Apparel, Retail Merchandising and Design
This is an archived copy of the 2025-2026 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit https://catalog.ndsu.edu.
Department Information
- Department Web Site:
www.ndsu.edu/adhm/index.html - Sample Program Guide:
bulletin.ndsu.edu/programs-study/undergraduate/apparel-retail-mechandising-design/
Major Requirements
Major: Apparel, Retail Merchandising & Design
Option: Apparel Studies
Degree Type: B.A. or B.S.
Required Degree Credits to Graduate: 122
University Degree Requirements
For complete details on these and other university degree requirements, refer to the Degree and Graduation Requirements section in the University Catalog.
- Minimum of 120 semester credits (some programs may exceed this minimum).
- Complete the University General Education requirements.
- Minimum institutional GPA of 2.00 based on work taken at NDSU.
- Minimum of 30 credits in resident at NDSU.
- Minimum of 36 upper level credits (courses numbered 300 or higher).
- Students with transfer credit must meet the NDSU 30 credits in residence (#4). Of these 30 credits in residence, a minimum of 15 credits must be in courses numbered 300 or above, and 15 credits must be in the student's declared major curricula.
University General Education Requirements
A list of university approved general education courses along with the administrative policies governing the requirement and the categories is available here.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Category C: Communication | 12 | |
| Category R: Quantitative Reasoning | 3 | |
| Category S: Science and Technology | 10 | |
| Category A: Humanities and Fine Arts | 6 | |
| Category B: Social and Behavioral Sciences | 6 | |
| Category W: Wellness | 2 | |
| Category D: Cultural Diversity | ||
| Category G: Global Perspectives | ||
| Category L: Digital Literacy | ||
| Total Credits | 39 | |
Apparel Studies Option Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements - Apparel Studies Option | ||
| ADHM 155 | Apparel Construction and Fit | 3 |
| or ADHM 370 | Sewn-Product Manufacturing and Analysis | |
| ADHM 171 | Fashion Dynamics | 3 |
| ADHM 181 | Aesthetics and Visual Analysis of Apparel Products | 3 |
| ADHM 271 | 3 | |
| ADHM 272 | 3 | |
| ADHM 310 | History of Fashion | 3 |
| ADHM 366 | 3 | |
| ADHM 367 | Textiles Laboratory | 1 |
| ADHM 375 | Professional Development | 1 |
| ADHM 385 | Global Fashion Economics | 3 |
| ADHM 481 | Capstone in Apparel, Retail Merchandising and Design | 3 |
| ADHM 486 | Dress and Human Behavior | 3 |
| ADHM 496 | 1-15 | |
| ADHM 489 | Study Tour | 1-3 |
| CSCI 114 | Computer Applications (May satisfy general education category S) | 3 |
| or MIS 116 | ||
| ECON 105 | Elements of Economics (May satisfy general education category G) | 3 |
| ENGL 320 | Business and Professional Writing (May satisfy general education category C) | 3 |
| or ENGL 322 | Writing and the Creative Process | |
| or ENGL 326 | Writing in the Design Professions | |
| or ENGL 357 | Visual Culture and Language | |
| STAT 330 | Introductory Statistics (May satisfy general education category R) | 3 |
| Professional Electives * | 21 | |
Select 21 credits from the following ADHM courses: | ||
| Beginning Apparel Construction | ||
| Introduction to Hospitality Business | ||
| Travel Management | ||
| Apparel Construction and Fit | ||
| Technology Applications for the Apparel Industry | ||
ADHM 357 | ||
| Sewn-Product Manufacturing and Analysis | ||
| Fashion Trend Analysis and Forecasting | ||
| Global Retailing | ||
| Merchandise Planning and Buying | ||
| Events Experience and Planning | ||
ADHM 410 | ||
| Experiential Retailing | ||
| Apparel Design and Assembly | ||
| Retail Financial Management and Control | ||
ADHM 496 | ||
| Intercultural Communication | ||
COMM 271 | ||
| Organizational Communication I | ||
| Minor Program of Study Required: 16 credit minimum required | 16 | |
| Total Credits | 83-99 | |
- *
With advisor approval, six of these 21 professional elective credits may be taken from BUSN, MRKT, MGMT, THEA, COMM or ART to meet the student’s professional/personal objectives.
Degree Requirements and Notes
- Transfer courses from other institutions must have grades of ‘C’ or better to be accepted for the program.
Link to view program description and 4-year Plan of Study
Major Requirements
Major: Apparel, Retail Merchandising & Design
Option: Retail Merchandising
Degree Type: B.A. or B.S.
Required Degree Credits to Graduate: 122
University Degree Requirements
For complete details on these and other university degree requirements, refer to the Degree and Graduation Requirements section in the University Catalog.
- Minimum of 120 semester credits (some programs may exceed this minimum).
- Complete the University General Education requirements.
- Minimum institutional GPA of 2.00 based on work taken at NDSU.
- Minimum of 30 credits in resident at NDSU.
- Minimum of 36 upper level credits (courses numbered 300 or higher).
- Students with transfer credit must meet the NDSU 30 credits in residence (#4). Of these 30 credits in residence, a minimum of 15 credits must be in courses numbered 300 or above, and 15 credits must be in the student's declared major curricula.
University General Education Requirements
A list of university approved general education courses along with the administrative policies governing the requirement and the categories is available here.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Category C: Communication | 12 | |
| Category R: Quantitative Reasoning | 3 | |
| Category S: Science and Technology | 10 | |
| Category A: Humanities and Fine Arts | 6 | |
| Category B: Social and Behavioral Sciences | 6 | |
| Category W: Wellness | 2 | |
| Category D: Cultural Diversity | ||
| Category G: Global Perspectives | ||
| Category L: Digital Literacy | ||
| Total Credits | 39 | |
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Apparel, Retail Merchandising and Design Core Requirements | ||
| ARMD 171 | Fashion Dynamics | 3 |
| ARMD 181 | Aesthetics and Visual Analysis of Apparel Products | 3 |
| ARMD 203 | Sustainability and Social Change in Fashion | 3 |
| ARMD 210 | Dress in World Cultures | 3 |
| ARMD 310 | History of Fashion | 3 |
| ARMD 366 | Textiles | 3 |
| ARMD 367 | Textiles Laboratory | 1 |
| ARMD 371 | Fashion Trend Analysis and Forecasting | 3 |
| ARMD 373 | Visual Merchandising and Promotion | 3 |
| ARMD 375 | Professional Development | 1 |
| ARMD 385 | Global Fashion Economics | 3 |
| ARMD 386 | Merchandise Planning and Buying | 3 |
| ARMD 472 | Product Development | 3 |
| ARMD 481 | Capstone in Apparel, Retail Merchandising and Design | 3 |
| ARMD 489 | Study Tour | 1-3 |
| ARMD 496 | 3-4 | |
| ART 122 | Studio Technology Foundations | 3 |
| CSCI 114 | Computer Applications | 3 |
| or TL 116 | Business Software Applications | |
| ECON 105 | Elements of Economics | 3 |
| or ECON 201 | Principles of Microeconomics | |
| or ECON 202 | Principles of Macroeconomics | |
| PSYC 111 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| STAT 330 | Introductory Statistics | 3 |
| or CSCI 159 | Computer Science Problem Solving | |
| ENGL 321 | Writing in the Technical Professions | 3 |
| or ENGL 320 | Business and Professional Writing | |
| Option Requirement | ||
| Select one option to complete the major: Retain Merchandising; Fashion Product Development; or Fashion Entrepreneurship | 15 or 27 | |
| Total Credits | 75-90 | |
Retail Merchandising Option
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MRKT 372 | Global Retailing | 3 |
| Select two courses from the following: | 6 | |
| Understanding Media and Social Change | ||
| Introduction to Media Writing | ||
| Introduction to Web Design | ||
| Introduction to Web Development | ||
| Principles of Strategic Communication | ||
| Advertising Campaign Practicum | ||
| Photography I | ||
| Digital Image and Output | ||
| Advanced Topics in Graphic Design | ||
| Business minor is required 1 | ||
| ACCT 102 | Fundamentals of Accounting | 3 |
| or ACCT 200 | Elements of Accounting I | |
| MGMT 320 | Foundations of Management | 3 |
| MRKT 320 | Foundations of Marketing | 3 |
| MRKT 362 | Foundations of Retailing | 3 |
| MRKT 410 | Consumer Behavior | 3 |
| Select one from the following: | 3 | |
| Advertising and Integrated Marketing Communication | ||
| International Marketing | ||
| Marketing Strategy | ||
| Digital Marketing | ||
| Total Credits | 27 | |
Fashion Product Development Option
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ARMD 101 | Beginning Apparel Construction | 3 |
| ARMD 155 | Apparel Construction and Fit | 3 |
| ARMD 455 | Apparel Design and Assembly | 3 |
| ART 124 | Foundations of Design | 3 |
| ART 131 | Foundations Drawing | 3 |
| Total Credits | 15 | |
Fashion Entrepreneurship Option
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MRKT 372 | Global Retailing | 3 |
| Entrepreneurship minor is required. 1 | ||
| ENTR 201 | Introduction to Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| ENTR 401 | Entrepreneurship Capstone | 3 |
| ENTR 301 | Entrepreneurship Toolbox I | 3 |
| or ENTR 440 | International Entrepreneurship | |
| Select one from the following: | 3 | |
| Digital Marketing | ||
| Negotiations | ||
| Entrepreneurship Toolbox I (If not taken above) | ||
| International Entrepreneurship (If not taken above) | ||
| Total Credits | 15 | |
- 1
Minors must be officially declared through the Office of Registration and Records. Minors are a minimum of 16 credit hours and may have a GPA restrictions. See the official minor curriculum.
Degree Requirements and Notes
- Transfer courses from other institutions must have grades of ‘C’ or better to be accepted for the program.
Minor Requirements
Minimum Required Credits: 16
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| ARMD 171 | Fashion Dynamics | 3 |
| ARMD 366 | Textiles | 3 |
| ARMD 367 | Textiles Laboratory | 1 |
| Electives - Select 9 credits from the following: | 9 | |
| Beginning Apparel Construction | ||
| Apparel Construction and Fit | ||
| Aesthetics and Visual Analysis of Apparel Products | ||
| Sustainability and Social Change in Fashion | ||
| Dress in World Cultures | ||
| History of Fashion | ||
| Fashion Trend Analysis and Forecasting | ||
| Global Retailing | ||
or MRKT 372 | Global Retailing | |
| Visual Merchandising and Promotion | ||
| Global Fashion Economics | ||
| Merchandise Planning and Buying | ||
| Apparel Design and Assembly | ||
| Product Development | ||
| Study Tour | ||
| Total Credits | 16 | |
Minor Requirements and Notes:
- A minimum of 8 credits must be taken at NDSU.