This major prepares you for a broad range of careers such as apparel designer, fashion editor, stylist, technical designer, fabric coordinator, product developer, sourcing specialist, apparel/textiles quality control manager, art director, pattern-maker, costume designer for films and plays, curator, and entrepreneur.
- A minimum 78 credits are required for this major, including 25 upper-division credits.
- This major requires completion of the Family and Consumer Sciences Core, which includes:
- FCS 1050 Introduction to FCS, completed in your freshman or sophomore year. (If you are a transfer student, you may complete this in your junior year.)
- FCS 3240 Individual and Family Development, completed after FCS 1050.
- FCS 4899 Senior Capstone, completed after FCS 3240 and during your senior year.
- You will participate in the Student Fashion Show to present your design lines as an apparel design student.
- All students in this major are required to participate in the Senior Portfolio Show.
- In FCS 4846 CAD for Apparel Portfolio, you will have the opportunity to create a professional apparel design portfolio through CAD.
- An Internship is highly recommended for this major.
Spreadsheet Competency Requirement
Demonstration of spreadsheet competency, explained in detail on the website of the School of Business, Government, and Economics, is required of all students graduating with this major. You can document this by passing BUS 1700 or by scoring at least 60 percent on the basic Microsoft Office Specialist exam for Microsoft Excel 2013, 2016, or later.
This major prepares you for a broad range of careers, such as retail buyer, retail merchandiser, sales manager, marketing director, fashion coordinator, production manager, sourcing specialist, product developer, brand manager, visual merchandiser, image consultant, business owner, entrepreneur, fashion stylist, and store manager.
- A minimum 85 credits are required for this major, including 25 upper-division credits.
- This major requires completion of the Family and Consumer Sciences Core, which includes:
- FCS 1050 “Introduction to FCS,” completed in your freshman or sophomore year. (If you are a transfer student, you may complete this in your junior year.)
- FCS 3240 “Individual and Family Development,” completed after FCS 1050.
- FCS 4899 “Senior Capstone,” completed after FCS 3240 and during your senior year.
- An Interniship is highly recommended for this major.
Spreadsheet Competency Requirement
Demonstration of spreadsheet competency, explained in detail on the website of the School of Business, Government, and Economics, is required of all students graduating with this major. You can document this by passing BUS 1700 or by scoring at least 60 percent on the basic Microsoft Office Specialist exam for Microsoft Excel 2013, 2016, or later.
Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)
(Content edited on 09/16/2021.)
The Apparel Design and Apparel Merchandising specializations offer exciting opportunities for students to earn an associate arts degree by participating in a one-year liaison program with the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City.
FIT is a specialized college of art, design, business, and technology devoted to preparing students for careers in fashion and related professions. Accredited with the state of New York, FIT allows visiting SPU students to be enrolled full time at Seattle Pacific University, and — if in good academic standing — to earn both an associate of arts degree from FIT and a bachelor of arts degree from SPU by double counting coursework.
General education requirements and core courses of FCS and Apparel Design and Merchandising taken at SPU are transferred to fulfill those required at FIT; likewise, coursework taken at FIT transfers back toward total credit requirements for graduation at SPU.
FIT offers the following one-year programs in which SPU students or graduates can participate:
- Fashion Business Management: For careers in retail and wholesale organizations in buying, sales, merchandising, management, fashion coordination, advertising, publicity, styling, sales, or marketing.
- Fashion Design: For positions as designers, assistant designers, technical designers, stylists, or fashion executives.
- Advertising and Marketing Communications: For careers in advertising, direct marketing, sales promotion, and publicity/public relations, and journalism.
- Textile Development and Marketing: For positions as designers, colorists, stylists, studio directors, sourcing specialists and mill-liaison executives for screen- and machine-printed fabrics.
If you are considering this option, speak with your academic counselor and faculty advisor early in your academic career in order to meet the requirements of both FIT and SPU.
A minimum 33 credits are required for this minor, including 15 upper-division credits.
Entering and completing a major or minor
In order to earn a degree, you must complete at least one academic major. SPU encourages students to explore various academic paths, so if you change your mind about a major or minor, or want to include an additional program, you are able to do so, as outlined below.
Note that the University encourages you to enter your chosen major(s) and minor(s) by the start of your junior year. Students who transfer as juniors and seniors should enter a major within their first two quarters at SPU.
- If this is your first quarter at SPU and you identified the Apparel Design and Apparel Merchandising major as your first choice on your application for admission to the University, you have gained entry to the major.
- To change to or add a major or minor in this department, follow these instructions.
- The University requires a grade of C- or better in all classes that apply to a major or minor; however, programs may require higher minimum grades in specific courses. You may repeat an SPU course only once for a higher grade.
- To advance in this program, meet with your faculty advisor regularly to discuss your grades, course progression, and other indicators of satisfactory academic progress. If your grades or other factors indicate that you may not be able to successfully complete the major or minor, your faculty advisor can work with you to explore options, which may include choosing a different major or minor.
- You must complete the major or minor requirements that are in effect in the SPU Undergraduate Catalog for the year you enter the major or minor.