Department of Apparel, Merchandising, Interior Design, and Hospitality Management

Undergraduate Programs of Study

• Apparel, Retail Merchandising and Design (major, minor, certificate)
• Hospitality and Tourism Management (major, minor)
• Interior Design (major, minor)

Degrees Offered

• Bachelor of Arts Degree (B.A.)
• Bachelor of Science Degree (B.S.)
• Undergraduate Certificate

Department Description

Our programs are professionally based with elements of design, technology, and management interlaced into the coursework. Our programs have a strong general education component and specialized career preparation.

The Programs

Apparel, Retail Merchandising and Design (ARMD)

Apparel, Retail Merchandising and Design prepares students with the knowledge and skills to work in both the retail and product design/development areas of the fashion industry.  Students choose one of the three options - fashion product development, fashion entrepreneurship, and retail merchandising.  Graduates are able to have challenging careers that build on their particular interests.  For example, graduates hold positions as production developers, visual merchandisers, technical designers, buyers, sourcing specialists, social media marketing specialists, fashion forecasters, stylists, store managers, and interior merchandisers with such companies as Target, Kohl's, Scheels, Evereve, Best Buy, Nordstrom, The Gap, The Buckle, Nike, Forever 21, Old Navy, and Duluth Trading Company, to name a few. ARMD also offers a minor.

Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM)

The Hospitality and Tourism Management major prepares students to be professionals who can lead teams of people and effectively manage hospitality operations in lodging, foodservice, events, travel, and tourism. Graduates hold a wide variety of positions such as hotel or restaurant managers or supervisors, event planners and specialists, sales coordinators or directors, digital marketing and social media coordinators, service managers, recruiters and human resource specialists, and flight attendants to name a few. Our students learn and develop leadership skills by completing coursework that increases knowledge of the industry, develops people management skills, and enhances problem-solving abilities while instilling a sense of responsibility and professionalism. The program incorporates a required minor in Business Administration.  We offer the only four-year HTM program in North Dakota accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration. HTM also offers a minor.

Interior Design (ID)

The Interior Design major is a professional program that prepares students for a career as an interior designer. Professional interior designers create functional, safe, and attractive interior environments, including those found in restaurants, hospitals, museums, shopping centers and homes. Successful designers know the theory and science of design, drawing and computer-aided design, safety regulations, and how to read construction drawings. Our program provides coursework and experiences that develop these skills and is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).

For more information about any of the programs, contact the department. We advise new and transfer students to contact the department prior to beginning their college work.

Enrichment Opportunities

Experiential Learning

Course work in the department includes hands-on experiences through labs, studio classes, and simulations. Our programs also supplement classroom learning through structured field experiences to architectural firms, hospitality operations, fashion, retail, and design centers. Study tours to cities such as Los Angeles, New York City, Minneapolis, Chicago, and to several countries, such as England, France, the Netherlands, and Italy, are scheduled regularly.

Student Organizations

All three majors in the ADHM Department host active student organizations. The student organizations provide students with extra opportunities outside the classroom such as industry speakers, field trips to view workplaces, chances to work on service-learning projects to help others, and the experience of planning large events related to their field of interest. The ARMD student organization is Fashion, Apparel & Business Organization (FABO).  FABO is a student organization and its purpose is to give students a practical perspective/overview of careers and opportunities related to the apparel design and fashion fields.  FABO brings in speakers and organizes field trips and other activities to provide interaction with professionals.  In addition, they plan and implement an annual spring fashion show for the whole campus. The HTM student organization is the Hospitality Student Association (HSA). The annual Food and Wine Show is HSA's biggest event.  Funds raised go towards a scholarship fund and to support organization activities, industry tours, and projects for the following year. The ID student organization is the student chapter of the national professional organization, the American Society of Interior Design (ASID).  Students participate in local and regional design events that include the annual North Dakota Interior Designers' Showcase (NDID). They compete biennially in CANstruction® to support the regional food bank. These students plan a trip to a place of interest each year. They have gone to Minneapolis and Chicago in recent years.

Fashion Institute of Technology Affiliation

Professional enrichment is possible through affiliation with the Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.).  The ARMD program has an arrangement with the Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.), New York City, where a qualified student may attend that institution for a semester or a full year as a visiting student.  Summer School opportunities are also available.  The approved credits earned at F.I.T. will transfer to NDSU and will count toward graduation requirements.  Students participating in the one-year visiting student program earn an associate degree from F.I.T.

During the second year of study at NDSU, interested ARMD students should consult with their advisers to ensure full consideration of their application for the F.I.T. visiting student program.  Application should be made at least one year in advance.