Education and work experience go hand-in-hand in preparing for a career in the fashion industry. To insure that all graduates of the fashion merchandising program have work experience, an internship or practicum is required as a part of the degree requirements.
The internship is completed during the last fall semester of the student's college course work. The student is responsible for arranging with an employer for a period of work experience. Students are responsible for finding a location for the internship, subject to faculty approval. In the fall of the senior year, students will enroll in a block of accelerated classes (12-15 hours) which will meet twice the normal meeting time for the first half of the semester only. These classes will end at mid-term, as indicated on the university calendar. The required hours of work experience are completed between mid-term and the end of the semester. Students purchase an internship packet which outlines requirements and includes forms for reporting. Requirements include:
- a specified number of hours of work experience,
- weekly logs or diaries,
- reports about different aspects of the experience,
- a self-evaluation, and
- an evaluation to be completed by the supervisor.