Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design
Careers and Internships
The Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design degree prepares you for careers in the design, development, manufacture, and merchandising of textiles, apparel, and interior furnishing. There are a wide array of companies where you can launch your career at including fashion apparel, furniture, and fabric companies; manufacturers; as well as organizations specializing in merchandising.
Internship Opportunities
Internships provide you with practical hands-on work experience that supplements your coursework and gives you valuable tools toward building your career. Your TMD internship will likely happen in your junior or senior year, after you’ve gained some background knowledge from coursework. For some internships there are preferred course prerequisites. For fuller details, review the TMD 461/2 course syllabus.
Internships can be can be done in the summer or during the academic year. You can even earn academic credit or intern abroad.
TMD Internship Process
Companies where TMD students have interned:
- Nordstrom
- Reebok
- Ralph Lauren
- Coach
- RI Design Center
- Kenyon Industries
Career Opportunities
Types of Careers
Textile Science
- Dyeing
- Finishing
- Color Management
- Quality control
- Forensic science
- biomedical materials
- Military materials
Fashion Merchandising
- Fashion Coordinator
- Buyer
- Merchandise Display
- Sourcing
- Allocation
- Retail Management
Apparel Design
- Fashion Designer
- Product Development
- Technical Design
Employers who have hired URI TMD graduates include:
- Kate Spade
- Puma
- Hasbro
- Christian Dior
- TJX
- Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
- Nike
- Christian Louboutin
Our graduates typically start their careers in positions such as assistant creative or technical designers, fashion merchandisers, production coordinators, retail managers, allocation analysts, assistant buyers, and quality control specialists.