Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors

The faculty members in Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors department have teaching and research experience in many areas. We offer a diverse program which covers all aspects of textiles, fashion merchandising and interiors.

The mission of the department is to:

Create undergraduate curricula that are educationally sound, and that build on the liberal arts basis of the University of Georgia core curriculum.
Build on the core curriculum, educate undergraduate students in their professional area, and provide them with the base of knowledge that will allow them well-qualified entry into the work force.
Educate graduate students to seek and assimilate research knowledge in their professional area, and to conduct original, meaningful research.
Conduct research that has an impact in both basic and applied areas of knowledge; ensure that the results of this research are made known in an effective way to academia, and to business and industry.
Interact with business and industry to assist them in solving problems; provide for the transfer of technology and research results to outside users.

TMI Academic Programs

Fashion Merchandising
The Fashion Merchandising major, offered through the Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, is designed to provide students with a basic understanding of merchandising related to the apparel and textile industry. The program emphasizes the skills and competencies needed for careers that include retailing, management and fashion promotion. Students enroll in approximately 9-12 hours of courses in the Terry College of Business. Additional courses include Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, Marketing, Advertising and Consumer Behavior. Courses in the fashion merchandising core include: Retail Planning and Buying, Fashion Image Development and Promotion, Apparel Quality Analysis and Retailing Apparel and Textiles. In addition to specific business and merchandising courses, majors enroll in Textiles, Apparel Quality Analysis, Apparel and Textile Economics, Textile Testing, and Historic Costume. Guest speakers, field trips and study tours permit students to have contact with business and industry professionals. Qualified students may gain additional professional experiences through an internship.

The opportunities for employment are varied and depend upon the student's interest and abilities. Careers are available in retailing as buyer, manager, fashion coordinator, market research; in promotion as display coordinator, public relations director, advertising manager; in wholesaling as manufacturing representative, showroom sales associate and in apparel and textile manufacturing as sales associate, piece goods buyer, merchandising manager, or in market research.

Furnishings and Interiors
The undergraduate curriculum in Furnishings and Interiors focuses primarily on residential design problems and solutions. The program, offered through the Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors, gives the student an excellent background in textiles and their end use performance characteristics which are essential in the residential field. There is a portfolio review for this major, which must be successfully passed, and a requirement to complete ARST 1050 and/or 1060 and CHEM 1110/1110L. Course offerings in the major include: Residential Interiors and Furnishings, Residential Design, Interior Perspective and Media, Historic Homes and Furnishings, Accessories for the Home, Contemporary Home Furnishings, Fabrics for Interiors, Residential Interiors and Economic Resources, Residential Lighting, Residential Design Practices, and Computer Aided Residential Design.

Speakers, field trips and study tours permit students to have contact with professional interior designers as well as the home furnishings industry. The department maintains drafting facilities and a resource room with samples for student use. Opportunities for employment are numerous and varied. Graduates may obtain positions in design, furniture and office supply stores, architects' and contractors' furnishings, showrooms in marketing centers and as manufacturer's representatives.