Fashion, Marketing and Business Course Work in the Fashion Merchandising Degree Online
In SNHU's fashion merchandising degree online program, you'll combine your understanding of design and color theory with business planning and marketing. Textiles, retailing and merchandise planning are just the beginning – you'll also choose from electives in consumer promotion, retailing management and global fashion merchandising topics.
When you earn your fashion merchandising degree online at SNHU, you'll have a focused skill set and practical experience that you can apply immediately to the fashion and retail world. You will:
- Explore strategic fashion management, retail sales promotion and visual merchandising
- Demonstrate knowledge of the principles of retail and consumer behavior
- Learn how today's technology intersects with and enhances fashion retailing
You will also earn valuable, real-world experience by completing a fashion merchandising internship. Prospective students are encouraged to contact the Admissions Office to learn more how this program can further their careers.
Courses for the Fashion Merchandising
Degree Online
Required Core Courses
Fashion Merchandising Management Major Courses
FMM-114: Introduction to Fashion Merchandising
Fashion principles and procedures used in planning selecting pricing and selling fashion goods in retail stores catalogs and on the Internet are studied Merchandising systems assortment plans and inventory control methods are analyzed A field trip to New York City s market district is a possibility
FMM-204: Textiles and Color Theory
Textile information pertinent to merchandising is included in this course Analysis of fibers yarns and weaves fabric recognition and a detailed study of natural and man made materials are emphasized
FMM-208: History of Fashion and Costume
Fashion is another term for the costume of a time and place an expression of a period with all of its passions politics attitudes and history This course considers textiles silhouettes shapes and design adaptations in light of the technological capacities of the time the geographic environment social structure political systems and economic conditions around the glove and over time Students will gain an understanding of appreciation of how these underpin and influence contemporary fashion design and development
FMM-225: Merchandise Planning
This course seeks to instill in students a complete understanding of the influence of merchandise planning and purchasing on retail profit Students analyze profit and loss statement and demonstrate a complete understanding of the factors that influence the retailer s financial performance
FMM-325: Sustainability in Fashion
The overall objective of this course is to explore the role that sustainability plays in fashion merchandising managers decision to buy from vendors It explores production and commercialization decisions with respect to buying green It exposes students to the influence of social responsibility on fashion retailers decisions
FMM-340: Merchandise Management Strategies
Effective merchandise management involves efficient decision making Ordering keeping and managing the right merchandise in terms of size and quantity is the key to a retailer s success Retail merchandise management brings to light the vital relationship between the manufacturer and the retailer Students explore various strategic techniques that influence profit including vendors fashion retailers negotiations over merchandise
Prerequisites:
FMM-225
FMM-410: Fashion Research and Forecasting
This course applies the qualitative and quantitative investigations approaches to fashion and fashion accessories Students will analyze descriptive and inferential statistics to understand consumer taste for current and future trends in fashion
Prerequisites:
MAT-240
FMM-457: Strategic Fashion Management
Students utilize knowledge accumulated in various courses of the program to design a fashion merchandise strategy for a local fashion and apparel retailers or a strategy for fashion accessory retailers This course considers both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to investigate management issues or examine opportunities for fashion retailers
Prerequisites:
FMM-204
FMM-490: Fashion Merchandising and Management Internship
Fashion Merchandising and Management Internship
Allied Courses
QSO-330: Introduction to Supply Chain Management
This course focuses on effective supply chain strategies for companies that operate globally with emphasis on how to plan and integrate supply chain components into a coordinated system Students are exposed to concepts and models important in supply chain planning with emphasis on key tradeoffs and phenomena The course introduces and utilizes key tactics such as risk pooling and inventory placement integrated planning and collaboration and information sharing
Prerequisites:
Take MAT
Fashion Electives
Select Two (International):*
FMM-417: Global Sourcing and Apparel
This course analyzes global trades in textiles and apparel The course explains the necessity of export and import in the textiles and apparel industry Topics include global trades in apparel the benefits of export and import trade policies and trade organizations
Prerequisites:
FMM-114
MKT-322: International Retailing
This course compares and contrasts retail institutions in selected countries Students examine the social economic and political influences on the development of global retailers and consider how retailing trends spread from culture to culture Students also examine the similarities and differences in merchandising sales promotion pricing personal selling and electronic retailing policies of retailers around the globe This course is cross listed with INT 322 Global marker
Prerequisites:
MKT-222
MKT-326: Global Consumer Culture
Every day everywhere in the world people make decisions about what to wear and how to wear it Daily dressing is about much more than clothing It includes making choices of clothing accessories and grooming Its relationship to human nature is at once biological social and aesthetic As cultures and geography changes around the world so too do the representations of that relationship become more diverse Dressing thus represents a broad swath of widely differing actions and decisions This course studies the way consumers worldwide choose their dress forms to represent who and what they are and how they wish to express themselves those around them It considers both commonalities and differences in global consumer cultures of dress
Prerequisites:
MKT-113
Select Two (Consumer Production):*
MKT-230: Retail Sales Promotion
This course focuses on sales promotion in the retail sector The specific needs of retailers in the areas of advertising visual merchandising personal selling and special events planning are among the topics addressed The culminating project will be a sales promotion plan that will include a major special event This project is designed to be flexible to support the range of retailing interests represented in the class
Prerequisites:
MKT-113
MKT-231: Visual Merchandising
Retail marketing is a highly charged highly competitive component of the marketing discipline Consumers everywhere and of every age and economic category are well informed by internet sources Driven by access and awareness they are looking to be courted and enticed to buy one merchant s goods over another Visual merchandising is the art and business of creating such attraction using merchandise that is color coordinated accessorized sparkling exciting and causing shoppers to stop take a closer look and buy Visual merchandising is retail theater at its best complete with costumes props and sets Like all marketing however visual merchandising has a clear purpose sales and therefore is strategic in nature a component of a larger marketing picture This course addresses the creative and strategic nature of visual merchandising connecting students with both the flair and fancy of visual merchandising and the nitty gritty of strategic planning and clarifying the connection between them
Prerequisites:
MKT-222
MKT-345: Consumer Behavior
This course explores the behavior that consumers display in searching purchasing using evaluating and disposing of products Offered every semester
Prerequisites:
MKT-113
Select Two (Retail):*
MKT-222: Principles of Retailing
This course studies the basics of retailing and emphasizes the development of retail institutions store layout and design merchandising pricing and problems retailers experience in today s business environment Offered every semester
Prerequisites:
MKT-113
MKT-228: Technology in Fashion and Retailing
This course addresses web based fashion and retailing business issues On the one hand it explores the influence of technology on fashion products development On the other hand it explores the role that technology plays at various levels of the retail business including supply chain development retail channel management and consumer shopping experience
MKT-442: Retail Management
An advanced course that moves beyond the scope of MKT 222 this course is geared to the retailing major Store operations human relations information technologies shopping center management merchandising policies and industry trend analysis are covered Guest speakers and study tours to retail companies are included Writing Intensive Course
Prerequisites:
MKT-222
*Students may select International, Consumer Production, or Retail.
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