Apparel Merchandising is the perfect major for students who would like to spend their career in one of many roles in the dynamic, ever-changing fashion industry. Careers such as store or department manager, buyer, or visual merchandiser are typical. Students in apparel merchandising acquire a broad knowledge of people and their behavior, an understanding of the world at large and technical knowledge and skills to select fabrics and plan and produce fashion goods.

A special feature of the Apparel Merchandising program at South Dakota State University is our cooperative arrangement with the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) located in New York City. Students may spend one year studying fashion in New York while applying those classes directly to their bachelor's degree at South Dakota State University. At the same time, they earn an associate degree from FIT.