Fashion, Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) with a concentration in fashion merchandising

Special requirements

Degree requirements for Fashion, Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) with a concentration in fashion merchandising

The minimum number of credit hours required for this degree is 120.

Note: Internships are not required but are strongly recommended. FASH 493 may range from one to six credits.

What follows is a sample plan that meets the prescribed requirements within a four-year course of study at VCU. Please contact your adviser before beginning course work toward a degree.

Freshman year
Fall semester		Hours
ARTH 103	Survey of Art I	3
FASH 120	Introduction to the Fashion Industry	3
FASH 145	Technology in Fashion Merchandising	3
UNIV 111 Play course video for Introduction to Focused Inquiry: Investigation and Communication	Introduction to Focused Inquiry: Investigation and Communication (satisfies general education UNIV foundations)	3
General education course		3
	Term Hours:	15
Spring semester
ARTH 104	Survey of Art II	3
FASH 250	Concepts of the Fashion Industry	3
UNIV 112 Play course video for Focused Inquiry II	Focused Inquiry II (satisfies general education UNIV foundations)	3
General education course		3
General education course		3
	Term Hours:	15
Sophomore year
Fall semester
FASH 290	Textiles for the Fashion Industry	3
MKTG 301	Marketing Principles	3
UNIV 200	Advanced Focused Inquiry: Literacies, Research and Communication	3
General education course		3
Open elective		3
	Term Hours:	15
Spring semester
BUSN 162	Digital Literacy: Spreadsheets Skills I	1
FASH 319	Fashion History: The Modern Era	3
FASH 341	Merchandise Planning and Control	3
General education course		3
General education course		3
Open elective		2
	Term Hours:	15
Junior year
Fall semester
FASH 342	Retail Buying Simulation	3
FASH 343	Fashion Forecasting	3
Design history elective		3
Fashion elective		3
General education course		3
	Term Hours:	15
Spring semester
ACCT 202	Accounting for Non-business Majors	3
BUSN 323	Legal Environment of Business	3
FASH 380	Fashion Branding	3
FASH 443	Fashion Management and Leadership Development	3
Marketing elective (MKTG)		3
	Term Hours:	15
Senior year
Fall semester
FASH 340	Merchandising Portfolio	3
FASH 440	Line Development Studio	3
Marketing elective (MKTG)		6
Open elective		3
	Term Hours:	15
Spring semester
FASH 445	Fashion Entrepreneurship (capstone)	3
FASH 451	Importing and Exporting Fashion	3
Marketing elective (MKTG)		3
Open electives		6
	Term Hours:	15
	Total Hours:	120

Accelerated B.A. and M.S.

The accelerated B.A. and M.S. program allows qualified students to earn both the B.A. in Fashion with a concentration in fashion merchandising and M.S. in Business with a concentration in marketing management in a minimum of five years by completing up to 12 credit hours of approved graduate courses during the senior year of their undergraduate program. Students in the program may count up to three credit hours of graduate courses toward both the B.A. and M.S. degrees. Thus, the two degrees may be earned with a minimum of 147 credits rather than the 150 credits necessary if the two degrees are pursued separately.

In their senior year students would also take up to nine credit hours of graduate-level foundations courses, which are prerequisites for the graduate program.

Students holding these degrees will be very competitive due to the combined knowledge and skills in marketing, culture and business and will be well prepared for success in an increasingly global marketplace.

Entrance to the accelerated program

Interested undergraduate students should consult with their adviser as early as possible to receive specific information about the accelerated program, determine academic eligibility and submit (no later than two semesters prior to graduating with a baccalaureate degree, that is, before the end of the spring semester of their junior year) an Accelerated Program Declaration Form to be approved by the graduate program director. Limited spaces may be available in the accelerated program. Academically qualified students may not receive approval if capacity has been reached.

Minimum qualifications for entrance to this accelerated program include completion of 90 undergraduate credit hours and an overall GPA of 3.25. Students who do not meet the minimum GPA requirements may submit GRE scores to receive further consideration.

Once enrolled in the accelerated program, students must meet the standards of performance applicable to graduate students as described in the “Satisfactory academic progress” section of the Graduate Bulletin, including maintaining a 3.0 GPA. Guidance to students admitted to the accelerated program is provided by both the undergraduate School of the Arts adviser and the faculty adviser to the graduate program.

Admission to the graduate program

Entrance to the accelerated program enables the student to take the approved shared courses that will apply to the undergraduate and graduate degrees. However, entry into an accelerated program via an approved Accelerated Program Declaration Form does not constitute application or admission into the graduate program. Admission to the graduate program requires a separate step that occurs through a formal application to the master’s program, which is submitted through Graduate Admissions no later than a semester prior to graduation with the baccalaureate degree, that is, before the end of the fall semester of the senior year. In order to continue pursuing the master’s degree after the baccalaureate degree is conferred, accelerated students must follow the admission to graduate study requirements outlined in the VCU Bulletin.

Degree requirements

The Bachelor of Arts in Fashion degree will be awarded upon completion of a minimum of 120 credits and the satisfactory completion of all undergraduate degree requirements as stated in the Undergraduate Bulletin.

A maximum of 12 graduate credits may be taken prior to completion of the baccalaureate degree. Three of these credits, MKTG 672, are shared with the graduate program, meaning that they will be applied to both undergraduate and graduate degree requirements.

The graduate business courses that may be taken as an undergraduate once a student is admitted to the program — and how they apply — are shown in the table below.

Recommended course sequence/plan of study

What follows is the recommended plan of study for students interested in the accelerated program beginning in the fall of the junior year prior to admission to the accelerated program in the senior year.