MS in Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design
For individual course descriptions, please refer to the list of TMD courses
Requirements for Thesis Option
(Coming)
Requirements for Non-thesis Option
The non-thesis option is designed for students who seek an advanced degree for education in a particular subject matter area (e.g., fashion merchandising, collection management). Students are encouraged to meet with their advisors to discuss the appropriateness of the non-thesis option to their career goals.
The non-thesis option requires:
- Completion of 33 credits, half of which must be TMD courses numbered 500 or above including at least one course that requires a substantial paper or practicum involving significant independent study. TMD 510 is required of all students. Other requirements vary depending on the specialization selected: textile science; historic textiles and costume, textile conservation, and cultural analysis; or fashion merchandising.
- Passing a written comprehensive examination. This is scheduled towards the end of a student’s program. It is a day-long exam consisting of four questions submitted by the professors who taught the required courses and the specialization courses. Two questions are to be answered during the 9-12 a.m. time slot; the remaining questions are to be completed from 1 to 4.
- Completion of a major paper. Typically the student registers for TMD 540 under a specific professor to work on the paper. Although students often identify the research topic they wish to investigate in TMD 510 (Research Methods), they are not completing experiments, designing surveys, or working with primary sources. Instead, the paper is typically a very thorough review of the literature on a specific problem. The student submits three copies of the completed paper—one to the major professor, and one for each of two faculty readers—in advance of a meeting where the paper is presented. The readers and the major professor may suggest revisions. The student is asked to provide the TMD Department with a corrected copy.
