Merchandising
Challenging Undergraduate ProgramFSU’s merchandising program is the largest in Florida, one of the largest in the country, and is the only one in the state accredited by the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. Our program prepares students for entry-level retail management and buying positions in a variety of exciting retailing and merchandise-related organizations. The curriculum emphasizes retail merchandise management and analytical skills associated with retail buying, distribution, and merchandising of all consumer goods. Besides extensive coursework in apparel and textile design and technology, students study accounting, economics, marketing, psychology and computing. InternshipDuring one semester of the senior year, the Department assists the student in obtaining an internship, within the retail industry or with vendors, which best fits the student’s desired career. The internship allows students an on-the-job learning experience and helps them understand the vast scope of the retailing field. Students must achieve and maintain a GPA of 2.5 to intern and to graduate. Graduates of the program are sought by recruiters from all of the major U.S. retail firms. The recruiters visit campus to give presentations about their organizations and interview students who may be interested in joining their company. Eighty-five to ninety percent of interns receive job offers upon completion of their internship. Internships and partnerships have been developed with major companies including American Eagle, BCBG, Belk, Betsy Johnson, Burdines, Bloomingdales, Casual Corner, Dillard's, Federated Merchandising Group, GAP Inc., Guess, Liz Claiborne, Macy’s, Office Depot, Old Navy, Parisian, Rich’s/Lazarus/Goldsmith’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sears, Seventeen Magazine, Steinmart, Target, The Tobe’ Report, Tommy Hilfiger, Toys R Us, Wal-Mart, the Walt Disney World Company, and Women's Wear Daily. Study Abroad ProgramThe Department offers a six-week study abroad program during the summer in London, Paris and Milan where students learn about the global fashion marketplace and have interactive sessions with executives from world-renowned retail and design firms. This study program is an unprecedented on-site exploration of both the history and present state of textiles, apparel, and the retail industries of Europe. Students participate in extraordinary learning opportunities and return to the U.S. with an unsurpassed academic credential. ResourcesThe Burdines Merchandising Laboratory provides experience with leading-edge retail inventory control technology and the latest merchandising presentation methods. Students get hands-on experience in merchandising a retail space with apparel and other consumer goods using fixtures, shelving, mannequins, tables, and other display technology in the laboratory. The Center also features six computer workstations with a software program, Retail Store Designer -- developed by TCS professors, which allows students to organize and lay out retail floor plans based on inventory purchased by students in a “mock” buying assignment. Networking OpportunitiesStudents have many opportunities to network and interact with top retail executives through events such as Merchandising Week and the Annual Merchandising Scholarship and Awards Dinner. Lectures and seminars, sponsored by the Department, are held all year with executives representing retailing companies, manufacturers and forecasters. Student OrganizationsStudents have many opportunities to develop leadership skills in professional settings, through participation in student organizations such as Fashion, Inc., Collegiate Merchandising Association, the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists Student Chapter, and the Student Ambassadors. |
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