Certificate Program
Fashion Merchandising
This certificate will contribute to the success of emerging fashion interests and innovation
Pursuing a certificate in Fashion Merchandising can offer many opportunities for students to seek employment after certification in their career path. Creative designers often seek careers in the fashion industry in product development and design, merchandising and supply chain, fashion trend analysis, and corporate retail careers while utilizing their design and creative talents. Pursuing diversity in fashion merchandising can contribute to the success of design career paths.
Required Courses
18 Credits | Available Online
FAME 101 Introduction to Fashion Merchandising
This course will examine the fashion industry. Topics will include basic knowledge of the fashion markets and skills necessary to utilize in the global fashion market. Students also will explore the range of career opportunities within the fashion industry, including textile creation, product design, merchandising, and fashion marketing strategies.
- Students will gain an understanding of how fashion has impacted the social, cultural, political, economic, and technological changes in the global market.
- Students will be able to describe the phases of the fashion cycle and how they relate to consumer behavior.
- Students will describe fashion adoption theories in relation to consumer marketing.
- Students will gain an understanding of clothing size and price ranges, style categories, and clothing classifications in women’s wear, men’s wear, and children’s wear.
- Students will identify the role of international and domestic fashion centers.
Credits : 3
FAME 200 Fashion Trend Forecasting
This course will examine trend forecasting and analyze the fashion industry. Students will examine and analyze the importance of social issues and corporate social responsibility in the fashion global market while identifying fabric, color, textile, and silhouette trends.
- Students will gain an understanding of the fashion forecasting industry and job opportunities.
- Students will be able to describe how fashion is affected by economic systems, globalization, and ethical and socially responsible behavior.
- Students will examine social, psychological, political, economic, environmental, cultural, and technological contributions to the fashion industry.
- Students will develop a trend presentation including theme, color story, textile materials, and silhouette forecasts.
- Students will identify sources of past fashion trends and apply analysis of future predictions of fashion trends.
Credits : 3
FAME 201 History of Costume in the Fashion Industry
This course will provide an overview of costume history and fashion from their origins to the present. It will examine social influences, clothing articles and terms, accessories, fashion trends, fabrics, and their application to the art of historic costume design.
- Students will gain an understanding of the significance that clothing represents in societies and cultures.
- Students will be able to explain the rise of haute couture and the major technological advancements that contributed to fashion.
- Students will examine the history of costume design and the theories established throughout history.
- Students will recognize the monarchies’ influences on fashion style.
- Students will identify examples of dress analyzing status and accomplishment throughout history.
Credits : 3
FAME 300 Retail Sustainable Buying
This course introduces students to the sustainable retail buying market. Topics covered include global fashion markets, sustainability in buying, merchandising planning, and productivity outcomes. Students will participate in a professional retail buying simulation.
- Students will gain an understanding of the responsibilities performed by retail buyers.
- Students will develop an understanding of basic retail buying principles.
- Students will develop a merchandising plan based on a simulation of basic retail buying principles.
- Students will identify the environmental factors pertaining to sustainable fashion in the retail environment.
- Students will identify cost, retail, inventory, mark-up, and gross margin and how it affects the profit in the fashion industry.
Credits : 3
FAME 400 Textiles in the Global Fashion Market
- Students will gain an understanding of all aspects of the textile industry from fiber to the creation of the textiles product.
- Students will be able to identify fabric swatches and their properties needed for garment production.
- Students will describe the process of utilizing natural and synthetic fibers.
- Students will participate in lab-based textile science innovations with the identification of fiber properties.
- Students will identify how sustainability plays a role in textile development.
Credits : 3
FAME 401 Fashion Product Development
This course will explore fashion manufacturing and the decisions that are involved in apparel production. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the industry from a global perspective. This course will define skills in the use of cost, price, quality, performance, and value of garments. The information in this course will outline the relationships between pricing and profit and discuss fabric selection in relation to garment aesthetics, performance, and quality in the completion of an apparel fashion collection and tech pack.
- Students will gain an understanding of the complex fashion manufacturing process.
- Students will be able to describe the production process in concept to the creation of an apparel fashion collection.
- Students will demonstrate the completion of an apparel fashion collection utilizing Adobe Illustrator.
- Students will develop a fashion tech pack used in product development and design manufacturing.
- Students will identify how costs of garment production and price analysis determine a profit for the fashion industry.
Credits : 3
Who Should Enroll
The program is designed for a wide range of individuals. College experience is not a prerequisite for this program, but a interest in the fashion industry and fashion design is essential. High school and college graduates, veterans, professionals, and entrepreneurs will be among the students who bring their diverse perspectives to the program.
Cost
$1,157 per credit hour
A total of 18 credit hours are required. Credits will be billed per course.
How to Register
Enrolling in one of PCA&D’s Certificate Programs is simple. Confirm your intent to pursue one of our certificates by filling out an application.
If you have any questions regarding mapping out a plan, upcoming class schedules, or completing your certificate, please contact Bonnie Kern, our Admissions Transfer & Outreach Coordinator, at 717.396.7833 ext 1014 or email bkern@pcad.edu.