Bachelor of Science in Fashion Merchandising and BBA in General Business (Entrepreneurship Emphasis)

The B.S. in Fashion Merchandising and B.B.A. in General Business, Entrepreneurship emphasis (2022 - 2023) dual degree program provides graduates with the wealth of knowledge and skills needed for entrepreneurial success in the fashion industry, particularly in owning and operating a small retail or wholesale business. The Degree Requirements and Plan of Study outlined in this catalog for this dual degree program are specific only to those students that enter the program in Fall 2022, Spring 2023, or Summer 2023.

Marketable Skills

Defined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's 60x30 Strategic Plan as, "Those skills valued by employers that can be applied in a variety of work settings, including interpersonal, cognitive, and applied skills areas. These skills can be either primary or complementary to a major and are acquired by students through education, including curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities."

B.S. in Fashion Merchandising

1. Recognize key fashion and consumer trends, predict those trends based on historic and contemporary components of the fashion industry, and utilize current trend information to make purchasing and promotional decisions.
2. Utilize the knowledge and values necessary to make sound decisions about sourcing and purchasing fashion products from both domestic and offshore sources considering current laws and regulations, cultural ethics, trading barriers, global consumerism, and social responsibility.
3. Develop and produce visual presentation boards to effectively communicate mood and/or product and marketplace trend information.
4. Analyze costing, inventory, and sales data needed for the effective planning, pricing, allocation, and markdown of products at the retail level.
5. Develop and execute fashion promotion activities including press releases, advertising campaigns, special events, store displays, social media communications, and branding.
6. Articulate the knowledge and use of conceptual and critical thinking, quantitative and qualitative, and profit-based research processes and practices utilized in the fashion industry.
7. Evaluate the quality, serviceability, regulatory compliance standards, salability, trend-centered, and profitability characteristics of products considered for wholesale purchase and resale at the retail level.

B.B.A. in General Business (Entrepreneurship)

General Discipline-Based Skills

1. Strategic planning: B.B.A. General Specific Application- SWOT analysis; CPM; environmental scanning.General Employment Application- Ability to effectively analyze and evaluate the internal and external environment that the firm operates in.
2. Excel Skills: B.B.A. General Specific Application- Create and format data as tables and graphs; perform basic arithmetic functions. General Employment Application- Analyze organization and client data Prepare reports, charts, and other common business uses of Microsoft Excel.
3. Employee motivation: B.B.A. General Specific Application- Excellent grasp of theories of motivation. General Employment Application- Influence other employees to perform well at work.
4. Budget analysis: B.B.A. General Specific Application- Understanding financial data. General Employment Application- Ability to read financial statements, spreadsheets, tables, and other decision tools used in the workplace.
5. Business communication skills: B.B.A. General Specific Application- Effectively communicate through a variety of mediums and modes. General Employment Application- Effectively communicate information, both written and verbal, to reach the desired needs of the firm.

Admissions

All applicants must meet the general undergraduate admission requirements.

All applicants must meet the general undergraduate admission requirements.

All admitted students are eligible for admission to the Fashion Merchandising program.

Degree Requirements

Total Semester Credit Hours (SCH): 150   

Major: 102 SCH

Program Code: FASHMERCH.BS/BUSGEN.BBA  CIP Code: 52.1902.00/52.0201.00

Texas Core Curriculum

Fashion Merchandising Courses Required

Within the fashion merchandising courses required, 30 of the 45 required hours must be upper-level semester credit hours.

Business Courses Required

Within the business courses required, 51 of the 57 required hours must be upper-level semester credit hours.

Departmental Requirements

Recommended Plan of Study