careers in fashion promotion, retailing, merchandising, and management. Course topics include but are not limited to retail planning and buying, global retailing, history of dress and fashion, apparel line development, visual merchandising, and trend analysis.
The Fashion Merchandising major offers two areas of emphasis: 1) Fashion and Brand Management and 2) Product Development and Design. The Fashion and Brand Management emphasis offers Fashion Merchandising majors the potential to specialize their degree with a core focus on concepts such as retailing principles, planning and buying, trend forecasting, and brand management. The emphasis is in line with changes in the retailing and fashion merchandising industries, which are requiring applicants with unique specializations to meet these specific challenges. The Product Development and Design emphasis specifically orients toward production and sourcing. For this emphasis students take courses in computer aided design, global sourcing, product development, and apparel manufacturing.
Career opportunities are available in retailing as a buyer, manager, fashion coordinator, or market researcher; in promotion as a display coordinator, public relations director, or advertising manager; in wholesaling as a manufacturing representative, showroom sales associate, piece goods buyer, product developer, or merchandising manager; and others.
Study Abroad Options: New York City study tour; Ghana Interdisciplinary Study Tour; London Study Abroad Program; Peru coming soon in 2021!
