Apparel Merchandising Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- What are the similarities between the Design and Production Management option and the Merchandising option?
- What are the differences between the Design and Production Management option and the Merchandising option?
- When do I have to decide which option I want?
- Can I complete both options?
- How do I transfer into the AMDP curriculum?
- What are the requirements to take AMDP classes?
- Will the courses that I completed for my former major count for my AMDP major?
- How can I move through the program faster since I am an on-campus transfer student?
- Can I take courses at Auburn University and Southern Union or another institution of higher education in the same term?
- What courses can I take at another school?
- How do I get the courses I need (or want)?
- What are professional electives and how are they selected?
- How do I get an internship?
- When can I intern?
- What kind of firm/agency is suitable for an internship?
- Is the internship paid?
- Can I take part in the CHS@AU IN Italy program?
- What minors are available to students majoring in AMDP?
1. What are the similarities between the Design and Production Management option and the Merchandising option?
Both Options require a common University core, the Human Sciences core, and a common core of AMDP courses. The AMDP core introduces students to the various aspects of the AMDP curriculum and career options. Each Option includes a senior-level capstone course and a full time ten (10) week or 400 hours of professional internship, both of which require the students to integrate and apply the knowledge they have gained throughout their respective academic programs. Students are also required to select 16-17 hours of professional electives to help prepare them for their chosen career path.
2. What are the differences between the Design and Production Management option and the Merchandising option?
The Design and Production Management Option requires that students complete a sequence of four additional design/production-based courses plus the senior-level capstone course and the completion of a design or production management-oriented internship. Professional electives are selected to complement the design or production management orientation.
The students in the Merchandising Option complete four business courses plus a senior-level capstone merchandising course and a merchandising-oriented internship. Professional electives are selected to complement the merchandising orientation.
3. When do I have to decide which option I want?
Students choose one of the Options when entering the AMDP curriculum. If students subsequently decide they want the other Option, they may request to change.
4. Can I complete both options?
Students in the Design and Production Management Option may elect to take some of the required business courses and the Merchandising Capstone course as Professional Electives, on a space available basis with permission of their Faculty Advisor. Students DO NOT complete a Double Major by completing the requirements for both Options.
Students in the Merchandising Option may elect to take some of the required Design and Production Management courses, including the Apparel Line Development Capstone Course, as Professional Electives on a Space Available basis. However, because of space limitations in design and computer labs, students in the Design and Production Management Option have first priority for available spaces.
5. How do I transfer into the AMDP curriculum?
Off-campus transfer applicants must have a 2.5 minimum cumulative GPA on all collegiate work attempted in order to transfer into AMDP at Auburn University. On-campus transfer applicants must have a 2.2 ungapped cumulative GPA from all Auburn University work attempted in order to transfer into AMDP.
6. What are the requirements to take AMDP classes?
Students must be AMDP majors and must have at least a 2.2 ungapped GPA to enroll in
CAHS 1750, 2800, 2740, 2750, 2760, 2800, 3600, 3750, 3850, 4800, 4940, 5450, 5600, 5750, 5760, 5850. Enrollment in CAHS 1600 and 2000 is open on a space availablility basis. Furthermore, students who do not earn at least a “C” in required CAHS courses (including the Human Sciences core courses) will be required to retake the course and earn at least a “C.” Students will not be permitted to advance to the next course in the sequence until they have satisfactorily completed the prerequisite course.
7. Will the courses that I completed for my former major count for my AMDP major?
That depends. When you transfer into AMDP, an Academic Advisor in the College of Human Sciences Academic Affairs Office will evaluate your transcript(s) of courses completed at Auburn and/or other colleges or universities. Courses which will fulfill AMDP curriculum requirements will be noted in your official curriculum file. For example, some courses, e.g., the Biology sequence (BIOL 1000, 1010) may fulfill University Core Curriculum requirements for some AU majors, but NOT fulfill University Core Curriculum requirements for AMDP.
8. How can I move through the program faster since I am an on-campus transfer student?
You will have to meet the prerequisite requirements for all of the courses in your Option. Because of the sequencing of courses, and the fact that some upper level AMDP courses are only taught once a year, you may need more than four years to complete your AMDP graduation requirements if you transfer into the program
9. Can I take courses at Auburn University and Southern Union or another institution of higher education in the same term?
No, concurrent enrollment at Auburn and at another institution of higher education is not permitted.
10. What courses can I take at another school?
University core curriculum courses and some of your Professional Electives may be completed at another school. To determine which courses will transfer as equivalent courses for the AMDP Curriculum, please see one of the Academic Advisors in the Academic Affairs Office,
College of Human Sciences, 266 Spidle Hall. It is generally difficult to obtain transfer credit for AMDP required courses.
Students may not transfer more than 61 semester hours from a junior or community college. Also, unless permission to Break Senior Residence is granted by the Associate Dean of the College of Human Sciences, the last 30 semester hours of course work must be completed at Auburn University in order to graduate from Auburn.
11. How do I get the courses I need (or want)?
When students enter the AMDP program, they are assigned an Academic Advisor. Students need to meet with their Advisor to develop an approved block plan that meets the curricular requirements for their Option. This block program becomes the model to be used in scheduling courses for the respective terms. When adjustments are made in the block schedule, e.g., because of inability to schedule a course, lack of prerequisites, or choice of a different professional elective, the student should update the block schedule in consultation with the Advisor.
It is the student’s responsibility to make sure he/she has completed the prerequisites prior to registering for required courses or professional or free electives. Students may be dropped from courses after the semester begins if it is determined that the student does not meet the prerequisite requirements. Students should carefully check projected schedules of course offerings, e.g., which semesters individual courses are offered, to be sure that adjustments in the block schedule do not inadvertently affect the projected graduation date.
12. What are professional electives and how are they selected?
A listing of Approved Professional Electives for the AMDP Options is included on the AMDP Curriculum Sheet. Students should choose as Professional Electives those courses which will help them prepare for the career they wish to achieve. Courses which fulfill the requirements of an approved Minor can often be used to fulfill some, or all, of the Professional Elective requirements.
13. How do I get an internship?
There is a REQUIRED Internship Orientation Meeting for AMDP students in Fall Semester, junior year. Students are to download the AMDP Internship Handbook from the Consumer Affairs Home Page (www.humsci.auburn.edu/cahs/) prior to this meeting. During this meeting the Coordinator of the AMDP Merchandising Option and the Coordinator of the AMDP Design and Production Management Option will discuss Internship requirements, procedures, time lines, and performance expectations. Internship options will also be discussed. Internships are also discussed in some upper level AMDP classes. Students are encouraged to talk with their instructors and/or their faculty advisor about internship ideas and questions.
Students are responsible for obtaining their own internships; WE DO NOT PLACE INTERNS. Students should discuss their internship plans with their respective program Coordinator, (i.e., Merchandising or Design/Production Management) and obtain approval of the internship focus (e.g., design, merchandising, publishing, advertising) and placement from the Coordinator prior to making a commitment to the internship company. Students may intern anywhere in the U.S. or abroad if the internship offers the type of learning experience approved by the Program Coordinator. Students MUST submit a completed and approved Internship Contract BEFORE beginning an internship. A list of internship placements for the previous year is available in the Consumer Affairs office, 308 Spidle Hall.
14. When can I intern?
Students in the Merchandising Option may register for their internship after they have completed CAHS 3850 Merchandise Planning and Control with a grade of “C” or better, have a minimum ungapped GPA of 2.2 and have a completed AMDP Internship Form with all required signatures.
Students in the Design/Production Management Option may register for their internship after they have completed CAHS 3750 Product Development: Apparel Design with a grade of “C” or better, have a minimum ungapped GPA of 2.2 and have a completed AMDP Internship Form with all required signatures.
Internships can be completed during any of the three terms, Fall, Spring, or Summer. The length of the internship is 10 weeks or a minimum of 400 hours.
15. What kind of firm/agency is suitable for an internship?
The primary goal of an internship is for the student to obtain professional, hands-on experience in a firm or agency related to the career goals of the student. The internship experience should stretch the student, providing professional development opportunities beyond what the student may have experienced in a pre-internship job. Students are strongly discouraged from completing their internship in a firm owned/managed by a member of the family; such internships are very rarely approved.
16. Is the internship paid?
The AMDP curriculum requires that the internship be paid. However, we recognize that some internships which offer unique and valuable learning experiences for students are always unpaid internships. If a student chooses an unpaid internship of this type, he/she must obtain written permission from the AMDP Internship Coordinator for the option and the Department Head prior to accepting an unpaid internship.
17. Can I take part in the CHS@AU in Italy program?
Yes, you are strongly encouraged to participate in the CHS@AU in Italy program during your junior or senior year. Participation in the CHS@AU in Italy program allows students to earn 16 hours of professional elective credit and an International Minor in Human Sciences (IMHS). Please talk with your Academic Advisor and with the Consumer Affairs Coordinator for International Programs as early in your academic program as possible to plan your schedule for the most appropriate time to participate in this unique experience.
18. What minors are available to students majoring in AMDP?
An International Minor in Human Sciences (IMHS) is available to students who participate in the CHS@AU in Italy program. Students who desire to study abroad in other locations may also obtain the International Minor in Human Sciences. Information about the IMHS is available from the Consumer Affairs Coordinator for International Programs.
A Business Minor, a Communications Minor, and a Foreign Language Minor are available and have previously been selected by AMDP students. Other minors may also be available. Students should talk with their academic advisor or the Consumer Affairs Department Head about the minor they wish to complete.
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