Merchandising and Fashion Design Department

Designing a career that fits

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Fashion is a trillion-dollar industry. MSU helps students hone their creativity while also taking courses grounded in business principles such as marketing, management, entrepreneurship and economics. 

Potential careers 

MSU’s fashion program is unique because students gain a solid foundation in business coursework. Graduates are prepared to excel in a career as a creative, passionate and socially responsible professional. 

Potential entry-level positions include account executives, apparel production coordinators, fashion illustrators, quality control directors, retail buyers and textile designers. 

You can learn more about fashion job titles here. 

Average starting salaries 

Median salaries for fashion and design professional in the United States are upward of $45,000.  

According the Nace Salary Data from 2019, a graduate in apparel and textiles starts out making an average of $39,407. Merchandising and management graduates make $48,573 on average starting out. 

The results from the survey represent a baseline for assessing where graduates at the undergraduate and graduate levels land within six months, on average, after receiving their degrees. 

 

Learn more about opportunities in these creative areas through the Career Center. 

Getting involved in MFD

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In addition to the unique course offerings in the merchandising and fashion design department, students are welcome to join any of the active student organizations in the department. 

Association of Fashion and Design 

The Association of Fashion and Design (AFAD) is a student-run organization that is open to students of all majors who share a common love for fashion. Their aim is to create an environment where fashion-lovers can come together, celebrate diversity in the world of fashion and network to set themselves up for success in the future. 

Some opportunities AFAD offers include leadership positions, career days and seminars, design and merchandising competitions and contacts to industry professionals and experienced individuals. 

Learn more about AFAD. 

Sartorial Magazine 

Sartorial Magazine is MSU’s student-run, premiere source for all things fashion, beauty and culture. They are committed to showcasing students’ diverse talents in order to shine a light on the often-forgotten Midwest. 

Sartorial’s first issue brings the conversation around fashion to life using breathtaking imagery, creative layout and captivating stories. The entire publication is crafted by MSU students including fashion designers, writers, photographers, graphic designers and more. 

The magazine’s latest online publication is a zine featuring lesser known Springfield artists who are dedicated to creating visuals, textiles and crafts. 

Learn more about Sartorial. 

Study away 

Fashion students have regular opportunities to take study tours to various European and domestic locations. The department tries to offer at least one study tour each year. Recent trips included visits to Paris, China, Italy and Greece. 

Annually, a group of fashion students travel to New York City for a five-day visit. Students visit a variety of fashion businesses including Tommy Hilfiger, Kate Spade, Calvin Klein, Capelli Internation and Cotton Incorporated. There also are opportunities to interview for internships. 

Find out more about study away programs in the MFD department. 

How merchandising and fashion design students create their own path

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Merchandising and design relates to big concepts, including social, psychological, economic, aesthetic and cultural perspectives. 

The merchandising and fashion design department at Missouri State University prepares its students to excel and lead. 

Students majoring in fashion merchandising and design have the option to choose an emphasis in either merchandising and management or fashion design and product development. 

Fashion design and product development 

Students who specialize in fashion design and product development take their ideas from the drawing board to the runway.  

In addition to the core requirements of the program, the fashion design and product development option involves 27 hours in courses where students can explore and express their creativity.  

Students begin with learning the basic principles of fashion design through classes like MFD 103: Principles and Elements of Design.  

The rest of the courses cover more specific topics in fashion design. For example, MFD 370: Flat Pattern goes over fundamental concepts of drafting and pattern manipulation techniques to develop original garments.  

Fashion design and product development students finish the program by completing a fashion collection to be critiqued and juried by fashion industry professionals for a spring fashion show. 

Fashion merchandising and management 

A degree in fashion merchandising and management offers opportunities to learn about things like industry trends, marketing and fashion promotion, merchandising math and entrepreneurship. 

Students who choose this option take classes like ACC 201: Introduction to Financial Accounting and LAW 231: Legal Environment of Business to learn about the backend of business.  

Later, students develop more specific skills in merchandising in classes like MFD 460 and 560. MFD 460: Merchandise Buying and Assortment Planning has students go through a simulated buying experience including store planning, merchandising and marketing. MFD 560: Entrepreneurship allows student to develop a fashion business plan from concept to store opening. 

From concept to senior showcase 

Every year in May, graduating merchandising and design majors work together to produce a Senior showcase. 

Merchandising students display their classroom work through poster sessions and video displays. Design majors showcase their juried senior collections during a runway show and live-mannequin model experience. 

Rankings 

Missouri State is in the top ten fashion merchandising schools and colleges in the Midwest and top 50 in the United States. 

Find the 2019 rankings here. 

 

Learn more about merchandising and fashion design.