Combining Fashion and International Business Gives Berkeley College Student an Edge
Joshua Haynes has an ambitious career goal. He plans to open a high-end international boutique with the headquarters in his native Philadelphia and smaller branches scattered throughout the world. As the first step to achieving this goal, Mr. Haynes is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Marketing and Management with a minor in International Business at Berkeley College in Midtown Manhattan.
“I chose to study fashion and marketing at Berkeley College because I wanted to learn both the creative and the business side of the industry,” said Mr. Haynes, a freshman who is currently interning with stylist Patricia Ann Parenti and with the The Daily Front Row. “The International Business minor is perfect for me as I will be learning about international trade.”
Berkeley College launched the International Business minor in partnership with the Fashion Marketing and Management program this year. It is the first of several formal minors that the college plans to launch in an effort to broaden job prospects for its graduates.
“Berkeley College understands that fashion is a global industry so it is a logical extension to introduce this minor into the Fashion Marketing and Management program,” said Guy Adamo, PhD, Chair, Fashion, Larry L. Luing School of Business®. “This new program will give fashion students a deeper perspective into the global marketplace and additional merchandising career opportunities.”
The new degree program with this minor encompasses the same number of credits as Berkeley College’s popular Fashion Marketing and Management program which is still offered at the College. However, the new program combines fashion and international business classes. Fashion students enrolled in the minor program are required to take a total of 20 credits, including three international business courses and two foreign language courses in the same language.
Outside the classroom, students make valuable global contacts and gain hands-on experience while volunteering behind-the-scenes at the annual New York City Mercedez-Benz Fashion Week and Couture Fashion Week. Mr. Haynes had the opportunity to volunteer at both events this year.
“It was a terrific networking experience – I came away with 25 business cards – and I got my internship position from contacts I made at one of the shows,” Mr. Haynes said.
Mariela Torres, Senior Director, Career Services, said that students who combine Fashion Marketing and Management with International Business have a competitive advantage when seeking job opportunities within the fashion industry. “A lot of the major designers are overseas. Students going into areas such as wholesale merchandising or product development will be heavily involved in developing product lines and finding vendors outside the United States,” Ms. Torres said.
The views and/or opinions in this article are those of the individuals interviewed. The academic achievements and/or employment outcomes described in this article are specific to each individual and are not a guarantee of similar results for past or current students. For up-to-date and detailed information, please visit BerkeleyCollege.edu and view our catalogs at BerkeleyCollege.edu/publications.
