Combine design with business as you learn what it takes to bring your unique vision to consumers with a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Fashion Merchandising and Apparel Design from Georgia Southern University.
Locations
- Statesboro Campus (In Person)
- Online (Merchandising Emphasis Only)
Why Major in Fashion Merchandising and Apparel Design at Georgia Southern?
- #1: CollegeFactual rates us as Georgia’s best public school for textile and apparel studies.
- Learn all aspects of the fashion business, from concept to consumer.
- Focus on business or design, depending on your interests.
- Required internship puts you in the business.
- See working studios in Atlanta and NYC on Fashion Study Tours.
- 124 credit hours to completion.
It takes more than style to become a fashion icon. You need to have an innate sense of what consumers want. You have to understand what stores can sell. And — vitally — you need to turn a profit.
Georgia Southern’s top-ranked bachelor’s degree program in fashion merchandising and apparel design teaches you each of those things. While you’re here, explore how raw materials become finished products — including sitting at a sewing machine to translate your vision into a well-tailored garment. And you’ll also get an inside look at the decisions that become trends.
Ready to Apply?
What Can You Do With a Bachelor’s in Fashion Merchandising and Apparel Design?
Whether you want a career designing fashion or getting clothes onto the backs of consumers, Georgia Southern’s BS in Fashion Merchandising and Apparel Design prepares you to enter the sector’s creative and business sides. Grads find work with apparel companies, textile manufacturers, ad agencies, design houses and more.
Where our graduates work:
- American Eagle Outfitters
- Coach
- David’s Bridal
- Kohl’s Department Store
- Nike
What our graduates do:
- Fashion designer
- Merchandise manager
- Product developer
- Retail buyer
- Visual merchandiser
What You’ll Learn
As a student in the fashion merchandising and apparel design program, you’ll delve into all aspects of the industry. Classes cover research and development, styling and design, and production and marketing. To gain a hands-on perspective in our workshop, you’ll break down garments in classes such as Apparel Analysis as you learn the trade inside-out. By the time you graduate, you’ll have covered topics such as buying, merchandising, consumer behavior, aesthetics, computer-aided design and more.
See the CurriculumEmphasis Areas
Are you committed to a life of style, dreaming up the next hot trend? Or are you more into understanding what motivates consumers to buy? Concentrations allow you to focus on the aspect of the business that moves you most.
Fashion Merchandising
A comprehensive look at the principles of merchandising, textile production, trend forecasting, marketing and retailing equips you for careers in retail, public relations, marketing, visual merchandising and more.
Apparel Design
Gain the creative and technical skills necessary to launch your own collection through intensive hands-on practice in apparel design and analysis, fashion illustration, visual merchandising, flat pattern design and draping.
Build Your Experience
To become a fashion expert, you need to feel the cloth, walk through store aisles and see the latest designs in person. At Georgia Southern, opportunities for in-person experiences help shape your understanding of the industry.
Fashion Study Tours
Inspiration can strike anywhere — but it helps to go right to the source. Our for-credit Fashion Study Tour elective takes you to places like Atlanta and New York City, where you’ll visit historic costume collections, wholesale showrooms, auxiliary fashion enterprises and noted retail stores.
Internships
The best way to learn about the fashion business is to see it up close. That’s why every student in the fashion merchandising and apparel design program must complete a semester-long internship.
Fashion Menagerie
As much as you’ll learn off campus, you’ll find just as much to get involved with on campus. Fashion Menagerie, a student-led group, gives you a chance to get to know the local design community and work on its Fashion Design Month, where you’ll produce your own garment or accessory.
Want to Learn More?
Explore essential information about our BSN program, including application details, accreditation status, and licensing disclosures. Gain insight into the program’s credibility and requirements to help you start your journey toward success with the knowledge you need.
Follow these steps to complete the Georgia Southern application:
- Create an application account.
- Complete our online application using the PIN you received after creating your application account.
- Once complete, pay the $30 application fee or upload a valid fee waiver. Previous Georgia Southern applicants and dual enrollment students do not need to pay the fee.
You can check your application status at My.GeorgiaSouthern.edu/admissions three days after completing your application. This page contains live information about your admission status, including a checklist of missing documents we need to make a decision.
Apply as a First-Year Student Transfer to Georgia SouthernIn addition to external scholarships, students in the fashion merchandising and apparel design program are eligible for the Betty Lane Family and Consumer Science Scholarship. This award, given in honor of Betty Lane ‘49, recognizes her decades of service to Georgia Southern: Long after retiring from the University in 1986, she remains an active presence on campus.
Learn More About ScholarshipsRelated Programs
Take the Next Step
Every minute you spend in Georgia Southern’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program prepares you for a career in helping others. Talk to us about joining this fast-growing field.