Merchandising

Career potential

Merchandising is an exciting and challenging field with national and international career opportunities in fashion-related textile, apparel and home furnishings industries. Merchandising encompasses the planning, developing, presenting and selling of fashion products and home furnishings in consumer-driven markets.

Merchandisers often work at a fast pace, buying or selling large inventories of fashionable products and home furnishings. A growing emphasis on private-label brands offers opportunities for graduates to become involved in product development.

A merchandising degree can help prepare you for many positions in fashion-related industries.

• Store manager in retail store operations - overseeing the operations of a large retail outlet and directing a staff of managers and sales associates. Career opportunities extend to catalog and electronic retailers and other non-store retail formats.
• Sales representative in wholesale - assisting retailers with merchandise assortments and managing inventory for a retail chain
• Supplier to retail stores - selling an apparel or accessory line for the manufacturer
• Quality control and product development - creating and bringing innovative products into the market

The University of North Texas' merchandising program is recognized as one of the most comprehensive in the region and nation. The merchandising division was the recipient of the American Textile Manufacturers Institute Award for Excellence for innovative and exemplary programs and research. Graduates have worked as merchandisers for companies such as The Bombay Co., Fossil, J.C. Penney Co. Inc., The Limited, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Target, Tuesday Morning and Zale Corp.

UNT's Career Center can help you prepare to pursue your career. The center has information about jobs and employers, and the staff can help you with resume and letter writing, job search strategies and interview preparation.

In addition, professional development events, such as the annual Merchandising Expo, bring recruiters from major fashion and home furnishings companies to campus to talk with you about career opportunities.

Majoring in merchandising

Apparel, merchandising and textile courses will allow you to critically analyze merchandising strategies as they relate to the development, distribution, evaluation and use of fashion-oriented products. Bachelor's degree programs are available in merchandising, home furnishings merchandising and electronic merchandising.

As a merchandising major, you will take courses in consumer studies, textiles, fashion theory and trend analysis, brand development, promotion, global issues and merchandising math.

Courses taken by home furnishings merchandising majors include decorative accessories merchandising, advanced computer-aided design applications, estimating for home furnishings, survey of historic and contemporary styles, and merchandising ventures, among many other innovative classes.

Electronic merchandising is an interdisciplinary degree that draws course work from merchandising, cognition and technology, journalism, and business. It will prepare you to be a merchandiser of web sites and to serve as the link between consumers and information technology specialists.

In addition, you must complete 18 hours of course work in business administration, including courses in accounting, management, marketing and retailing.

Merchandising faculty members work closely with the Dallas-Fort Worth fashion industry to tailor the programs to meet the needs of the profession. The Executive-in-Residence program brings merchandising executives to the school for lectures and meetings with students. In addition to taking courses on campus, you may earn 3 hours of credit through a merchandising study tour. Class destinations include New York City and Dallas where you can tour showrooms, manufacturing facilities, retail establishments, museums and significant historical structures. Study abroad programs, in places such as Hong Kong, China and Malaysia will offer you international exposure to the fashion industry.

Getting hands-on experience

The School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management will require you to complete an internship in your field of study. Each semester, students intern with retail organizations, apparel and home furnishings showrooms, and other industry related organizations.

You might intern with a large department store or a specialty retailer to learn about retailing, a quality-assurance center to learn how soft goods are tested and evaluated, or a manufacturing or wholesale company to learn about these channels of distribution. The flexibility offered through an online course will allow you to complete your internship anywhere in the world.

Upon completion of 12 semester hours at UNT with at least a 2.5 GPA, you may work in a job related to your major through UNT's office of Cooperative Education and Internships. You may earn academic credit and money and gain valuable work experience. Co-op employers pay extremely well, and the jobs usually last several semesters, often until graduation.

More than 800 employers work with the office to provide excellent learning opportunities, many of which become permanent full-time positions upon graduation. The office also assists with placing students in internships, which last for one full semester or summer.

Preparing for UNT

If you are a high school student, we suggest you prepare for college by becoming computer proficient and taking:

• English … 4 years
• Math … 4 years
• Social science – economics, geography, government, history … 4 years
• Science … 3 years
• Foreign language … 3 years
• Fine arts … 1 year

You will need to take courses in most of these subjects under the university core curriculum required of all undergraduates, in addition to your major courses. Talk with your high school counselor about preparing for college, including the entrance exams (SAT Reasoning Test or ACT) that you should take during your junior year.

As a benefit for transfer students, UNT participates in the Texas Common Course Numbering System. This system makes it easier to transfer credits for general academic courses from one Texas institution to another.

If you're attending a Texas community college, you should consult the UNT Transfer Guide, the UNT Undergraduate Catalog and an academic counselor to discuss your degree plan. Proper planning will help you receive the maximum amount of transfer credits.

You may declare a major in merchandising immediately upon enrolling at UNT.

Charting your path with academic advising

You must attend an orientation for the School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management, held at about the same time as university orientation for new students or during registration at the start of each semester. Academic counselors serve as primary advisors to students. Check with the university admissions office for a schedule of freshman and transfer student orientations.

The School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management's main office is in Chilton Hall, Room 331.

Curious about courses you'll take in this major? See a sample degree plan.