Design & Merchanding BS / Business Administration MBA
Major: Design & Merchandising and Business Administration
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Science (BS) & Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Total Credit Hours: 230.0
Co-op Options: One Co-op (Five years)
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 52.0201
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 11-1021
About the Program
Only available to Design & Merchandising majors, this accelerated dual degree program combines study in the areas of fashion retail merchandising, buying, and product development with the MBA degree. The program is designed to allow students to complete both the bachelor's degree and the Master of Business Administration degree in five years.
The program is offered to qualified students who apply for this option prior to the end of freshmen year or prior to the completion of 90.0 credits. All students who apply for this option must take the GMAT entrance exam. Incoming freshmen selected for this program will generally have a minimum of 1350 on the SAT, a GPA of 3.5 or better, and rank in the top 10% of their high school graduating class. A strong candidate for this program will have taken significant AP coursework while in high school.
BS/MBA students may be waived from two LeBow MBA courses, assuming a grade of B or better is earned in specified undergraduate courses. Students can review the Waiver Policies for the Statement of Curriculum Standing on the LeBow College's website for additional information. The above conditions hold only for fully accepted BS/MBA students as identified by Enrollment Management.
Additional Information
Students should visit the Westphal College of Media Arts and Design for more information.
Admission Requirements
Additional requirements for the accelerated dual degree program include:
- A minimum of a 3.2 cumulative GPA must be maintained throughout the entire undergraduate portion of this program or the student will not be able to continue on to the MBA.
- Students must take the GMAT examination and achieve a minimum score of 570 prior to the end of the tenth term in order to continue in the program. It is recommended that students take the GMAT examination late in the student's third year.
- Students must submit an acceptable plan of study at least three terms before anticipated start of the graduate part of the program.
Degree Requirements
| General Education Requirements | ||
| CIVC 101 | Introduction to Civic Engagement | 1.0 |
| ENGL 101 | Composition and Rhetoric I: Inquiry and Exploratory Research | 3.0 |
| or ENGL 111 | English Composition I | |
| ENGL 102 | Composition and Rhetoric II: Advanced Research and Evidence-Based Writing | 3.0 |
| or ENGL 112 | English Composition II | |
| ENGL 103 | Composition and Rhetoric III: Themes and Genres | 3.0 |
| or ENGL 113 | English Composition III | |
| ENVS 160 | Environment in the News | 2.0 |
| ENVS 169 | Environmental Science | 3.0 |
| GEO 111 | Natural Disasters | 3.0 |
| MATH 119 | Mathematical Foundations for Design | 4.0 |
| UNIV A101 | The Drexel Experience | 1.0 |
| COOP 101 | Career Management and Professional Development | 1.0 |
| Required Arts and Humanities | ||
| COM 220 | Qualitative Research Methods | 3.0 |
| COM 230 | Techniques of Speaking | 3.0 |
| Arts and Humanities elective * | 3.0 | |
| Required Social Science | ||
| Social Science electives ** | 9.0 | |
| Visual Studies Requirements | ||
| ARTH 102 | History of Western Art II: Renaissance to Romanticism | 3.0 |
| ARTH 103 | History of Western Art III: Modern Art | 3.0 |
| ARTH 314 | Contemporary Art | 3.0 |
| PHTO 110 | Photography | 3.0 |
| VSST 101 | Design I | 4.0 |
| VSST 102 | Design II | 4.0 |
| VSST 103 | Design III | 4.0 |
| VSST 110 | Introductory Drawing | 3.0 |
| Professional Requirements | ||
| ACCT 110 | Accounting for Professionals | 4.0 |
| ARTH 335 [WI] | History of Costume I: Preclassical to 1800 | 3.0 |
| ARTH 336 [WI] | History of Costume II: 1800-1920 | 3.0 |
| or ARTH 337 | History of Costume: 1920 to Present | |
| DSMR 100 | Computer Imaging I | 3.0 |
| DSMR 103 | Introduction to the Fashion Industry | 3.0 |
| DSMR 201 | Analysis of Product | 3.0 |
| DSMR 210 | Presentation Techniques Design and Merchandising | 3.0 |
| DSMR 211 | Computer Design for Design and Merchandising | 3.0 |
| DSMR 230 | Textiles for Design and Merchandising | 3.0 |
| DSMR 231 | Retail Operations | 3.0 |
| DSMR 232 | Merchandise Planning and Buying | 4.0 |
| DSMR 310 | Merchandising Operations & Management | 3.0 |
| DSMR 311 | Visual Merchandising | 4.0 |
| DSMR 333 | Fashion Product Development | 3.0 |
| DSMR 454 | Sourcing Strategies for Textile and Apparel | 4.0 |
| DSMR 464 | Merchandising Analytics | 4.0 |
| DSMR 477 [WI] | Design and Merchandising Seminar | 3.0 |
| DSMR 496 [WI] | Senior Problem in Design and Merchandising | 3.0 |
| ECON 201 | Principles of Microeconomics | 4.0 |
| ECON 202 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 4.0 |
| ENTP 105 | Entrepreneurial Thinking | 3.0 |
| MKTG 201 | Introduction to Marketing Management | 4.0 |
| MKTG 321 | Selling and Sales Management | 4.0 |
| or MKTG 326 | Marketing Insights | |
| or MKTG 344 | Professional Personal Selling | |
| or MKTG 356 | Consumer Behavior | |
| or MKTG 362 | Brand and Reputation Management | |
| PHIL 301 | Business Ethics | 3.0 |
| Career Pathway Electives *** | 31.0 | |
| MBA Requirements | ||
| ACCT 510 | Essentials of Financial Reporting | 2.0 |
| BLAW 510 | Analyzing Legal Options in Decision-Making | 1.0 |
| ECON 601 | Managerial Economics | 3.0 |
| FIN 601 | Corporate Financial Management | 3.0 |
| MGMT 510 | Business Problem Solving | 3.0 |
| MGMT 520 | Strategy Analysis | 2.0 |
| MGMT 530 | Managing and Leading the Total Enterprise | 2.0 |
| MGMT 770 | MBA Capstone | 2.0 |
| MKTG 510 | Marketing Strategy | 2.0 |
| ORGB 511 | Leading in Dynamic Environments: A Personal, Relational, and Strategic Approach | 3.0 |
| ORGB 520 | Leading High-Performance Teams | 1.0 |
| POM 510 | Operations and Supply Chain Management | 2.0 |
| STAT 510 | Introduction to Statistics for Business Analytics | 2.0 |
| Experiential Requirement-Select one course: | 3.0 | |
| Graduate Internship | ||
| International Business Seminar and Residency | ||
| Leading for Innovation | ||
| Business Consulting | ||
| Business Agility and IT | ||
| Negotiations for Leaders | ||
| Tax Experiential Learning | ||
| Concentration Requirements | 9.0 | |
| Free Electives | 9.0 | |
| Total Credits | 230.0 | |
| * | Arts and Humanities electives must equal a minimum of 9.0 credits. |
| ** | Social Science electives must equal a minimum of 9.0 credits. Suggested social science electives: SOC 210 Race, Ethnicity and Social Inequality; SOC 215 Sociology of Work; SOC 240 Urban Sociology; SOC 340 Globalization; SOC I499 Independent Study in SOC. |
| *** | Career Pathway Electives enable students to pursue specific areas of study, which complement the Design and Merchandising major and the student's desired career pathway. |
Writing-Intensive Course Requirements
In order to graduate, all students must pass three writing-intensive courses after their freshman year. Two writing-intensive courses must be in a student's major. The third can be in any discipline. Students are advised to take one writing-intensive class each year, beginning with the sophomore year, and to avoid “clustering” these courses near the end of their matriculation. Transfer students need to meet with an academic advisor to review the number of writing-intensive courses required to graduate.
A "WI" next to a course in this catalog may indicate that this course can fulfill a writing-intensive requirement. For the most up-to-date list of writing-intensive courses being offered, students should check the Writing Intensive Course List at the University Writing Program. Students scheduling their courses can also conduct a search for courses with the attribute "WI" to bring up a list of all writing-intensive courses available that term.
Sample Plan of Study
| First Year | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| DSMR 103 | 3.0 | DSMR 100 | 3.0 | CIVC 101 | 1.0 | VACATION | |
| ENGL 101 or 111 | 3.0 | DSMR 230 | 3.0 | DSMR 201 | 3.0 | ||
| ENVS 260 | 3.0 | ENGL 102 or 112 | 3.0 | ENGL 103 or 113 | 3.0 | ||
| UNIV A101 | 1.0 | GEO 111 | 3.0 | ENVS 160 | 2.0 | ||
| VSST 101 | 4.0 | VSST 102 | 4.0 | MATH 119 | 4.0 | ||
| VSST 110 | 3.0 | VSST 103 | 4.0 | ||||
| 17 | 16 | 17 | 0 | ||||
| Second Year | |||||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| ACCT 110 | 4.0 | ARTH 103 | 3.0 | DSMR 232 | 4.0 | DSMR 210 | 3.0 |
| ARTH 102 | 3.0 | COM 220 or 230 | 3.0 | ECON 202 | 4.0 | ENTP 105 | 3.0 |
| COM 230 or 220 | 3.0 | COOP 101 | 1.0 | MKTG 201 | 4.0 | PHTO 110 (or Arts & Humanities course) | 3.0 |
| DSMR 211 or 231 | 3.0 | DSMR 211 or 231 | 3.0 | PHTO 110 (or Arts & Humanities course) | 3.0 | (UG) Career Pathway Elective | 4.0 |
| (UG) Career Pathway Elective | 3.0 | ECON 201 | 4.0 | ||||
| (UG) Career Pathway Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
| 16 | 17 | 15 | 13 | ||||
| Third Year | |||||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | ARTH 314 | 3.0 | DSMR 311 | 4.0 | ||
| DSMR 310 | 3.0 | DSMR 477 | 3.0 | ||||
| DSMR 333 | 3.0 | Select one of the following: | 4.0 | ||||
| PSY 150 (Social Science) | 3.0 | ||||||
| (UG) Career Pathway Elective | 4.0 | ||||||
| (UG) Career Pathway Elective | 4.0 | ||||||
| 0 | 0 | 16 | 15 | ||||
| Fourth Year | |||||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| ARTH 335 | 3.0 | ARTH 336 or 337 | 3.0 | PHIL 301 | 3.0 | Awarded UG Degree | |
| DSMR 464 or 454 | 4.0 | DSMR 454 or 464 | 4.0 | (UG) Social Science (choice) | 3.0 | Student converts to Grad status | |
| DSMR 496 | 3.0 | (UG) Career Pathway Elective | 4.0 | (UG) Career Pathway Electives | 6.0 | ||
| (UG) Career Pathway Elective | 3.0 | (UG) Social Science (choice) | 3.0 | BLAW 510 | 1.0 | ||
| ACCT 510 | 2.0 | FIN 601 | 3.0 | ECON 601 | 3.0 | ||
| ORGB 511 | 3.0 | MGMT 510 | 3.0 | MGMT 520 | 2.0 | ||
| MGMT 530 | 2.0 | STAT 510 | 2.0 | ||||
| 20 | 20 | 20 | 0 | ||||
| Fifth Year | |||||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
| MKTG 510 | 2.0 | MGMT 770 | 2.0 | (GR) Electives | 9.0 | ||
| ORGB 520 | 1.0 | (GR) Electives | 6.0 | ||||
| POM 510 | 2.0 | (GR) Experiential Elective | 3.0 | ||||
| (GR) Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
| 8 | 11 | 9 | |||||
| Total Credits 230 | |||||||
