The close-knit studio environment where BGSU AMPD students learn and create was specially built for their highly collaborative needs.

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

Minor 

Fashion Merchandising and Product Development

If the fashion merchandising world excites you, the fashion merchandising and product development program will give you the professional skills to succeed in fashion.

BGSU graduates work in every area of the global fashion industry, from textile supply to apparel product development, CAD design and brand representation. You'll work alongside our highly respected and nationally ranked faculty who focus on your education and personal growth.

The business of fashion

On campus, you’ll build professional skills specific to fashion merchandising and product development: apparel buying, styling, product line conception and analysis of trends – all in a specialized studio area on the Ohio campus.

Off campus, you will be encouraged (and assisted) to visit fashion hubs everywhere from Columbus, Ohio, Chicago and New York City to Paris, London, Milan, Tel Aviv and Sydney. You’ll also have the opportunity to study at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. 

Experienced faculty within the program will advise and mentor you every step of the way toward success in the business of fashion.

You will have the option of minoring in marketing in our nationally ranked Schmidthorst College of Business or studying in New York City, where BGSU FMPD students have a 98% acceptance rate at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Internships and careers

Graduates of the BGSU FMPD program are prized for their broad knowledge of professional apparel development processes and for their creativity and problem-solving abilities. 

Our students complete two internships with merchants, product developers and retailers at store and corporate levels globally, meaning that you will graduate with at least two professional experiences. 

Top-level employers recognize the strength of this program and seek out BGSU students for jobs and internships. Students have gone on to work for companies including Express, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Victoria’s Secret, Coach, Loft and Columbia Sportswear Co., to name a few.

Career paths

  • Merchandise buyer
  • Visual merchandiser
  • Product developer
  • Fashion stylist
  • Textile manager

Quick Facts from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

View Average Salaries

“This program gave me a solid foundation for my work today. Supplementing an FMPD degree with courses in entrepreneurship and marketing is a great way to stay ahead of the ever-changing retail environment.”

- Barrett Evans ’06

Leadership Institute Director, Macy’s

Curriculum

The fashion merchandising and product development (FMPD) program at Bowling Green State University is a comprehensive degree program that prepares future professionals for exciting, challenging and fast-paced careers in the fashion industry. 

By the end of a major or minor degree in the program, you will understand the process and mathematical calculations used to plan and control profits and inventories in the global textile and apparel business. Our cutting-edge fashion design, merchandising and production courses will equip you with the technical skills involved in the modern apparel product development processes. From anticipating consumer demand, product development, merchandising, production planning and management, and selection of textile and apparel products, and notably, the use of technology in all these steps.  

You will graduate from this college degree course with an understanding of the relationship between culturally diverse consumers of fashion and the ability to use the consumer behavior process to achieve success in the apparel business. 

Required courses

Criminal Justice

Sample courses

  • Computers for Apparel Products
  • Product Development Studio
  • Consumer Analysis in Fashion
  • Twentieth Century Fashion
  • Omni-Channel Retailing
  • Visual Merchandising
  • Technical Design

Student technology guide

The Fashion Merchandising and Product Development (FMPD) lab space provides each student with a workstation and monitor. Students are expected to bring their own laptops and connect to the monitor in the FMPD lab for design work. Students will be advised when to purchase a subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop and Illustrator) to be used in specific classes. FMPD students may use a PC or Mac laptop, but Chromebooks are not recommended. Please follow the BGSU ITS Recommended Minimum Hardware guide when purchasing a laptop.

National Retail Federation Student Association

The close-knit FMPD student body is heavily involved in the BGSU student association branch of the world’s largest retail trade association, the National Retail Federation. Affiliation brings students several benefits, and gives you an advantage with retail recruiters.

Benefits include discounted attendance at Retail’s BIG show in New York City, membership of the Association’s LinkedIn student group and eligibility for several scholarships. 

BGSU College of Education and Human Development

The Apparel Merchandising and Product Development program is part of the School of Family and Consumer Sciences in the BGSU College of Education and Human Development

Updated: 12/11/2023 11:21AM