Become An Insider
Fashion Merchandising is the point at which fashion and business truly meet.
In class and through internships, you’ll learn how to identify trends, develop product lines, and understand what shapes buying behavior. Fashion merchandising combines creativity and a passion for fashion with an analytic business perspective.

Courses & Requirements
Program Overview
The Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Fashion Merchandising prepares students for a wide range of positions in fashion and fashion related industries. The curriculum provides a foundation of core courses in liberal arts and business, and includes many industry specific courses as well. Those enrolled in this program have the opportunity to choose a track in Retail Buying & Planning. The BBA degree is also an appropriate gateway to graduate studies. This program can be completed face-to-face or fully online.
College Core
Required Courses - 10 Credits
- FASH 1110 - Introduction to the Fashion Business credit(s): 3
- LIMS 1000 - First Year Experience credit(s): 1 or
credit(s): 1
- TECH 1310 - Business Spreadsheets credit(s): 3
- MRKT 1550 - Marketing credit(s): 3
General Education Requirements
Required Courses - 21 Credits
- COMM 1400 - Communicating Across Cultures credit(s): 3
- COMM 2010 - Critical Thinking: Reading, Writing and Research credit(s): 3
- COMM 2025 - Digital Culture in Business and Life credit(s): 3
- ENGL 1100 - English Composition credit(s): 3 or
credit(s): 3 and
credit(s): 2* or
credit(s): 3 or
credit(s): 3 and
credits(s): 2*
- ENGL 3110 - Global Themes for Writing credit(s): 3
- MATH 1300 - Introduction to Statistics credit(s): 3 or
credit(s): 3 and
credit(s): 2*
- MATH 2760 - Applied Data Analysis credit(s): 3
* Institutional credits - do not count toward total credit requirement
Required Courses - 13 Credits
- CARE 1300 - Internship Prep: Designing Your Career credit(s): 2
- CARE 1620 - Internship 1 credit(s): 2
- CARE 2620 - Internship 2 credit(s): 2
- CARE 4800 - Senior Co-op Prep: Launching Your Career credit(s): 1
- CARE 4820 - Senior Co-op credit(s): 6
Required Courses - 15 Credits
- ACCT 2700 - Accounting credit(s): 3
- BUSN 3310 - Business Law credit(s): 3
- ECON 2100 - Economics credit(s): 3
- FNCE 3410 - Finance credit(s): 3
- MNGT 2310 - Management credit(s): 3
Required Courses - 30 Credits
- FASH 1210 - Retailing: Global and Omni credit(s): 3
- FASH 2250 - Fabric for Fashion credit(s): 3
- FASH 2319 - Digital Tools for Fashion Presentations credit(s): 3
- FASH 2612 - Sustainability and the Future of Fashion credit(s): 3
- FASH 2710 - Applied Concepts in Merchandising credit(s): 3
- FASH 3250 - Product Development and Merchandising credit(s): 3
- FASH 3650 - Product Lifecycle Management credit(s): 3
- FASH 4960 - Fashion Merchandising Senior Capstone (6CR) credit(s): 6
- VIST 1010 - Visual Communication credit(s): 3
General Electives
21 Credits
General Electives are any courses numbered 1000 or higher (except CARE 1890 - Micro-Internship (Optional)) which are not specifically required for the student’s degree program.
Liberal Arts & Sciences Electives
12 Credits
Liberal Arts Electives are any non-remedial courses offered by the Arts & Sciences department with the following prefixes: COMM, ECON, ENGL, ARTS, HIST, LANG, MATH, NTSC, PHIL, POLS, PSYC, and SOCI, plus INTD 2511, not specifically required for a major and vary depending upon major course requirements.
LIM College offers the following minors** for each major, which are intended to provide an additional focused area of study:
Fashion Media Minor:
- Fashion Media
Fashion Merchandising Minors:
- Beauty
- Event Planning
- Fashion Merchandising
- Fashion Styling
- Retail Buying And Planning (For Non-fashion Merchandising Majors)
- Retail Buying And Planning (For Fashion Merchandising Majors)
- Sustainability
Liberal Arts Minors:
- The Arts: History and Performance
- English
- Global Studies
- Society And Culture
Marketing, Management, And Finance Minors:
- Digital Business
- International Business
- Management
- Marketing
Visual Studies Minors:
- Digital Design And Photography
- Interior And Residential Concepts
- Photo Styling And Set Design
- Visual Studies
- Visuals For Social Media
Not all courses are offered every semester.
Note that the LIM College Diploma will not display minors (only degree and program will be displayed). However, minors will be shown on the LIM College transcript.
*Not available online.
**Students must take two of the five courses required for the minor at LIM College in order to declare a minor at LIM College (students may transfer in a maximum of three courses into a minor). There is no limit to the number of minors that students can declare. Students may use the same course to qualify for multiple minors. Students are limited to applying one required course as part of their minor. Exceptions are made at the discretion of each department chair.
All undergraduate students who enroll at LIM College are assessed in the areas of writing and mathematics to ensure they receive adequate support while completing required coursework*.
Students are assessed by either:
- Submitting ACT or SAT scores for review
- Completing the LIM College placement tests
In addition, college-level English composition and mathematics courses will be reviewed for equivalency and used when determining placement test requirements.
Students will be placed based on any of the above submissions. If multiple submissions are made, LIM College will use the placement criteria that demonstrates the highest level of proficiency. Students who choose not to submit ACT/SAT scores and who do not take the LIM College placement test will automatically be placed into corequisite developmental courses in Writing and Statistics.
Corequisite developmental education courses do not carry credit towards the degree, but do carry hours which count towards full-time status. See Undergraduate Credits and Hours for further information.
*Students accepted into the Fashion Scholars program are qualified out of developmental education course work.
All Fashion Scholars are required to complete the following:
All Fashion Scholars are required to complete a minimum of 21 credits at the honors level, achieving a minimum final grade of B in each course (substituting for the non-honors equivalent). The 21 honors credits include:
- MATH 2760H - Honors Applied Data Analysis credit(s): 3
For the remainder of the credits, students can choose from the following:
- ACCT 2700H - Honors Accounting credit(s): 3
- BUSN 3310H - Honors Business Law credit(s): 3
- COMM 1400H - Honors Communicating Across Cultures credit(s): 3
- COMM 2010H - Honors Critical Thinking: Reading, Writing and Research credit(s): 3
- COMM 2025H - Honors Digital Culture in Business and Life credit(s): 3
- ECON 2100H - Honors Economics credit(s): 3
- ENGL 3110H - Honors Global Themes for Writing credit(s): 3
- FASH 1110H - Honors Introduction to the Fashion Business credit(s): 3
- FNCE 3410H - Honors Finance credit(s): 3
- LIMS 1000H - Honors First Year Experience Seminar credit(s): 1
- MATH 1300H - Honors Introduction to Statistics credit(s): 3
- MNGT 2310H - Honors Management credit(s): 3
- MRKT 1550H - Honors Marketing credit(s): 3
Students accepted into the Fashion Scholars program are qualified out of all developmental education course work.
*Not available online.
Students enrolled in the Global Pathway to Fashion Program will complete the following:
Level 3A
- FASH 1110 - Introduction to the Fashion Business credit(s): 3
- PATH 030A - The Language of Business and Fashion I credit(s): 9
- PATH 0410 - Undergraduate Support Lab credit(s): 3
- PATH 0490 - Undergraduate Pathway Special Topics credit(s): 3
Level 3B
- MRKT 1550 - Marketing credit(s): 3
- PATH 030B - The Language of Business and Fashion II credit(s): 9
- PATH 0410 - Undergraduate Support Lab credit(s): 3
- PATH 0490 - Undergraduate Pathway Special Topics credit(s): 3
In order to proceed to the next level and/or complete the program, students must earn a Global Pathways GPA of 2.00 or better.
PATH course credits are institutional credits - they do not count towards total degree program credit requirements.

Opportunities at LIM
Fashion Merchandising Careers
When you graduate, you can pursue a career in nearly any aspect of the fashion business, including product development, styling, event planning, and buying. Position titles for recent LIM grads have included Digital Merchandising Assistant, Wholesale Coordinator, Sustainability Manager, Merchandise Operations Coordinator, and Assistant Buyer.
Explore a Career in Fashion MerchandisingInternship Experiences
From luxury brands to retail giants; PR and marketing firms to publishers; entertainment conglomerates to savvy startups—our students gain workplace experience at industry-leading companies.
Browse Internship OpportunitiesClubs & Organizations
There’s more to college than attending class. Enhance your experience outside of the classroom with co-curricular and extracurricular opportunities. Make the most of your time and get involved at LIM College.
See How You Can Get InvolvedStudy Abroad
Enhance your cultural knowledge and broaden your horizons while you study the business of fashion. Choose a short-term travel program or semester abroad to add an invaluable experience to your time at LIM College.
View all Study Abroad ProgramsA record that speaks for itself
Approximately 800 companies in fashion and its related fields provide opportunities for our students.
94% of our Class of 2020 were working in the business of fashion and its related fields or continuing their education within 9 months of graduation.
Ranked in U.S. News & World Report’s list of Best Online Graduate Business Programs and Best Online Bachelor’s Programs. (2019)
Our 2019-2020 tuition and fees were 25% lower than the national average for private 4-year colleges.
Among Fashionista’s Top 25 Fashion Schools in the World.
One of the Best Fashion Schools in the World according to The Business of Fashion.
A Georgetown University study of 4,500 colleges put LIM in the top 25% for long-term (40-year) return on investment.
Fashion Merchandising Faculty
Nancy Miller
- Fashion Merchandising
- nmiller@limcollege.edu
- Chair / Assistant Professor
Robert Conrad
- Fashion Merchandising
- Robert.Conrad@limcollege.edu
- Associate Chair / Senior Lecturer
Hilda Alfonso
- Fashion Merchandising
- halfonso@limcollege.edu
- Senior Lecturer
Marla Greene
- Fashion Merchandising
- mgreene@limcollege.edu
- Associate Professor
Andrea Kennedy
- Fashion Merchandising
- Andrea.Kennedy@limcollege.edu
- Assistant Professor
Michael P. Londrigan
- Fashion Merchandising
- mlondrigan@limcollege.edu
- Associate Professor

Interested in taking the next step?
Apply to LIMFinancial Aid
Financial assistance can come in the form of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study.
View Types of AidInvest in Your Success
Our 2019-2020 tuition and fees were 25% lower than the national average for private 4-year colleges.
View Tuition & Costs