Students majoring in apparel and textiles at NDSU can make themselves marketable for a variety of careers in retailing fields by following the retail merchandising curriculum. Retail merchandising is such a part of everyday life people often take it for granted. But it is one of the fastest changing, most dynamic industries in the world today.

New retailing approaches have emerged as old formats have vanished. Sears catalogs are gone but in its place are category specialists such as Best Buy,Home Depot, Blockbuster, and Office Max. We have the Home Shopping Network and on-line opportunities. Twenty-five years ago these major retailfirms and formats were just a dream in an entrepreneur's head. Today retailers use state-of-the-art computers and communications technologies torespond quickly to changing consumer demand. Changes in the retail industry have brought about many new and varied career opportunities of collegegraduates interested in this highly competitive, exciting, and profitable field.

Retailers undertake a wide variety of activities. They raise capital from financial institutions; purchase goods and services; develop accounting andmanagement 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.

Positions available in the apparel and textiles retail field are diverse; therefore, this option provides you with an educational background which can fitinto both short- and long-range career goals. The course of study includes classes on buying and merchandising, global retailing, retail marketmanagement, merchandise promotion, retail math, fashion economics, human behavior related to apparel selection decisions, and the analysis of textileand apparel products using textile testing equipment.

Students choose to focus on the area of textile product or interior merchandising. The textile product focus includes courses such as evaluation ofready-to=wear, dress and human behavior, and apparel management for consumers. The interior merchandising focus includes courses such as historyof interiors, design process, and interior graphics.

A minor in business administration provides a general business background which prepares students for in-depth work in the retail merchandising fieldof study. A very strong general education curriculum assists students in learning critical-thinking skills. Computer technology is an intrinsic aspect ofthe program.

Special features of NDSU's retail merchandising program which help prepare students for a retail merchandising career include:

• acquiring sales and/or merchandising experience with college credit through part-time retailing experience,
• participating in field trips to New York City, Minneapolis, or an international destination while earning college credit, and
• obtaining a minor in business administration while earning a B.S. degree in apparel and textiles.

Another choice some students make is to attend the world-renowned Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City for one year.

Through these experiences students gain valuable sales and/or retail merchandising experience before graduation while a faculty professor helps themgain insight into store functions. Students are encouraged to work in retail stores part-time while in school because learning takes place on the job aswell as in the classroom. The field trips to New York City, Minneapolis, an international location, as well as to other production and retailing centers,expose students to the fast pace of the constantly changing merchandising world.

The major benefits of a merchandising degree in this very competitive field are graduates have a better knowledge and understanding of:

• all textile products and how these products can be expected to perform,
• how fashion trends evolve,
• the impact consumer behavior has on the fashion and interiors industry,
• careers in the management and/or buying of soft goods products,

A merchandising advisory board composed of owners and managers of retail stores in the Fargo-Moorhead community provides the department with anumber of services. They act as guest speakers, assist with field experience placement, and help in continually assessing the educational quality of theprogram in order to keep it on the cutting edge of the progression.

The student organization of Fashion, Apparel and Business Organization (FABO), brings in speakers and organizes field trips and other activities toprovide interaction with professionals. Other organizations in the college and University provide further opportunities for leadership development andcontact with professionals.

Several NDSU faculty have held positions in a variety of retail settings such as bridal and ready-to-wear, small chain stores, and large departmentstores. This variety of practical experience helps ensure that course work enhances the student's preparation for a career in retailing.

The faculty are active in professional associations. Faculty research addresses issues of importance to the retailing profession, such as rural businessrevitalization, home-based business, developing prototypical garments for manufacture, assessment of quality in textile products, and value-addedproduct research.

A limited number of scholarships are designated for students majoring in the department, while additional ones are open to all college majors. Forfurther information on scholarships, contact the Director of Student Services and Development.