Bachelor of Arts - Fashion Merchandising and Marketing (Co-op)

Bachelor of Arts - Fashion Merchandising and Marketing (Co-op) major in fashion merchandising focuses on retail buying, product development, and fashion promotion, which includes visual merchandising, public relations and fashion events, and writing and media. Graduates attain positions such as department manager, assistant manager, assistant buyer, and fashion events coordinator. Liberal Arts Core requirements sharpen communication and organization skills; ample provision for elective choices permits a variety of minors. Many students choose a minor in business administration, communication, media design, or fashion design.

The required internship in the senior year brings students valuable experience with department stores, retail shops, clothing manufacturers, and distributors.

Students in fashion merchandising participate in the Marymount Fashion Club; activities sponsored by the Fashion Group International of Greater Washington, DC, Inc.; and fashion shows on and off campus.

There is an opportunity to study product development related to prominent businesses and agencies, such as Nordstrom, L.L. Bean, and Cotton Incorporated.

Fashion merchandising students plan and produce the annual student fashion show, Portfolio in Motion.

Seniors complete a seminar in which merchandising problems are solved using the case method. The case analysis is sometimes evaluated by representatives of industry.

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, fabricating, garment styling and line development, technical design, pricing, sourcing, and retail distribution; and • conduct merchandising research and consumer and data analysis, and apply findings to merchandising problems.