Apparel and Textiles Graduate Program
An overarching mission of the Department of Apparel, Textiles, and Interior Design is to facilitate environmental and social responsibility through scholarship, education and outreach that enhance ecologically sustainable products, processes and behavior.
The department offers three graduate programs:
- Resident master's degree in apparel and textiles
- Distance master's degree in merchandising
- Resident doctoral degree in human ecology with a specialization in apparel and textiles
All students are prepared for positions in education, industry and public service that require expertise specific to the field.
The resident master's and doctoral programs emphasize issues of sustainability and globalization in the apparel and textiles supply chain with courses in research methods, theoretical foundations, consumer behavior, supply chain management, surface design and textiles.
Individual programs of study, capitalizing on the interests and disciplinary backgrounds of students and faculty, are developed to build the theoretical, technical and methodological skills necessary to solve human ecological problems involving apparel and textiles.
The Master of Science in Merchandising is offered online through the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance, or GPIDEA. Merchandising graduates are prepared to work in product development, promotions and retail management.
GPIDEA is an online program that draws on the knowledge and expertise of graduate faculty from Kansas State University, North Dakota State University, Oklahoma State University, South Dakota State University and the University of Nebraska.
For professionals in retailing, apparel design or business who lack a theoretical background and training in merchandise management, the GPIDEA program can provide opportunities for career advancement within the apparel and textiles industry.
Courses include consumer behavior, financial merchandising implications, historical and contemporary issues in trade, research methods, retail theory and practice, and strategic planning.
Master's Degree
Areas of Emphasis
Program Options
- Design Project Report (30 hours)
- Thesis Research (30 hours)
- Coursework-only option is available only through the distance Merchandising program (36 hours)
