Fashion Merchandising & Design
MS
Fashion merchandising degree
Clothes may make the person — but we'll help make your career. We give you hands-on experience in all aspects of the industry, from concept development to retail distribution. And you won't have to wait to use cutting-edge technology — our apparel labs are some of the most advanced in the country.
AT A GLANCE
What will I learn with a fashion merchandising degree?
Fashion changes every day. Your education should be ahead of the trends. Whether your interest is human-centered design, fashion technology or marketing in fashion, our graduate program will help launch your career.
Hands-on research is the core of our fashion merchandising program. You won't just study developments after they happen — you'll work with manufacturers and retailers to bring them to life.
That may mean working with Cotton Incorporated on a virtual selling space; or helping Lululemon test thermal fabrics with one of our sensor-equipped manikins; or putting Polartec fabric through its paces while filming runners with infrared cameras.
This collaborative approach is an integral part of our program. It means that when you graduate, you'll have the experiences that will make you competitive in the job market.
You'll gain much of that experience in on-campus labs featuring technology you'll be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. We're the only university in Michigan to have a 3D body scanner and thermal manikins (adult and baby form). And we're the first public university in the Midwest to have a MakerBot 3D Printing Innovation Center.
Yet as important as technology is, people are even more important. Our experienced faculty will prepare you for executive-level positions in apparel and textile development, merchandising, or to go on to pursue a doctoral degree and teach at the college level.
Fashion merchandising program highlights
As a student in the fashion merchandising program, you will have the opportunity to:
- Solve real-world problems: Work directly with corporate clients at our Center for Merchandising and Design Technology.
- Fast-track your education: Get a jump start on grad school with our accelerated master's program. Earn both your bachelor's degree and this master's degree in just five years.
- Explore modern tools: Learn to use 3D printers, a 3D body scanner, thermal manikins, thermotron chamber and more in your industry/research projects.
Fashion careers
Take a look in your closet — there's a good chance a CMU grad has something to do with the clothes in there. Our alums have gone on to careers at Eddie Bauer, Adidas, Carhartt, Kohl's and many other designers and retailers. You might also go on to pursue a PhD and eventually teach at a college or university.
| Career | Projected Salary |
|---|---|
| College Professor/Instructor | $84,380 |
| Purchasing Agent | $77,180 |
| Fashion Designer | $79,290 |
| Product Development Engineer | $78,627 |
Manikin used to test comfortability of infant car seats
Mohammad Iftekharul Alam, a May 2023 graduate of Fashion, Interior Design, and Merchandising, studied how the shape and material of infant car seat covers impact the thermal comfort of infants in summer conditions.
Alam says, “We took this opportunity because the infant manikin is fairly new to the industry and a lack of research has been done on the thermal comfort of the infants while they travel inside the car during summer conditions.” To read more, check out the full news article.
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