Product Design Students produce a sample of one of their original designs in the Technical Design course.
ASSOCIATE OF ARTS
MERCHANDISE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
The Merchandise Product Development Program involves students in the process of conceptualizing, creating, producing, and delivering new products and services to consumers. The curriculum focuses on trend research, consumer and brand analysis, marketing, and product design and specifications. Students learn business and supply chain planning and gain practice creating new lines for established and start-up brands.
What Our Students Learn In our program, students learn how to analyze and apply trends in color, fabric, and style for design development, as well as the techniques to create specifications for how garments are made. They integrate cutting edge technology software solutions into all phases of the product development process and decision making.
Why FIDM Students live and breathe a brand in the classroom to prepare them for their careers. Speakers from top companies (think Zara, Topshop, 7 For All Mankind, TOMS Shoes, ModCloth, Revolve, and Louis Vuitton) come onsite for Q&A panels and lectures. Our field trips give behind-the-scenes tours of trend offices, working factories, and showrooms. Students graduate from the program having created a portfolio of work for a variety of companies, products, and brands.
[top left] Students do research to develop a seasonal merchandise plan; Class: Fashion Merchandising & Assortment Planning (top right) Students learn draping, patternmaking and fit through hands-on experience; Class: Technical Design (middle) Students go behind the scenes at major fashion brands on quarterly study tours (bottom) Students develop a full line of apparel or accessories for a brand of their choice; Class: Brand Portfolio Development; Student: Haritha Yadala
REQUIRED CLASSES FOR ASSOCIATE OF ARTS (A.A.) (for students without a prior college degree)
| GNST 1040 | English Composition | 3 |
| GNST 1200 | 20th Century Designers | 3 |
| GNST 1230 | Color & Design Theory | 3 |
| GNST 1450 | College Mathematics | 3 |
| GNST 1600 | Effective Speaking | 3 |
| GNST 1650 | Critical Thinking | 3 |
| GNST 2420 | Survey of Western Art II | 3 |
| GNST 2960 | American Political & Economic History | 3 |
| GNST 2980 | Professional Practices | 3 |
| MFTG 1400 | Apparel Process I (6 hours)* | 3 |
| MFTG 1700 | Apparel Process II (6 hours)* | 3 |
| MMKT 1550 | Marketing & Brand Development | 3 |
| MPDV 1500 | Product Development Fundamentals | 3 |
| MPDV 1750 | Trends & Fashion Forecasting | 3 |
| MPDV 1800 | Fundamentals of Sketching | 3 |
| MPDV 1850 | Digital Sketching & Rendering | 3 |
| MPDV 2100 | Fashion Merchandising & Assortment Planning | 3 |
| MPDV 2150 | Digital Presentation Applications | 3 |
| MPDV 2300 | Trend & Design Application | 3 |
| MPDV 2400 | Preproduction for Apparel | 3 |
| MPDV 2700 | Classification & Line Development | 3 |
| MPDV 2750 | Production & Sourcing Strategies | 3 |
| MPDV 2780 | Technical Design | 3 |
| MPDV 2800 | Advanced Preproduction | 3 |
| MPDV 2820 | Fashion Start-Up Strategies | 3 |
| MPDV 2850 | Brand Portfolio Development | 3 |
| TECH 1100 | Introduction to Adobe | 3 |
| TSCI 1440 | Textile Science | 3 |
| TSCI 1800 | Fabric Identification | 3 |
| TSCI 2100 | Textile Application & Color Management | 3 |
| Total Units of Credit | 90 |
REQUIRED CLASSES FOR PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATION (A.A.) (for students with a prior college degree)
| MFTG 1400 | Apparel Process I (6 hours)* | 3 |
| MFTG 1700 | Apparel Process II (6 hours)* | 3 |
| MPDV 1800 | Fundamentals of Sketching | 3 |
| MPDV 1850 | Digital Sketching & Rendering | 3 |
| MPDV 2100 | Fashion Merchandising & Assortment Planning | 3 |
| MPDV 2150 | Digital Presentation Applications | 3 |
| MPDV 2300 | Trend & Design Application | 3 |
| MPDV 2400 | Preproduction for Apparel | 3 |
| MPDV 2700 | Classification & Line Development | 3 |
| MPDV 2750 | Production & Sourcing Strategies | 3 |
| MPDV 2780MPDV 2800 | Technical Design –or–Advanced Preproduction | 3 |
| MPDV 2820 | Fashion Start-Up Strategies | 3 |
| MPDV 2850 | Brand Portfolio Development | 3 |
| TECH 1100 | Introduction to Adobe | 3 |
| TSCI 1440 | Textile Science | 3 |
| TSCI 1800 | Fabric Identification | 3 |
| TSCI 2100 | Textile Application & Color Management | 3 |
| Total Units of Credit | 51 |
*Three (3)-hour lab included in 6 hours
For important information about the completion rate, educational debt, and earnings of students who attended this program, go to fidm.edu/go/ge/mpd.