The Production Management major is a complex multifaceted program that can branch off and lead to many different job types in the industry. This can make it hard to understand what your time here at FIT could look like, so I’m going to start going over the courses in the major semester by semester and review and elaborate on them.
Semester 1 – Very rudimentary and foundational to your general understanding of basic fashion industry structure and procedures.
MG 108 – Apparel and Home Textile Products Manufacturing
This was my first ever class at FIT. I came into this school not knowing anything about businesses or how they are structured, or how the fashion industry even operates. This class taught me about all the different processes involved in the making of products and who is responsible for them. We also talked about one of the most important pieces of information in the production industry, a tech. pack, which is a detailing of what the product is made of and how to make it.
TS 115/TS 015 – Textiles for Production Management
Again, I didn’t know anything about apparel coming into FIT. This class gave me the foundational understanding of the different types of fabrics and how they are all made. We learned about the difference between woven and knit fabrics, the different types of each category, and we even got to see the machinery used to make these fabrics in person in the textile labs. We also learned about all the different types of fibers and materials that make up the fabric and the qualities of them. One of the coolest parts about this class was when we tested different fabrics in our textile lab to see if they would meet industry standards. FIT has a fully equipped textile testing lab with machinery that tests things from the strength, to the color fastness, and even the flammability of the fabric.
MG 153 – Excel for Business
This class helps students build one of the most commonly used skills in the production industry, Microsoft Excel. I use Excel every day at work to analyze and identify key information for our team, and this class helped me feel comfortable in taking responsibilities like this on. Professors use textbook and online material for students to reference in their homework and projects to help build relevant and comprehensive practice. You’ll learn how to format files, discover all sorts of formulas, and even learn about Pivot Tables. Excel has since become one of my favorite programs for organizing pretty much any type of information. It isn’t just for numbers, though it excels in that field. (I’m sorry I just had to).
Which class would you be most excited for in your first semester at FIT?