Fashion Merchandising and Management Bachelor of Business Administration Degree (B.B.A.)

Not all programs are offered for completion at each campus or through Berkeley College Online®. Please review the academic program pages (https://berkeleycollege.edu/academics/index.html) for information on where each program is offered. Additionally, all students may be required to take some courses at another campus or online. The Internship courses are only offered online.

PROGRAM LEARNING OBJECTIVES

SAMPLE PROGRAM SEQUENCE

Course Requirements

MAJOR CORE COURSES

FAS1101 Introduction to the Fashion Business

3 Credits

Provides an overview of the fashion industry and its global reach, familiarizing students with fashion history and milestones, key business categories within fashion, including women's, men's, and children's ready-to-wear, plus consumer behaviors, marketing, product development and retail sales. Various related fashion careers and opportunities are explored. Current events in the industry are discussed and ethical issues in the industry examined.

FAS2230 Fashion Textiles for Apparel and Home

3 Credits

Provides an overview of the textiles industry. Students acquire the basic knowledge of fibers, yarns, cloth construction, finishes, and embellishments necessary to determine quality and to make appropriate fabric choices for contemporary fashion apparel and home furnishings. Students learn principles of sustainability as they relate to textile development, manufacturing, and reuse.

FAS2245 Merchandise Planning and Buying

3 Credits

Provides an overview of contemporary inventory control systems, sales records, and projections. Students learn the retail method of inventory, how to read operating statements, techniques for planning, and formulas to determine mark-ups, markdowns, open-to-buy, and terms of sales.

FAS2222 Product Development*

3 Credits

Provides an overview of how color, fiber, and style trends are determined, researched, and analyzed to develop fashion products appropriate to a brand’s unique selling proposition and target market. Students examine the product development process, learn product lifecycle management fundamentals, develop a product line, and apply strategies to achieve profitability.

Prerequisites: FAS1101 and FAS2230

*This course replaces FAS2261

FAS3335 Omni-Channel Retail Management

3 Credits

This course provides an in-depth analysis of omni-channel retailing. Students learn to develop and manage a layered, digitally connected and coordinated shopping experience across channels, including brick and mortar, catalog, e-commerce, and mobile with a focus on a customer-centric experience. Students learn to identify effective interactive marketing strategies, including social media and search engine optimization.

Prerequisites: FAS2222*, MKT2220

FAS3365 Interactive Fashion Communication

3 Credits

Provides an overview on communicating a consistent fashion brand across multiple channels to a target consumer. Students will learn how to develop and create engaging brand experiences, promotions, and content through writing, photography, video, 3D displays, and brand partnerships.

Prerequisites: MKT2220, FAS2222*

FAS4110 Fashion Innovation & Digital Transformation*

3 Credits

Innovation in digitization is transforming the fashion industry from design to distribution. This course examines how to remodel fashion’s traditional systems and strategies through radical change and disruption. It explores the process of broadening digital transformation to accommodate new and longstanding challenges that have shifted the fashion industry’s course towards a more digital and sustainable future. The fundamental works regarding innovation management, changes in consumer demands, and market behavior with digital solutions that revolutionize the process will be explored. Through research and case studies, students will identify the best strategies for organizational transformation, e-commerce, social media, social commerce, and Artificial Intelligence. Students will be able to assess and analyze these technologies and their related developments, address changing values with digital transformation, and act in a strategic and project-oriented manner to explore the industry's necessity to adapt.

*Effective winter 2023. 

FAS4475 Fashion Innovation Capstone*

3 Credits

Utilizes skills learned in previous courses to develop a successful fashion business. Students analyze current market trends and activities, assess consumer needs, and develop sustainable products/services that will meet market demand. Students develop strategies to sell and promote their products/services competitively across multiple distribution and marketing channels.

Prerequisites: FAS2245, FAS2222*, FAS3335

*This course replaces FAS2261

GRD1101 Photoshop and Digital Graphics I*

3 Credits

In Photoshop and Digital Graphics I, students explore the role of designing visual graphics. With the introduction of Adobe Photoshop, digital concepts, processes, and creativity, the course focus is to create original graphics for promotion and marketing materials.

*Effective winter 2023. 

GRD1102 Illustrator and Digital Graphics II*

3 Credits

A continuation from Photoshop and Digital Graphics I. In this course, students will explore Photoshop and image manipulation techniques. We will introduce Adobe Illustrator for the use of print, and web services, original graphics for artboards, and marketing materials.

Prerequisite: GRD1101 

*Effective winter 2023. 

Fashion Electives*- 3 Credits

BUSINESS CORE COURSES

ACC1111 Financial Accounting I

3 Credits

Introduces the basic structure of accounting terminology and procedures of a business organization. Students learn about recording and reporting functions, adjusting entries and closing entries, the preparation of financial statements, accounting for merchandising operations, valuation of inventories, purpose and significant features of internal controls, and preparation of bank reconciliation.

BUS2231 Business Law I

3 Credits

Provides students with detailed knowledge of the laws relating to contracts, commerce, property, sales, negotiable instruments, and employment. Students develop an awareness of business situations requiring legal counsel and a familiarization with the overall structure of the legal system.

BUS4483 Internship

3 Credits

Students work in a position related to their course of study while at the same time completing online course requirements – including focused online discussions and special online projects – that integrate the skills and knowledge learned through their degree program.

Prerequisite: Departmental permission

CIS1115 Computer Applications

3 Credits

Provides an introduction to computer technology with an emphasis on applications. Students learn to use software, such as Microsoft Windows, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

CIS2201 Advanced Spreadsheets

3 Credits

Provides students with experience using spreadsheet applications, such as Microsoft Excel. Topics include building complex worksheets; importing and exporting data; using mathematical, financial, and statistical functions; developing macros; consolidating spreadsheets; creating templates; and utilizing “what if” analyses.

Prerequisite: CIS1115

ECO2200 Principles of Economics

3 Credits

Introduces students to the core concepts and principles of microeconomics. Emphasis is on real-world applications from a personal, business, and governmental perspective. Topics include tradeoffs and opportunity costs, gains from specialization and trade, supply and demand, and the efficiency of markets.

FIN3302 Corporate Finance

3 Credits

Provides an overview of the fundamental principles relating to the study of finance, including theories and practices in financial management. Students become familiar with the financial organization and operation of a business. Topics include financial analysis, planning and control, budgeting and forecasting, and financing.

Prerequisites: ACC1111, MAT2215, and MAT2218

IBS2201 International Business

3 Credits

Explores the diverse environment, management concerns, financial issues, and marketing questions faced by international business organizations. Students gain a heightened global awareness as they seek the knowledge and skills needed to function competitively in an increasingly interdependent world.

MGT2220 Principles of Management

3 Credits

Examines operational theories of management under the functions of planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling. Emphasizes the manager’s role in creating and maintaining an internal environment for performance. Students discuss cases in detail.

MKT2220 Principles of Marketing

3 Credits

Provides an introduction to fundamental principles and practices in the marketing process, including a detailed study of each marketing mix tool (product, price, place, promotion), along with an introduction to marketing research, target marketing, SWOT construction and analysis, strategic marketing planning, and consumer behavior. This is the gateway course to the Marketing Communications Program.

 LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCE CORE COURSES

ENG1105 Writing and Research

3 Credits

An introduction to expository writing through a comprehensive survey of forms of composition. Students are taught to use words with precision and strengthen their understanding and application of grammatical and rhetorical principles. Students are encouraged to appreciate and incorporate the principles of academic and professional writing.

ENG2205 Writing Through Literature

3 Credits

Further develops the writing, reading, and interpretive abilities introduced in ENG1105 through critical engagement with literary texts from a myriad of genres.

Prerequisite: ENG1105

ENG2215 Public Speaking

3 Credits

Designed to help students improve oral communication skills. Emphasis is placed on identifying good and poor speech habits, techniques for improving speech, oral interpretation, effective speech planning and delivery, and interpersonal communication.

Prerequisite or Corequisite: ENG2205

ENG3316 The Confident Writer

3 Credits

Explores a wide variety of non-fiction writing genres, including personal profile, journalism, criticism, and more. Students build their reading, writing, and researching skills while also reinforcing the fundamental concepts and current developments associated with the areas of their respective majors.

Prerequisite: ENG2205

HUM2225 Introduction to Ethics

3 Credits

MAT2215 Statistics I

3 Credits

Introduces statistical methods and procedures. Students become acquainted with the collection, analysis, and presentation of quantitative data. Topics include basic concepts of probability, frequency distributions, binomial distributions, sampling theory, hypothesis testing, and regression and correlation.

SOC1123 First Year Experience

3 Credits

Explores the challenges students most frequently face in pursuing and achieving a college degree. Students will identify their own perceived challenges, share critical insights to meeting them, and implement their own plan of action to address and overcome such challenges.

SOC2231 Human Relations

3 Credits

Students will develop the interpersonal skills known to be key ingredients for successful everyday interactions with a focus on the challenges of workplace relationships involving coworkers, supervisors, and customers/clients. Some major skill areas covered in the course include making a good impression with your employer, managing conflict with difficult coworkers, working on a team with diverse groups of people, providing exceptional service for customers/clients, and managing on-the-job stressors.