FCS
Textile and Apparel Studies
Undergraduate Information
The Textile and Apparel Studies major prepares students to become successful professionals in the textile and apparel and consumer goods industries. The program builds upon multiple disciplines such as business, history, economics, art, psychology, sociology, anthropology, mathematics and chemistry to produce professionals who are able to function in a culturally diverse and global industry. These bases of knowledge are applied to problems in the design, production and marketing of textile, apparel and other consumer products for industrial or consumer markets. Graduates of the program have an understanding of consumers both as individuals and in their role as users of family resources.
After completing core courses, including Introduction to the Fashion Industry, Design Principles, and History of Fashion and Textiles, students choose an emphasis in Merchandising or Design.
WMU has guest student arrangements with the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York and The American Intercontinental University in London. Students enroll as a guest of one of these institutions and earn credit toward a WMU degree during the junior year. This offers an opportunity to get a different perspective on the industry and make valuable industry connections.
For more information about FIT, go to: http://www.fitnyc.edu
For more information about American Intercontinental University, go to: http://www.aiuniv.edu
The department of Family and Consumer Sciences offers the opportunity for travel study tours. Past tours have included Paris, London, Scotland, Milan, New York, Latvia, Brazil and Turkey.