Get a firsthand look at life at Marist University during our Summer Preview Days! These events are designed to help you explore campus, connect with our community, and better understand the admissions process. Summer Preview Days will be held on August 14 and August 17.
Get a firsthand look at life at Marist University during our Summer Preview Days! These events are designed to help you explore campus, connect with our community, and better understand the admissions process. Summer Preview Days will be held on August 14 and August 17.
Get a firsthand look at life at Marist University during our Summer Preview Days! These events are designed to help you explore campus, connect with our community, and better understand the admissions process. Summer Preview Days will be held on August 14 and August 17.
Get a firsthand look at life at Marist University during our Summer Preview Days! These events are designed to help you explore campus, connect with our community, and better understand the admissions process. Summer Preview Days will be held on August 14 and August 17.
Fashion Merchandising Degree (B.S.)
Top-Ranked Fashion Program with NYC Access and Real-World Experience
APPLY NOWThe Fashion Merchandising program at Marist University prepares students to plan, market, and manage fashion products through a blend of business, branding, and consumer insight. Students create retail strategies, marketing campaigns, and brand-focused projects through applied learning experiences. With access to New York City and global opportunities, students gain an understanding of the fashion marketplace. Students develop expertise in consumer behavior, brand management, marketing, merchandising, and strategic planning—skills that are valued throughout the fashion industry and across the broader business world. The program emphasizes real-world application and industry engagement for careers in merchandising and marketing.
Marist’s Fashion programs are recognized among the best in the United States, including being named one of the top 15 programs in the nation (Vogue) and one of only 10 institutions worldwide shaping the future of fashion (Forbes).
Access to leading fashion markets in New York City and around the world, including internships, site visits, and study opportunities at Marist’s Florence campus.
Hands-on, industry-connected learning through experiences such as MPorium, a student-run retail boutique, and Measure Magazine, a student-produced fashion publication focused on brand storytelling and creative direction.
Applied learning in areas such as buying, merchandising, marketing, and product development through industry-informed projects and client-focused work.
Marist's Fashion Merchandising major curriculum includes a mix of business, creative, and technical courses designed to prepare students for a future in the fashion industry. Students will take foundational courses such as Fashion in Culture & Commerce, Fashion Excel, Digital Software Studies, and Textiles to build a broad understanding of the industry. They then advance with concentration-specific offerings in Business, Product Development, or Fashion Promotion. Learn more about each of the Fashion Merchandising concentrations below.
The Business concentration focuses on the planning, procurement, and marketing aspects of the fashion business and includes courses such as:
The Product Development concentration explores the development of private label or branded merchandise, supply chain management, and the use of product data management techniques. It includes such courses as:
The Fashion Promotion concentration explores the relationship between brand, product, and consumer behavior, and the dynamic role it plays. Students engage in coursework focusing on trend, branding, creative marketing and communication, social media, e-commerce, event planning and production, and digital media creation. It includes such courses as:
Learn more about the BS in Fashion Merchandising with a Promotion Concentration and MA in Marketing Communication Dual Degree >
Students have the opportunity to minor in Fashion Merchandising to enhance their academic experience. Combining a Fashion Design major with a Fashion Merchandising minor balances the creative design curriculum with the industry knowledge of Fashion Merchandising.
At Marist, we’re determined to provide not only the educational but the physical tools to promote your success and preparedness to enter to fashion industry. Along with our Textile Design Lab and the Maker Lab, Fashion students perhaps get the most use and experience out of MPorium: our on-campus, award-winning entrepreneurial boutique stocked and operated by our Fashion Merchandising students. Functioning as a retail laboratory, MPorium gives you the opportunity to delve into the nuances required for running and maintaining a fashion enterprise, including Human Resource Management/Staffing, Customer Service, Marketing, Visual Merchandising, and Merchandise Planning & Control.
A balanced education at Marist combines rigorous classroom experience with practical application in the desired field, and the Fashion Merchandising major is no exception. Fashion Merchandising students engage in a wide range of real-world learning opportunities, including running MPorium, our on-campus, award-winning retail boutique, creating the next issue of Measure Magazine, Marist’s fashion magazine, and producing the Silver Needle Runway Fashion Show, the largest event production presented by Marist annually.
Explore recent volumes of the magazine.
Go to Measure Magazine >
Why is studying abroad good for a fashion major? Studying abroad at Marist's Florence campus in Italy offers fashion students direct access to one of the world’s most influential fashion epicenters and provides unmatched real-world experience. Marist students have previously attended Milan Fashion Week, where they received front-row and backstage access to one of the industry’s most exclusive global events. Students in fashion design, fashion merchandising, and global marketing communications were immersed in what’s known as one of the “big four” fashion weeks, gaining firsthand exposure to trends, production, and industry professionals. Through Marist's partnership with Italian designer Francesca Liberatore, hands-on learning at premier industry events has helped make Marist’s Fashion Program among the best in higher education.
Inspired to elevate fashion and empower her community, Noelle is a Fashion Merchandising major with a concentration in Promotion and a Business minor. She chose Marist for its fashion program rooted in creativity, community, and real-world experience. Her passion for the industry began early, when she launched a custom apparel business in high school. She continued building her skills through her work at Aerie, gaining valuable sales and merchandising experience that further fueled her interest in the fashion world and career pursuits.
At Marist University, Fashion Merchandising students gain hands-on experience and industry exposure long before graduation, which enables them to gain a competitive edge and prepares them for real-world careers in some of the world's top fashion industries. With a Marist Fashion Merchandising degree, students can pursue careers such as Retail Buyer, Visual Merchandiser, and Product Developer. Below are only a few examples of the major fashion institutions that proudly employ Marist Fashion alumni today:
Fashion students develop essential creative and technical skills for success in the industry. Through coursework and hands-on experiences, they build a strong foundation and acquire vital skills necessary for real-world fashion settings. Learn more about the student learning outcomes for fashion. >
"Just north of NYC, the Marist campus overlooks the Hudson River providing a more serene setting to focus on your creative process. How serious is Marist about its commitment to fashion? A brand-new, dedicated Digital Arts & Fashion Building opened in January 2019 with all the state-of-the-art tech at the students’ thimble-topped fingertips. You can catch the 35th anniversary Silver Needle Runway presentation of fashion graduates to experience the Marist style for yourself."
Marist faculty members come from a wide range of backgrounds and possess various areas of expertise, providing students with insights from experienced industry professionals. With small class sizes, students receive personalized attention and gain hands-on experience, which helps them develop a thorough understanding of the Fashion Industry. Meet a few of our faculty members below, or view all our faculty members. >
With over 20 years of experience in the retail industry, Stephanie has worked for Saks Fifth Avenue, Valentino, Giorgio Armani, Tory Burch, and Derek Lam. This background has provided her with a vast knowledge of retail buying, planning, and merchandising from both the perspectives of a department store and vertical retailer.
Rebecca M. Brown is a senior professional lecturer of fashion merchandising. She is an innovative merchandising executive specializing in footwear, handbag, fashion accessory lines, merchandising and brand development. She spent 20 years building a career and reputation as a highly accomplished industry expert.
Jennifer Finn came to Marist in 2008 with 15 years of retail industry career experience, such as regional manager, area sales manager, merchandise manager, and small business owner; having worked with companies such as Filene’s Department Stores, Bloomingdale’s, and Liz Claiborne. Her strong background in retail merchandising business strategies brings real-world experience to the classroom.
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