Fashion Design Management

The Fashion Design Management curriculum is interdisciplinary, with a mixture of classes in the FSAD Department and other departments. This allows some flexibility in scheduling. However, some foundation classes in FSAD are prerequisites for later courses, and so must be taken in the first semester.

During the first semester all Fashion Design Management students are expected to take the same courses. However, the schedule will vary after the first year, depending on the track you choose to follow. Therefore the decision as to which track to follow will not need to be made until the end of the first year. The tracks within Option two are as follows:

• Marketing and Management

This track will provide the student with a stronger background in business management and marketing, for those whose goal is the management side (as opposed to the design side) of Apparel business operations.

• Product Development

This track incorporates a core of studio apparel design courses, combined with the Fashion Design management core curriculum It is intended for students who are interested in a career in design management, or perhaps in design but with a strong management foundation.

• Communications

This track is for students who are interested in thinking and writing about fashion. These students may be heading for a career in advertising, fashion journalism, or perhaps graduate work in the history or theory of dress.

You will find that your classes at Cornell are very demanding. Therefore, although you may register for up to 18 credits, we strongly recommend that you limit your enrollment to the list of required classes, and other courses up to no more than 16 credits, for this first semester. The minimum number of credits that can be taken to remain in good standing is 12 credits. Keep in mind that if you find that you are overloaded, it is quite acceptable to drop a non- required course during the first part of the semester. Deadlines for adding and dropping courses will be provided later.

The following classes are required during fall semester for all Freshmen in Option II:

Freshman writing seminar (3cr) (both writing seminars must be completed during the freshman year to remain in good academic standing)
FSAD 1250 Art, Design, & Visual Thinking (3)
FSAD 1350 Fibers, Fabrics & Finishes (3)
FSAD 1360 Fibers, Fabrics & Finishes Lab (1)

The following classes are recommended for all Freshmen in Option I:
Psych 1101 or HD 1150 or HD 1170 (3cr)
Econ 1110 (Hum Ec Requirement) (3)
Physical Education (1) (2 credits to be completed, preferably the freshman year)

The following documents include the entire set of course requirements for this degree:
2012-13 Option II curriculum
2012-13 Option II curriculum scheduling worksheets for 
         Track I Management and Marketing
         Track II Product Development
         Track III Communications