For those leaning toward an industry career, the Textiles and Fashion Design program gives students the option to apply to spend their senior year at Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City, the hub of the textile and fashion trade. The FIT experience provides students with industry-specific skills which, when paired with the creative liberal arts background, makes our graduates highly desirable and often recruited by industry leaders. Students apply to FIT in their junior year. If accepted by FIT, they participate in a visiting student program in one area of focus: Fashion Design, Textile Surface Design, Footwear & Accessories Design, Communication Design Foundation, Advertising and Marketing Communications, Fashion Business Management, Textile Development and Marketing.

Upon graduation, students who attend FIT are awarded a bachelor of science (BS) degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in Textiles and Fashion Design with a named option in FIT. A named option is a formally documented sub-major within an academic major program. Named options appear on the transcript with degree conferral. FIT students also earn an associate of applied science (AAS) degree from FIT. Students attending FIT who are considered Wisconsin non-residents continue to pay out-of-state tuition, even if they reside in the state of New York.

Requirements

Textiles and Fashion Design: FIT Named Option Requirements

Core requirements for the named option are below. Students should follow the curriculum requirements in place at the time they entered the major. This requirement list should be used in combination with a DARS report. Students interested in the Fashion Institute of Technology option also need specific coursework in mathematics, art history, and oral communication. Please work with your advisor to ensure you meet those requirements.

Design Core
DS 101Introduction to Textile Design3
DS 120Design: Fundamentals I3
DS 150Visual Thinking - Pixels and Pencils3
DS 151Craft & Construction for Garments3
DS 251The Science of Textiles - Performance & Properties3
DS 355History of Fashion, 1400-Present3
or DS 430 History of Textiles
Textiles and Fashion Design Focus Area
Choose either the Fashion Sequence or the Textiles Sequence12
Choose 3 additional Textiles & Fashion Design courses for 21 total credits9
Fashion Sequence (must be taken in this order)
Fashion Design I
Patternmaking for Fashion Design I
Fashion Illustration
Patternmaking for Fashion Design II
Textiles Sequence
Textile Design: Printing and Dyeing I
Textile Embellishment I
Textile Design: Weaving I
Textile Design: Manual/Computer Generated Imagery and Pattern
Career Readiness
DS 252Design Leadership Symposium1
INTER-HE 202SoHE Career & Leadership Development1
Fashion Institute of Technology FIT
Visiting Student Program Courses30

Four-Year Plan

This is a sample four-year plan for Textiles & Fashion Design: FIT. It is intended as a general guide and may not reflect the most current course offerings or requirement designations. We encourage all students to work with their academic advisor to develop an individualized plan and to verify all degree requirements through their DARS report.

Freshman
FallCreditsSpringCredits 
DS 1013DS 1503 
DS 1203DS 152 or 2283 
DS 1513Human Ecology Breadth3 
Human Ecology Breadth3Communication B3-4 
Communication A3Quantitative Reasoning A 3-4 
 15 15-17 
Sophomore
FallCreditsSpringCredits 
INTER-HE 2021DS 2513 
DS 210 or 2293DS 2521 
DS 253 (or Additional Textiles & Fashion Design Course)3DS 227 (or Additional Textiles & Fashion Design Course)3 
Social Science3Additional Textiles & Fashion Design Course3 
Humanities3Social Science3 
Science3Ethnic Studies3 
 16 16 
Junior
FallCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
DS 327 or 3533Depth Course3INTER-HE 6013
DS 355 or 4303Depth Course3 
Quantitative Reasoning (DS 451 recommended)3Social Science3 
Science3Humanities3 
Humanities3Science3 
 15 15 3
Senior
FallCreditsSpringCredits 
FIT Course Work15FIT Course Work15 
 15 15 
Total Credits 125-127