Overview
Make your mark in the $1.2 trillion global fashion industry. Learn what it takes to develop your design passion and sense of style into career opportunities throughout the fashion industry.
CMU is home to Michigan’s only Online Fashion Merchandising and Design program, featuring professors with industry experience—and connections—to help you turn your dreams of working in fashion into reality. Currently, 92% of our graduates work in the industry. Both the Bachelor of Science and the Bachelor of Applied Arts degrees offer you the choice of three online concentrations: Fashion Buying, Product Development and Visual Merchandising. In either track, you will gain experience with technologies like CAD, 3-D printing, and product lifecycle management software. Hands-on projects will prepare you to build a career-ready portfolio and give you a head-start on your fashion career.
Explore Programs
= Ranked among the best by U.S. News & World Report
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Location:
Online
Your Goal:
To develop a fashion-forward skillset as a fashion buyer and expertly guide fashion buying and selling strategies leveraging your insights about trends, brands, consumers, merchandise operation, and supply chain management.
About the Program:
With the Fashion Buying Concentration for your bachelor’s degree in Fashion Merchandising and Design, you will learn to develop buying and selling strategies that are in line with specific trends, brands, target markets, distributions, and performance goals. Through the coursework, you’ll establish blending expertise in fashion merchandise management, fashion advertising and promotion, fashion brand management, and fashion supply chain management.
Your Preprofessional Seminar in Fashion Merchandising and Design course will help you prepare for your job search, including developing your professional brand, along with creating your portfolio and establishing your professional presence online through your LinkedIn page and e-portfolio. Additionally, you’ll have the opportunity for mock interviews in your area of interest.
In all three concentrations—Fashion Buying, Product Development or Visual Merchandising—students pursuing the Bachelor of Applied Arts (BAA) are required to complete a minor. Students concentrating in Fashion Buying have the option to complete a Visual Merchandising minor. Additional minor options include:
- Applied Business Communication
- Entrepreneurship
- Leadership
- Psychology
- Public Administration
- And more
Program Outcomes:
You will earn your bachelor’s degree (BS or BAA) and graduate with the skills you need for fashion industry roles such as:
- Fashion Buyer
- Fashion Brand Manager
- Merchandise Analyst
- Sourcing Coordinator
CMU offers immersive online and experiential learning opportunities designed to help you achieve big goals. Request information today to learn about this program and how to take the next step.
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Location:
Online
Recognition:
Among the Best Online Bachelor’s Programs by U.S. News & World Report
Your Goal:
Use your unique sense of design and style to develop the products that will turn heads and take you far in the world of fashion.
About the Program:
The Product Development concentration for your bachelor’s degree in Fashion Merchandising and Design will help you develop fashion lines that stand out in the marketplace. You will learn what it takes to design, create, and manufacture fashion product using computer-aided design programs, including 3D modeling and printing. Coursework will develop your understanding of the lifecycle of a product, including ideation, fabric selection, and technical drawing.
Your Preprofessional Seminar in Fashion Merchandising and Design course will help you prepare for your job search along with establishing your professional personal brand through your LinkedIn page and e-portfolio. Additionally, you’ll have the opportunity for mock interviews in your area of interest.
In all three concentrations—Fashion Buying, Product Development or Visual Merchandising—students pursuing the Bachelor of Applied Arts (BAA) are required to complete a minor. Students concentrating in Fashion Buying have the option to complete a Visual Merchandising minor. Additional minor options include:
- Applied Business Communication
- Entrepreneurship
- Leadership
- Psychology
- Public Administration
- And more
Program Outcomes:
You will earn your bachelor’s degree (BS or BAA) and graduate with the skills you need for fashion industry roles such as:
- CAD designer
- Product Developer
- Design Assistant
- And more
CMU offers engaging online and experiential learning opportunities designed to help you achieve big goals. Request information today to learn more about this program and how to take the next step.
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Location:
Online
Recognition:
Among the Best Online Bachelor’s Programs by U.S. News & World Report
Your Goal:
Make the world of fashion come to life by developing the presentations and displays needed to set the tone for style that sells.
About the Program:
The Visual Merchandising concentration for your bachelor’s degree in Fashion Merchandising and Design will give you the tools you need to influence consumer behavior. You will learn what it takes to design the space around the fashion—display areas, product presentations, store interiors, and more—to set the mood, engage customers, and sell style. From CAD software to professional portfolio development, coursework will give you the tools you need to chart your own course in the fashion world.
Your Preprofessional Seminar in Fashion Merchandising and Design course will help you prepare for your job search along with establishing your professional personal brand through your LinkedIn page and e-portfolio. Additionally, you’ll have the opportunity for mock interviews in your area of interest.
In all three concentrations—Fashion Buying, Product Development or Visual Merchandising—students pursuing the Bachelor of Applied Arts (BAA) are required to complete a minor. Students concentrating in Fashion Buying have the option to complete a Visual Merchandising minor. Additional minor options include:
- Applied Business Communication
- Entrepreneurship
- Leadership
- Psychology
- Public Administration
- And more
Program Outcomes:
You will earn your bachelor’s degree (BS or BAA) and graduate with the skills you need for fashion industry roles such as:
- Visual merchandiser
- Visual communications specialist
- Stylist
- Showroom manager
- Brand manager
CMU offers engaging online and face-to-face learning opportunities built to help you achieve big goals. Request information today to learn more about this program and how to take the next step.
Fashion Merchandising and Design Digital Badges
Central Michigan University’s Fashion Merchandising & Design program offers 20+ digital badges that let you showcase career-ready skills you’ve gained through coursework at no extra cost beyond course achievement. These verified badges serve as proof of competencies to future employers and can be shared on LinkedIn, resumes or portfolios.
To earn a badge, you’ll complete specific FMD courses with a grade of B+ or higher, progressing from foundational to advanced skills across areas like apparel design, digital fashion innovation, brand building, and merchandising.
*The badges shown represent a small sample of what you can earn with CMU’s Fashion Merchandising & Design program. There are over 20 badges you can pursue in your studies.
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