The purpose of Family & Consumer Science is to prepare students to work with people as counselors, leaders and educators. Through a broad base of courses and an in-depth area of specialization, students are prepared to design, produce, and market goods and services that ultimately affect the quality of people's lives.
Graduates serve the needs of people by providing clothing resources and consumer information necessary to make information decisions by selecting clothing which:
The broad academic base provided by this program allows graduates to be flexible in career choices allowing for greater opportunities in career changes or continue educational pursuits. There is considerable overlap among jobs in the industry and a broad educational base facilitates making it easy to transform career positions as opportunities and interests arise. For example, some graduates have worked as buyers for several years then accepted positions as designers or positions in product development. One graduate was employed as a textile specialist for Dupont in New York City, then relocated to Seattle and is now highly successful sa a fabrication specialist for Young Men's & Boys with Generra Sports.
The clothing and textiles industry is a dynamic field, fast paced, global in scope and complex. It is exciting working in a profession which deals with people's physical and aesthetic clothing needs and is influenced by social, political and economic developments. The Clothing & Textiles specialization trains graduates to succeed in a wide variety of career opportunities: apparel design, merchandising and marketing, textile technology, advertising and promotion, and product development.
Graduates from this program hold positions as apparel designers with apperal companies, custom apperal designers, product developers in retail and manufacturing, general merchandisers in apperal manufacturing, retail buyers, managers in retail, image consultants, artistic directors, accounts executives with advertising agencies, freelance advertising agents, fashion industry and changing career opportunities allows professionals to maintain an interesting and rewarding professional life.
As "Visiting Students" it is possible for students enrolled full time at Seattle Pacific University, and in good academic standing, to earn both an Associate of Arts degree from SPU by double counting course work. General Education Requirements taken at SPU are transfered to fulfill those required at FIT; course work taken at FIT transfers back to fulfill total credit requirements for graduation at SPU. Students choosing to graduate from SPU before attending FIT degree upon completion at FIT.
FIT offers the following one-year programs in which SPU students or graduates can participate:
Students majoring in Textiles, Clothing & Interiors with emphases in Fashion Merchandising and Apparel Design at Seattle Pacific University have opportunities to earn upper-division academic credit through Cooperative Education with a local business or agency in a field related to their chosen area of study.
The interns spend a minimum od one quarter (10 weeks), working approximately 15 to 20 hours. Those who wish to participate must have a minimum GPA of 3.00 and be a junior or senior.
The Cooperative Education experience benefits the students and the sponsoring agency. Students gain the advantage of having top professionals in their field serve as mentors and role models, learn professional standards of behavior, and gain a realistic view of how the apparel industry functions. In return for guiding and supervising interns, the sponsoring agency benefits from students' enthusiasm, energy, and creativity. Many employers are eager to accept interns because it provides an opportunity to observe a student's ability and potential as a future employee, thus reducing recruiting and training costs.
Interns can take responsibility for special projects, such as researching market trends, organizing an event, or preparing publications. They can provide assistance during peak business periods, for example, during market week or the beginning of a new season. Students value the commitment of the agency, and treats the internship with the same responsibility one would give a professional job.
At the end of the Cooperative Education experience, the student and sponsoring agency will be basked to complete evaluation forms rating the experience and student's performance. This assists the faculty advisor in determining the student's grade.
Students in Textiles, Clothing & Interiors at Seattle Pacific University have worked with the major business in the Puget Sound area. Some of these include:
Manufacturing (in merchandising, design and production)
Pacific Trail
Shah Safari
Seattle Pacific Interiors
International News
Generra
Helly Hanson
Fast Clothes
Fade-In
| Bon Marche | . | . | Advertising & Promotions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| - fashion office | . | . | Edelstein Associates | |
| -training / Development | . | . | April Sceles Promotions | |
| -Merchandising | . | . | Kit's Cameras | |
| -advertising | . | . | . | |
| Nordstrom | . | . | Designing | |
| - sales industries | . | . | Union Bay | |
| - alterations | . | . | Shah Safari | |
| -corporate medical | . | . | Bodywear | |
| Victoria's Secret | . | . | Eddie Bauer | |
| Sbocco | . | . | . | . |
| Manufacturer's Representatives | ||||
| Lollie Norman & Associates | ||||
| Jones of New York | ||||
| Steven Lieppman & Associates | ||||
| M'Lady of California | ||||
Textiles and clothing students must take a minimum of 20 credits from the following electives to define an area of specialization in FASHION BUYING and MERCHANDISING or APPAREL DESIGN: FCS 2110,3820, 3841, 4820, 4840, 4841, 4845, 4850, 4931, 4940.
Students in the textiles and clothing program who have maintained a satisfactory grade point may select from eight additional specializations if they choose to participate in a liasion program with the FASHION INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY in New York City. Those students who choose the FIT option must work closely with their advisor in selecting courses which may best prepare them for their chosen major. Specializations offered through the liaison program with FIT include: Accessories, design, advertising, and communication, advertising design, apparel production management, fashion design, fashion buying and merchandising, textile/suface design, or textile development and marketing.
FCS 1810 SURVEY APPAREL INDUSTRIES (3) Surveys the designing production, merchandising, marketing, and promotion of apparel goods and examine the interrelationship of each level of the fashion industry. Career options inherent in various areas of the industry emphasized.
FCS 1810 READY-TO-WEAR EVALUATION (3) Provides lnowledge and skills to evaluate the construction of apparel items found in the ready-to-wear industry. Presents nasic clothing construction principles: emphasizes quality, price and function.
FCS 2110 FASHION ILLISTRATION (3)