Pedagogy and Professional Development

Are Fashion Majors Ready for the Era of Data Science? – A Study on the Fashion and Apparel Curriculum in U.S. Educational Institutions

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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the effectiveness of fashion curriculums in preparing students’ career readiness in the new data-intensive fashion industry. While a few existing studies have evaluated the preparedness of fashion majors for traditional apparel design or merchandising positions, whether the current fashion curriculums have sufficiently exposed students to the topic of data science and improved students’ related competencies remain mostly unknown. The findings of the study will fulfill a critical research gap and provide valuable inputs for fashion educational programs to develop a next-generation curriculum suitable for the data-driven fashion industry in the 21^st century. 

Keywords: career, quantitative reasoning, fashion curriculum, data science

How to Cite:

Merryman, L. & Lu, S., (2020) “Are Fashion Majors Ready for the Era of Data Science? – A Study on the Fashion and Apparel Curriculum in U.S. Educational Institutions”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 77(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.11825