FSAD Freshman Orientation

A Message from Charlotte Jirousek, Director of Undergraduate Studies:

Welcome to the Department of Fiber Science & Apparel Design! We are looking forward to having you join our program.

I am sure that you will have many questions for us as you prepare for your move to Cornell. Among the most important will be questions about course selection for your first semester. The schedule you will need to follow will vary, depending on your choice of option within this department.

Based on the indication of the preferred option that you noted in your application, we have pre-registered you for the FSAD courses that would be required for that option. However, if you have decided that you prefer a different option, you can change this set of classes. However, you should make sure that the core FSAD requirements for the option of your choice are in your schedule, as failure to take these courses in the sequence required could delay graduation.

If you are unsure which option you prefer, and if Apparel Design Option I is a possible choice for you, we would recommend that you sign up for the Option I courses, because these courses can be made to fit into a Fashion Design Management Option II curriculum, which is more flexible. However, if you don't take the Apparel Design Option I courses in your first semester you might find it difficult switch to Option I later without delaying graduation.

If you are a transfer student, be sure to sign up for the FSAD required courses for your chosen option. Additional courses for you will depend on what courses you are transferring in; this information will be available by August 19 for orientation, when you will be able to consult with your adviser. However, meanwhile you can review the curriculum sheets for the option, reached through the links below, and sign up for courses that would fill other requirements.

You will also be able to make changes to your schedule during orientation August 19th, when you will be meeting with your adviser. In addition, it is possible and quite normal, to add or drop classes during the first part of the semester. In other words, whatever decisions you make today regarding your schedule can be changed later.

Your choices are:

Option 1: Apparel Design
The apparel design option focuses on the fashion design process. Students take a sequence of studio courses with a strong visual emphasis, manipulating form, color and fabrics; they learn to apply design methods using a problem solving approach. They also take courses in the social, economic, and historical aspects of design.

Option 2: Fashion Design Management
Fashion Design Management applies management and marketing principles to apparel industry and consumer issues. It focuses on the processes used to develop, manufacture, and distribute apparel and textile products globally and examines topics such as  product development, the impact of developing technologies, advertising and marketing, fashion media, sustainability and entrepreneurship.

Option 3: Fiber Science
The Fiber Science concentration teaches the physical, chemical, and engineering properties of fibrous materials and their applications, including biomedical materials, advanced engineering composites, geotextiles, and protective clothing, as well as the more traditional applications found in apparel and interiors.