College of Behavioral and Health Sciences

Fashion Studies

Fashion Studies

Earn your B.S. in Fashion Studies at MTSU. Choose a concentration in Apparel Design or Fashion Merchandising. On campus in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

MTSU offers the only apparel design program at a public university in Tennessee.

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Three MTSU Fashion Studies students and faculty are gathered around a dress form in a design studio, closely examining a vintage-style blue velvet dress with cream-colored satin sleeves. On the left, a woman with dark hair and arm tattoos leans in to look at the fabric. In the center, a woman with reddish-brown hair and orange-rimmed glasses observes the process. On the right, a man in a dark blazer and glasses adjusts the garment on the mannequin. The background is filled with rows of organized grey storage boxes and shelving units.

Fashion Studies, Apparel Design Concentration, B.S.

The Apparel Design concentration prepares students for entry-level positions in the growing area of design, pattern making, manufacturing, and sourcing.

Fashion designers work in wholesale or manufacturing establishments, apparel companies, retailers, theater or dance companies, and design firms.

What you’ll do

Apparel designers take a garment from concept to finished product. Day-to-day responsibilities may include:

  • Research fashion, lifestyle, and consumer trends
  • Design garments and collections
  • Select colors, fabrics, notions, and trims
  • Create patterns, technical drawings, and specifications
  • Construct and fit final garment designs
  • Source materials, producers, and suppliers
  • Oversee garment production
  • Communicate and negotiate with manufacturers

What you’ll study

  • Apparel construction
  • Patternmaking
  • Computer-aided design (CAD)
  • Fashion illustration
  • Textiles
  • Fashion forecasting
  • Product development

Career opportunities

Graduates pursue entry-level roles including:

  • Assistant Apparel Designer
  • Fashion Designer
  • Fashion Forecaster
  • Fit Specialist
  • Patternmaker
  • Personal Stylist
  • Product Development Specialist
  • Sourcing Agent
  • Technical Designer
An MTSU Fashion Studies student with long reddish-brown hair and glasses stands in a design studio, carefully adjusting a historical-style outfit on a dress form. She is wearing blue denim overalls over a long-sleeved blue shirt. The dress form is styled with a white lace blouse featuring a high ruffled collar, paired with a dark velvet blazer and a dark skirt. In the background, shelves are lined with numerous grey storage boxes..

Fashion Studies, Fashion Merchandising Concentration, B.S.

The Fashion Merchandising concentration focuses on the business functions of promoting and selling fashion in the retail sector, including coordination with design, production, and retail operations in the manufacturing sector.

Fashion merchandisers work in wholesale, manufacturing, and retailing for apparel companies.

What you’ll do

Merchandisers connect products to customers through buying, planning, and marketing. Day-to-day responsibilities include:

  • Plan, buy, and sell fashion products
  • Analyze fashion, lifestyle, and consumer trends
  • Select product quantities and set prices to maximize sales
  • Develop marketing campaigns
  • Monitor sales and adjust inventories
  • Negotiate with suppliers
  • Design and set up retail displays, both in-store and online

What you’ll study

  • Fashion branding
  • Fashion buying
  • Computer-aided design (CAD)
  • Textiles
  • Fashion forecasting
  • Product Development

Career opportunities

Graduates pursue entry-level roles including:

  • Fashion merchandising
  • Fashion product development
  • Fashion merchandising and planning
  • Textile and apparel sourcing
  • Fashion marketing and management
  • Fashion entrepreneurship
  • Personal styling
  • Visual merchandising
A close-up, shallow-depth-of-field shot of a white Bernina serger sewing machine sitting on a worktable. Large spools of white thread are mounted on the machine, with threads extending upward. In the blurred background, several students are active in a bright fashion design studio, with white dress forms standing to the left and workstations visible throughout the room.

Minor

Annual Runway Show

Fashion Studies students put their work on a runway once a year in a student-run production that has been a program tradition for more than 20 years.

More than 150 students take part each year, including designers, models, and members of the technical and promotional teams. The event is also open to volunteers across campus, making it one of the more visible student productions at MTSU.

FASH 4240 – Fashion Show Production

The show is organized through a Fashion Studies course covering the full development, promotion, and production process behind a fashion show. Students work in committees handling finance, production, promotion, model coordination, and garment logistics, with coursework focused on brand promotion, social media, digital marketing, and event modeling.

Faculty

Fashion Studies students work with faculty who bring professional and research backgrounds in apparel design, textiles, and fashion merchandising.

Dr. Lauren E Rudd

Director

Dr. Frederick Steven Cottle

Professor

Dr. Jasmin Kwon

Professor

Dr. Gina Pisut

Professor

Ready to get started?

Whether you’re a high school senior, a transfer student, or looking at graduate programs, your next step is simple. Apply to MTSU or visit campus to see the department in person. Once you’re admitted, our CBHS academic advisors will help you plan your coursework and stay on track from your first semester through graduation.

Apply to MTSU
Schedule a campus visit