A Fashion Business Degree Built for Creative Leaders
So, you want to be a creative director. A brand strategist. A buyer for a major retailer or the founder of your own label. This program is built to get you there. You'll start with a strong design-thinking foundation, then layer on brand strategy, creative direction, data and analytics, entrepreneurship and fashion business innovation: the exact skills fashion employers are hiring for right now.
You'll learn it all in Nashville, a major creative and entrepreneurial hub. Already famous for music and emerging fast in tech, this city is full of people making things, which means real companies to intern with, real professionals to learn from and one of the country's most exciting markets to launch your career in.
Fashion touches nearly every part of the global economy, from textile innovation and manufacturing to marketing, retail and e-commerce. So, our graduates go everywhere. You'll find them leading at Fortune 500 companies and brands like The RealReal, Veronica Beard, Marc Jacobs, Buck Mason, Madewell and Ann Taylor Factory, running flagship stores, managing production, directing brand campaigns and buying for major retailers.
Belmont's Fashion Business and Design Leadership BFA is a program for people who think creatively and lead boldly. Wherever you want to take that, we'll help you get there.
Am I an Adult Student?
Want to transfer previous college credits?
See how your courses will transfer to Belmont University.
What makes Adult Degree Programs special?
Education Designed to Elevate Your Career: Whatever adult degree program option you choose, a career-focused curriculum will help you elevate your current career or prepare you for new professional or personal opportunities.
Unique Tuition Discount for Adult Degree Program Students: Belmont is dedicated to offering access to high-quality education for busy adults. Students in Belmont’s Adult Degree Program receive more than a 60% discount off of the tuition cost that traditional Belmont students pay for the very same quality, private school education.
What You'll Learn in Belmont’s Fashion Business Program
Fashion Business and Design Leadership is a four-year program that prepares you to lead in the global fashion industry, whether you're directing a brand, running a business or building your own. As a graduate, you will:
- Understand the business of fashion from every angle — its history, its players and where it's headed next
- Build advanced creative and technical skills that meet professional industry standards, blending the aesthetic, the functional and the strategic
- Apply marketing, fashion merchandising and management principles with the business acumen and ethical awareness the global marketplace demands
- Communicate persuasively across visual, verbal and written platforms to convey brand identity and business strategy
- Solve complex challenges with strategic, creative thinking
Use your creative gifts in service to others, meeting real-world needs through design
Program Details
Curious about your coursework? View requirements for this degree in the course catalog.
Program Details
The admission decision process for the Adult Degree Program is different from what someone might experience right out of high school. To be eligible for an Adult Degree program, applicants must be 24 years or older or provide evidence of two years or more of military service, marriage or having a family of your own.
Even if you struggled academically when you first attended college, the Belmont Admissions Committee looks at more than just your academic history. We also consider your professional experience and personal accomplishments as we review your application materials.
Go beyond the classroom. In Nashville and around the world, you'll find opportunities to learn and grow.
- Learn from the industry, in the industry. Nashville's fashion and retail scene is growing fast, and the fashion department's relationships with local, national and international companies and community organizations bring real-world projects and professional connections into your education.
- Be part of the Fashion Show. O'More's annual Fashion Show is one of Belmont's signature events — and students across the fashion programs help bring it to life, from the runway to the business and production work behind it.
- Explore the world. Experience other cultures and fashion capitals through study abroad opportunities in London, Italy and beyond.
- Join a student organization. With more than 180 to choose from, there's no shortage of ways to get plugged in — including Belmont's chapter of the National Retail Federation Student Association (NRFSA), a great way to build industry connections before you graduate.
There is no portfolio requirement for admittance into the O'More College of Architecture and Design's programs. You are directly admitted into the Fashion Business and Design Leadership program if you are admitted to Belmont.
- What is the difference between fashion design and fashion merchandising?Fashion Design is the process of creating a product in the area of apparel, outwear, accessories, jewelry or footwear using critical thinking skills with free-hand or computerized skills with a number of materials for brick and mortar that includes specialty and department stores or direct to consumer. Fashion Design is finding a void in the market to meet the needs and wants of individuals in an ever-changing world. Nothing is more exciting than selling creations to consumers and seeing your designs displayed in a store, visually merchandised online or showcased on the runway.
Fashion Merchandising is the business of fashion that includes the analysis, management, marketing and distribution of items with the end goal of maximizing profit. Students interested in pursuing a degree in Merchandising also need skillsets in digital design to be able to compete with graduates from other top programs. Professionals in the area of Fashion Merchandising are the backbone to the success of a fashion brand and product.
The curriculum for both the Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising programs begin with the same introductory courses, typically taken in the first semester, which offer students in both areas a foundational understanding of the fashion industry. At the end of the first semester, students typically know if they want to switch their major from Design to Merchandising or vice versa and are encouraged to talk with their advisor in order to do so without falling behind in their coursework.
- Is there a portfolio review?
There is currently no portfolio review requirement for admission to the Fashion programs at Belmont.
- When does the term start for the fashion programs?
Students may begin the Fashion Design or Fashion Merchandising program in the Fall or Spring term.
See the official Academic Calendar for more important dates.
- What laptop/software will I need for my coursework?
Students who enroll in the Fashion Design or Fashion Merchandising program are required to bring a laptop (either PC or Mac) for use in and outside of the classroom to avoid falling behind in coursework.
Many of the courses require students to have a laptop for in-class projects. Software needed for coursework includes the most updated versions of Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office. Students may need additional software as they progress through the curriculum.
- I have a degree in another field. Can I transfer my current credits toward this degree?
We have many students who hold associate or bachelor’s degrees prior to enrolling in an O'More program. All credits from a previously earned associate or bachelor's degree programs are evaluated on an individual basis by the Office of the Registrar and applied as appropriate toward the B.F.A. degree. In addition, if a student has completed design-based courses at another institution, he or she may be asked to submit class work completed in classes to determine skill level and transferability of courses.
While credits earned from previous coursework may be transferred in, it is important to note that earning a B.F.A. in Fashion Design or Fashion Merchandising at Belmont will likely take 8 semesters as studio and lab courses must be taken sequentially and the curriculum is planned as a four-year degree program.
Career Possibilities
O’More fashion graduates lead at Fortune 500 companies and brands including The Walt Disney Company, GAP, Inc., White House Black Market, Tractor Supply Company, CAKE, and Bed, Bath, & Beyond, Inc. in roles like:
- Creative Directors
- Brand Strategists
- Brand Managers
- Retail Buyers
- Merchandise Planners
- E-commerce Managers
- Fashion Entrepreneurs & Brand Founders
- Marketing Managers
- Product Developers
- Production & Sourcing Managers
- Visual Merchandisers
- Retail & Flagship Store Managers
- Fashion Forecasters
- Wholesale Representatives
- Fashion Event Managers
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Contact Us
"Sarah Augustyn"
Admissions Coordinator
615.460.5329
Email Sarah