Coordinator
Dr. Taci Turel, Ph.D.
Room: 3166 Cushwa Hall
Phone: (330) 941-2020
Email: tturel@ysu.edu
Mission Statement of the Merchandising: Fashion & Interiors program
The Merchandising: Fashion and Interiors major prepares students for a broad range of careers related to the fashion and interiors industries. The program exposes students to an interdisciplinary and a global perspective to the business side of fashion apparel and home fashion industries. The students acquire a Bachelors of Applied Science degree which is designed to provide the skills and knowledge for apparel and home goods industries, these skills include; merchandising, retailing, distribution, computer applications in textiles and apparel, product development and appraisal skills. Students choose to do more of fashion or more of interior courses depending on their career aspirations. The program exposes students to rigorous course work in fashion and interiors courses. Students also complete courses in marketing, management, human ecology, and other support courses. The program serves undergraduates who aspire to be professionals in the fashion apparel industry and interior industry. Graduates find employment mostly in retailing of apparel, furnishings, accessories and personal care products.
What is Merchandising?
Merchandising is a specialized management function within the fashion, textiles and home interiors industries. Merchandisers are responsible for selection of materials, collaborating with the production team and meeting market requirements. The job demands knowledge of fashion trends, textures, materials and colors on one hand and understanding of market demand and the production processes on the other. Individuals who are assertive, flexible, and resourceful, who like to work with people, and who can assume responsibility, make quick decisions, and think clearly have the traits necessary for successful careers in fashion merchandising.
Internship requirements
Merchandising students must complete at least 3 semester hours of Internship credit.
Minor
- Merchandising majors often select minors in Marketing, Management, Journalism, Communications, Art, or Photography. A minor should be selected from an area of personal or career interest.
- There is a minor in fashion for students who have some interest in fashion. A fashion minor is a great complement to numerous career fields because fashion clothing serves a basic human need.
FIT- Fashion Institute of Technology - Visiting Student program
The YSU Merchandising program has an articulation agreement with the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York. Interested students can attend FIT for one academic year after completing 30 hours of GER credits at YSU and have 3.00 GPA. Participating students then come back to YSU to complete YSU residency requirement in the MRCH program and will end up with a BSAS MRCH degree from YSU and an Associate from FIT. If you are interested in this program route, please consult very early with Dr. Taci Turel, the FIT liaison at YSU.
Career Opportunities
Graduates can pursue careers as:
- Buyers
- Department managers
- Merchandise managers
- Store managers
- Store owners
- Sales representatives
- Sales managers
- Merchandisers
- Merchandise allocators
- Merchandise planners
- Merchandise analysts
- Marketing directors
- Fashion directors
- Wardrobe consultants
- Personal Shoppers
Check the Dictionary of Occupational Titles under section 141 for additional related careers.
Potential Employment Settings
- Retail Department and Specialty Stores
- Apparel manufacturers
- Advertising agencies
- Apparel design studios and workrooms
- Textile and Findings manufacturers
- Fashion forecasting firms
- Retail business and apparel
- Industry publications
| COURSE | TITLE | S.H. |
|---|---|---|
| FIRST YEAR REQUIREMENT -STUDENT SUCCESS | ||
| YSU 1500 | Success Seminar | 1-2 |
| or SS 1500 | Strong Start Success Seminar | |
| or HONR 1500 | Intro to Honors | |
| General Education Requirements | ||
| ENGL 1550 | Writing 1 | 3-4 |
| or ENGL 1549 | Writing 1 with Support | |
| ENGL 1551 | Writing 2 | 3 |
| CMST 1545 | Communication Foundations | 3 |
| MATH 2623 | Quantitative Reasoning (change to "any GER approved MATH/STAT") | 3 |
| ART 1540 | (change to any AH with ART 1530 preferred) | 3 |
| PHIL 2625 | Introduction to Professional Ethics | 3 |
| or PHIL 2628 | Business Ethics | |
| CHEM 1500 & 1500L | Chemistry in Modern Living and Chemistry in Modern Living Laboratory | 3 |
| or CHEM 1505/1505L | Allied Health Chemistry 1 | |
| or CHEM 1515/1515L | General Chemistry 1 | |
| SOC 1500 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| ENST 1500 | Introduction to Environmental Science (any Natural Science without a lab) | 3 |
| or GEOG 1503 OR ASTR 1504 OR BIOL 1505 OR BIOL 1551 OR GEOG 2630 OR GEOL 1504 OR GEOL 2602 | ||
| PSYC 1560 | General Psychology | 3 |
| ECON 2610 | Principles 1: Microeconomics | 3 |
| Social and Personal Awareness (2 courses) | 6 | |
| Major Required Courses (33 s.h.): | ||
| MRCH 1506 | Clothing and Image Development (replace with MRCH 2550) | 3 |
| MRCH 2625 | The World of Fashion | 3 |
| MRCH 3705 | Fashion Textiles | 3 |
| MRCH 3713 | Merchandise Buying | 3 |
| MRCH 3740L | Computer Applications for Textiles & Apparel Lab | 3 |
| MRCH 3745 | Product Line Development | 3 |
| MRCH 3760 | Visual Merchandising | 3 |
| MRCH 4870 | Global Fashion Economy | 3 |
| MRCH 4877 | History of Fashion ( or MRCH 4879 History of Furnishings and Interiors) | 3 |
| MRCH 4880 | Merchandising Management | 3 |
| MRCH 4836 | Internship in Merchandising Fashion & Interiors | 3-9 |
| Select one of the two courses (3 s.h.): | 3 | |
| Social Psychology of Clothing and Appearance | ||
| Family Housing and Technology | ||
| Select two of the following lower-division courses (6 s.h.): | 6 | |
| Apparel Production | ||
| Apparel Evaluation | ||
| Careers in Merchandising Fashion & Interiors | ||
| Fundamentals of Interior Design (include another possible course MRCH 2550 Careers in MRCH) | ||
| Materials and Methods | ||
| Select two courses of the following upper-division courses (6 s.h.): | 6 | |
| Special Topics in Merchandising Fashion & Interiors (3 hours) | ||
| Management Information Systems | ||
| Social Media and E-Commerce | ||
| Fashion Promotion and Fashion Show Production (3 hours) | ||
| Fashion and Wearable Technology (3 hours) | ||
| Fashion Industry Tour (1-3) | ||
| History of Fashion | ||
| History of Furnishings and Interiors (3 hours) | ||
| Directed Individual Study in Merchandising Fashion & Interiors (1-3) | ||
| International Studies in Merchandising Fashion & Interiors (3 hours) | ||
| Required Additional Courses 1 | ||
| CSIS 1514 | Business Computer Systems | 3 |
| MGT 2604 | Legal Environment of Business 1 | 3 |
| MGT 3725 | Fundamentals of Management | 3 |
| MKTG 3703 | Marketing Concepts and Practice | 3 |
| MKTG 3709 | Retail Marketing | 3 |
| ACCT 1503 | Elementary Accounting | 3 |
| or ACCT 2602 | Financial Accounting | |
| No Minor is required - 14 elective hrs to 120 , 6 must be upper level | ||
| Total Semester Hours | 106-114 | |
| Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | S.H. | |
| MRCH 1506 | Clothing and Image Development | 3 |
| SS 1500 | Strong Start Success Seminar | 2 |
| ENGL 1550 | Writing 1 | 3 |
| PSYC 1560 | General Psychology | 3 |
| ART 1540 or ART 1541 | or Survey of Art History 1 | 3 |
| MRCH 2650 | Careers in Merchandising Fashion & Interiors | 3 |
| Semester Hours | 17 | |
| Spring | ||
| MRCH 1508 or MRCH 2661 | Apparel Production (lower elective) or Fundamentals of Interior Design | 3 |
| ENGL 1551 | Writing 2 | 3 |
| MATH 2623 | Quantitative Reasoning | 3 |
| SOC 1500 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| CMST 1545 | Communication Foundations | 3 |
| CSIS 1514 | Business Computer Systems | 3 |
| Semester Hours | 18 | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Fall | ||
| MRCH 1510 or MRCH 2663 | Apparel Evaluation (lower elective) or Materials and Methods | 3 |
| ECON 2610 | Principles 1: Microeconomics | 3 |
| PHIL 2625 or PHIL 2628 | Introduction to Professional Ethics (SPA) or Business Ethics | 3 |
| A & H elective | 3 | |
| CHEM 1500 | Chemistry in Modern Living | 3 |
| CHEM 1500L | Chemistry in Modern Living Laboratory | 1 |
| Semester Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| MRCH 2625 | The World of Fashion | 3 |
| MGT 2604 | Legal Environment of Business 1 | 3 |
| ACCT 1503 or ACCT 2602 | Elementary Accounting or Financial Accounting | 3 |
| SOC 1500 | Introduction to Sociology (SS) | 3 |
| FNUT 1551 or PHLT 1568 | Normal Nutrition (any SPA elective) or Healthy Lifestyles | 3 |
| Semester Hours | 15 | |
| Year 3 | ||
| Fall | ||
| MRCH 3705 | Fashion Textiles | 3 |
| MRCH 3730 or MRCH 3764 | Social Psychology of Clothing and Appearance or Family Housing and Technology | 3 |
| MRCH 3713 | Merchandise Buying | 3 |
| MKTG 3703 | Marketing Concepts and Practice | 3 |
| MRCH 3700 or above upper division elective | ||
| Semester Hours | 12 | |
| Spring | ||
| MRCH 3740L | Computer Applications for Textiles & Apparel Lab | 3 |
| MRCH 3760 | Visual Merchandising | 3 |
| MKTG 3709 | Retail Marketing | 3 |
| MGT 3725 | Fundamentals of Management | 3 |
| MRCH 3700 or above upper division elective | ||
| Semester Hours | 12 | |
| Year 4 | ||
| Fall | ||
| PHLT 1568 | Healthy Lifestyles | 3 |
| MRCH 3745 | Product Line Development | 3 |
| MRCH 4877 | History of Fashion | 3 |
| MRCH 4836 | Internship in Merchandising Fashion & Interiors (Or Summer of Junior Year) | 3 |
| Semester Hours | 12 | |
| Spring | ||
| MRCH 4870 | Global Fashion Economy | 3 |
| MRCH 4880 | Merchandising Management (Capstone ) | 3 |
| 2 Upper level electives | 6 | |
| Semester Hours | 12 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 114 | |
Learning Outcomes
SLO1 Knowledge: Students will demonstrate knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the field of merchandising fashion and interiors.
SLO2 Progressive: Students will be cognizant of the changing dynamics in the field of merchandising fashion and interiors and apply the same processes in their learning - e.g. E-commerce, social media marketing, fashion and technology.
SLO3 Best Practices: Students will apply principles and strategies identified as best in the field of merchandising fashion and interiors.
SLO4 Analysis: Students will analyze, interpret, integrate, and apply merchandising principles in workplace settings.
SLO5 Professionalism: Students will engage in professional activities and conduct in preparation for internship, employment, and for further study in the field of merchandising fashion and interiors.