Career Opportunities

Apparel Studies Majors
Graduates are able to choose challenging careers that build on their particular interests. For example, graduates have accepted positions in visual merchandising, fashion writing and editing, quality control, museum collection management, product buying and merchandising, theatrical costume designing and store management. Other graduates have used their skills to successfully run their own businesses.

Retail Merchandising Majors
Retailers undertake a wide variety of activities. They raise capital from financial institutions; purchase goods and services; develop accounting and management information systems to control operations; manage warehouses and distribution systems; design and develop new products; predict andact upon fashion trends; and undertake activities such as advertising, promotion, sales force management, and market research. Thus, retail firms offeropportunities for people with a wide variety of skills and education.

Graduates of the retail merchandising program hold positions such as buyers, store managers, visual merchandising directors, regional managers, storeowners, interior merchandising, and fashion coordinators with such companies as Eddie Bauer, Herbergers, Vanity, Dayton's, Neiman Marcus, GAP,Laurie's, The Limited Express, Sears, and J.C. Penney's, to name a few. Many stores limit their management positions to employees who havecompleted a four-year degree. Often, recruiters consider the degree a minimum requirement for a management and/or buying career.