Wholesale Merchandising Certificate of Completion

The Certificate in Wholesale Merchandising is designed to prepare students for employment in the wholesale industry.  Career opportunities for students completing this program of study include, but are not limited to: wholesale sales representatives, purchasing managers, product developers, and related wholesale functions.  By fulfilling the program requirements, students will have the necessary knowledge and skills in wholesale product development, sales and merchandising, apparel industry PLM systems and wholesale costing practices.

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Upon completion of the Wholesale Merchandising Certificate program, students are able to develop operational and promotional activities necessary to launch and sell brands and private labels for a wholesale business.  Wholesale Merchandising is the planning,organization, and development of fashion products to be sold at a profit at the wholesale level of the industry. The fashion merchandising program at Los Angeles Trade Technical College is unique in that it offers instruction covering both manufacturing/wholesale processes as well as retail processes covering both vertical and horizontally integrated companies. Computer technology plays an important role in the program offering instruction on AIMS Produce Lifecycle Management software.  Apparel manufacturing and wholesale is a major industry in Southern California and fashion constitutes one of its largest segments.  Los Angeles has taken the lead as the largest apparel manufacturing center in the United States, and the Fashion Merchandising curriculum is designed to provide specialized training in wholesale concepts and product development. Upon completion of the program,students will be able to participate in the wholesale product development process including the creation of theme boards, specification documents, cost sheets, as well as use an industry standard PLM system. 

The Design and Media Arts Department at LATTC is creating a specialty certificate in Wholesale Merchandising requiring 19 units to respond to the demands of an evolving industry and students who want to develop specified skill sets within a short time.  Current demographic and psychographic trends of our students indicate that they value obtaining their education goals in skill-specific modules over two to three semesters in order to quickly advance into the work force.   Many of our students must work while taking classes, and the stackable certificate approach allows them to complete academic goals in an efficient manner that results in accomplishment and advancement while maintaining their full-time jobs and life obligations.  This certificate was developed with input from faculty and advisors within the fashion industry. The program has been approved by the LATTC Curriculum Committee, the Academic Senate, and a fashion merchandising industry advisory committee that consisted of industry representatives from the retail and wholesale sectors. The advisory committee voted unanimously to support this certificate.

      An Associate in Science Degree can be earned by taking 38 units of fashion merchandising  major courses and 22 units of general education academic courses.

Course	Title	Units	Year/Semester (Y1 or S1)
FASHMER 020	Apparel Product Development	3	S1
FASHDSN 222	Sample Making and Design I	2	S1
FASHDSN 119B	History of Costume	1.5	S1
FASHDSN 125A	Textile Science	1.5	S1
FASHMER 030	Wholesale Merchandising	3	S2
FASHMER 040	Modern Merchandising Math	3	S2
FASHMER 050	International Fashion Business	3	S2
VISCOM 129 OR FASHDSN 244 OR FASHDSN 270	Digital Photo Manipulation            Photoshop for Fashion Design    Illustrator for Fashion Design	2	S2

Design and Media Arts, Fashion Merchandising

Long Beach City College - Certificate in Fashion Merchandising Santa Monica City College - Certificate in Fashion Design and Merchandising Mt. San Antonio College - Certificate in Fashion Merchandising Santa Ana College - Fashion Merchandising Certificate Orange Coast College - Fashion Merchandising Certificate

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