The Department of Apparel, Textiles, and Interior Design (ATID), an interdisciplinary academic unit, offers two undergraduate degrees: a B.S. Degree in Apparel and Textiles and a B. S. Degree in Interior Design. The department also offers a Master of Science degree in Apparel and Textiles and participates in the Human Ecology Ph.D. program offering a specialization in apparel and textiles.
The Bachelor of Science in Apparel and Textiles has two areas of specialization: Apparel Marketing and Design (AMD) and Textiles. The AT program prepares students for a wide range of positions in the apparel, textile, and retail industries. Compared to a business curriculum, the AT curriculum provides students with knowledge about textile and apparel products that is necessary for success in this multibillion-dollar industry. Students specializing in apparel marketing graduate with a competitive advantage that comes from combining the study of all aspects of the global apparel complex with apparel product knowledge and business principles and practice. Students specializing in apparel design and production use their knowledge of apparel, business, and sophisticated technologies in design careers, apparel manufacturing, quality assurance, and product or line development. While few in number, undergraduates in the textile specialization find positions in product development, fiber and textile manufacturing, dyeing and finishing, product specifications, quality assurance, and government laboratories, as well as positions working with textiles for the aerospace, health, and safety industries.
Students in Apparel and Textiles are also required to engage in learning experiences to expand their horizon beyond the boundaries of Kansas through study tours, study abroad, and other forms of experiential learning. At least one domestic and one international study tour is offered each year. Many students take advantage of study abroad opportunities, especially through our affiliation agreement with the American Intercontential University in London. Since establishing the affiliation agreement in 2000, participation in that study abroad opportunity increased to 20 students in FY 03. All students are required to complete an internship, which most often leads to a position offer upon completion of the degree. Students in Apparel and Textiles hold membership in student chapters of the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists and the Apparel Marketing and Design Alliance. Apparel Marketing and Design students frequently enter creative works in both regional and national juried competitions and have received first and second place awards and honorable mention.
The Textiles specialization has a substantially smaller enrollment than Apparel Marketing and Design with the majority of the textile courses taken being those for both undergraduate and graduate credit. These undergraduate students present their research at regional and national conferences and have received the top awards for their research. In 2001, the 1 st place paper by an ATID student was published in a top refereed journal. Students completing this specialization usually receive among the top paying jobs of all undergraduate students in the College of Human Ecology. Because of the limited enrollment and the need to realign limited department resources, the textile specialization is being deleted.
The AT faculty values diverse forms of scholarship, all of which are characterized by clear goals and purpose, originality, appropriate methods for the projected goals, documented and evaluated, and are made public in appropriate ways. The scholarship conducted by the AT faculty generally falls into one or more of the following categories: scholarship of discovery, integration, teaching or application. AT faculty had an average of 2.8 publications per FTE in the last three years. In addition, faculty specializing in apparel design had an average of 8 creative works in juried competitions in the last three years. AT faculty gave an average of 3.2 presentations at professional meetings per FTE in the last three years. Faculty have received the ASTM International Award for Textiles Research, a National Textile Center Scientific Excellence Advisor, Best Technical Paper Award from the Nonwovens Industry Association, the Ralph Nevins Research Excellence Award from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, International Textile and Apparel Association Distinguished Scholar Award and the International Textiles and Apparel Association Fellow Distinction.
Since 1999, the ATID Department has experienced a 40% growth in undergraduate enrollment, with the Apparel Marketing and Design major growing by 155% (from 118 students to 279). This increase in enrollment has required the use of innovative strategies to manage class size. Enrollment management strategies are being considered for the future. The average ACT score is 22.5.
While good statistics are not available for employment of students in the Apparel and Textiles degree program, our records indicate that more than 90 percent of the Apparel Marketing and Design graduates work in the area of their degree. The average salary offer to baccalaureate graduates in 2002 was $25,355 (based on data supplied by 17 graduates).
Current faculty represent the U.S. on the International Standards Organization Technical Committee on Textiles, serve on the Board of Directors of the Fair Labor Association, AATCC’s Executive Committee on Research, Founder of Educators for Socially Responsible Apparel Business, Vice president of the Housing Education Research Association, and as president-elect of the International Textiles and Apparel Association.
During the past five years the faculty have reworked the curriculum in Apparel Marketing and Design to accommodate the growth in enrollment from 118 students in 1999 to 279 students in 2003. Additionally, because the specialization in textiles within the Apparel and Textiles baccalaureate program enrolled very few additional students, that specialization is being eliminated.
The Department of Apparel, Textiles, and Interior Design (ATID), an interdisciplinary academic unit, offers two undergraduate degrees: a B.S. Degree in Apparel and Textiles and a B. S. Degree in Interior Design. The department also offers a Masters of Science degree in Apparel and Textiles and participates in the College of Human Ecology Ph.D. program offering a specialization in apparel and textiles.
The Interior Design program is accredited by both the Foundation for Interior Design Research and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. The Interior Design program at Kansas State University has been ranked in the top three programs in the U. S. for the past three years.1 The program is one of two K-State programs accredited by the Foundation for Interior Design Education Research (FIDER), but differs from Interior Architecture in that its focus is on the human interaction in and with the interior environment, while IA focuses on the products in the interior environment. These differences have resulted in attracting different types of students with somewhat different interests. The two programs share a common national rank of the second or third best Interior Design programs in the U. S.
The Interior Design Program bases its philosophy on the belief that interior design is a profession requiring technical knowledge, skill, creativity, aesthetic sensibility, cultural awareness, environmental sensitivity, social responsibility, flexibility, and dedication. Incorporating this complex set of attributes, professional designers contribute to the health, safety, and welfare of a diverse global public. This program offers students a supportive educational experience that addresses each of these professional requirements in logical sequence.
Students are encouraged to enrich their educational experience through internships, study tours, and study abroad programs. Approximately 40 percent choose to complete the internship experience. Both domestic and international study tours are offered each year. The affiliation agreement with the American Inter-continental University in London is attracting interior design students, although most who choose to study abroad for a semester choose countries other than the UK. Interior Design students hold membership in the American Society of Interior Designers and the International Interior Design Association.
Currently, the Interior Design faculty includes six full time tenure-track persons. In addition, several adjunct faculty are employed to teach classes. Of the tenure- track persons, four hold the NCIDQ Certification. All are engaged in the production of scholarship. One indication of their quality is seen in the performance of their students as indicated below.
Currently 130 students are enrolled in the Interior Design program. Because of the high level of interest in the interior design major, a selective admissions process was implemented for FY 03 entering freshmen. A maximum of 52 freshmen are admitted each year. If the retention rate increases as anticipated, the number of students admitted is expected to decrease in order to hold course section offerings constant at the junior and senior levels. Interior Design students have received four first place and three-second place awards in national competitions, and one first place and one-second place award in regional competitions in the last three years. The average ACT score for interior design students prior to FY04 was 22.8; however, for students admitted for FY 04, the average ACT was 25.4.
Students completing the ID program are in high demand and generally have no problem finding desirable employment. Close to 100 percent of those seeking employment are able to find positions in their major field.
Faculty scholarship and practice focuses on historic preservation and on care facilities including physician offices, hospitals, nursing home and other long term care facilities. Faculty engagement with historic preservation projects and long term care facilities in the state is extensive. Additionally, students pursue service learning through designing facilities for businesses and institutions in the state.
The ID program maintains a Universal Design Studio. The Universal Design Studio supports not only the Interior Design program but serves as a resource for students and faculty in the College of Architecture, Planning, and Design; professionals in the industry; and for the community. The purposes are to provide an instructional environment, with examples of practical applications, for students and professionals who design, build, manage, and regulate the physical setting in which people live and work; and to expand the knowledge base through applied research on environmental design innovations that support users need over the lifespan.
Interior design is a studio-based program with relatively high instructional costs due to the limitations in class size that studio environments impose. To most effectively use the available faculty and instructional resources, the program has established a selective admissions process that limits the number of students in each cohort to 52.
The Master of Science in Apparel and Textiles has three areas of emphasis: Textile Science, Apparel Design and Production, and Apparel and Textile Marketing. In each of the three areas of specialization a student may choose a thesis option in which 30 hours of course work is completed, a course work option in which 33 hours of course work is completed, or a professional option where 30 hours of course work and three credit hours of professional internship is completed. This redesign of the master degree allows the department to better capitalize on some core master’s level courses and to better meet the needs of students—particularly baccalaureate graduates from the department who seek to expand their professional preparation through engaging in three semesters of study after the baccalaureate degree and complete a master’s degree. The professional specialization has been considered as an innovative approach to meeting market demands in the apparel and textile industries since students can complete an advanced degree quickly and get valuable job experience. As a result of having developed this specialization, enrollment has increased (See Section on Enrollment) and peer institutions have requested information about the specialization and are using it as a model.
The apparel and textiles (AT) faculty includes 7 full-time persons and one part-time person: 3 full professors, 5 associate professors. All hold graduate faculty status and teach both undergraduate and graduate classes. The department also has two approved adjunct professors in textiles. Scholarship productivity is one measure of quality. AT faculty had an average of 2.8 publications per FTE in the last three years. In addition, faculty specializing in apparel design had an average of 8 creative works in juried competitions in the last three years. AT faculty gave an average of 3.2 presentations at professional meetings per FTE in the last three years. This level of production of scholarship, combined with teaching and other service expectations, places the AT faculty in the high efficiency category (i.e., the most productive) compared to programs in similar institutions.2
Another measure of the quality of faculty is found in recognitions and awards received. Four AT faculty members have received the College of Human Ecology Excellence in Teaching award. Three have received the CHE Excellence in Research award. Of the three Dean Stowe Faculty Award for Public Service given, one was to an AT faculty member. In addition, one faculty member received the Dawley Scholar Award for Faculty Excellence in Undergraduate Student Development. Other recent awards and distinctions of AT faculty are: American Standards and Testing Materials International Award (given to scientist in the U. S. or Canada), a National Textile Center Scientific Excellence Advisor, U.S. Representative to the International Standards Organization, International Textile and Apparel Association Distinguished Scholar, International Textiles and Apparel Association Fellow, Board of Directors of the Fair Labor Association, Founder of the Educators for Socially Responsible Apparel Businesses, and President Elect of the International Textile and Apparel Association.
Students admitted to the Master of Science in Apparel and Textile program are expected to have at least a “B” average from an accredited institution. International students must have a TOEFL score of 600 minimum on the paper form or 250 minimum on the computer form. All applicants are required to take the Graduate Record Examination. Master’s students in the Textile Science area of emphasis have continued to distinguish themselves by having their research accepted for juried presentations at national and international professional meetings. In addition, their research is usually published in a refereed venue. Most recently masters students received three of five grant awards for their research proposals in a national competition.
An average of 28 applications for admission to the Apparel and Textiles masters program have been received in each of the last five years. Approximately 62 percent of the persons applying have been admitted. Fewer have actually enrolled primarily because of non-competitive financial packages.
Graduates either find employment in their field of study or pursue additional degrees. Approximately twenty percent have enrolled in doctoral degree programs. The thesis plan is designed as a feeder program for the Ph.D. degree. Another 10 percent have pursued an additional masters in business or computer science. All others have found employment in mid-management positions in the apparel or textiles industries. Students in the professional specialization are usually offered permanent positions in companies when internships are completed.
Our most crucial need is to attract students for the thesis option who are interested in completing the Ph. D. specialization. The International Textiles and ApparelAdministrative Unit recently noted a severe shortage of Ph. D. graduates who can become professors and administrators in the field. Today the demand far exceeds the supply.
Current faculty represent the U.S. on the International Standards Organization Technical Committee on Textiles, serve on the Board of Directors of the Fair Labor Association, AATCC’s Executive Committee on Research, Founder of Educators for Socially Responsible Apparel Business, Vice president of the Housing Education Research Association, and as president-elect of the International Textiles and Apparel Association.
The average enrollment in the past five years falls below the expected number of 20. Enrollment, however, improved significantly in the past two years from 10 in FY 2001 to 18 in FY 2003. The upward trend in enrollment is expected to continue primarily because of the interest in the professional specialization. An average of five students graduated with a Master’s in Apparel and Textiles in each of the last five years. Six students graduated between May and August2003, and two additional students are expected to graduate in December 2003. We have continuously met the minimum number of degrees conferred which indicates efficiency in graduating students enrolled. The department has initiated a plan to continue to increase enrollment in the Master’s degree. (See attached “options”.)
Twenty students were enrolled in the M.S. program in 2002, up from ten students the previous year. In 2003, 18 students enrolled. To continue the trend of increased enrollment in the M. S. program in apparel and textiles, faculty are engaged in several initiatives with the goal of an average of twenty-two students per year by 2006. These initiatives include (1) recruiting top performing K-State undergraduate students to continue in the masters program, (2)offering a Master 's Degree in Human Ecology with Specializations in Apparel and Textiles and Food Service and Hospitality Management, and (3) participating in the Great Plains IDEA retailing/merchandising master 's degree through distance technology.
The growth in the master 's program in the last two years may be attributed (1) to offering the professional track in which a student completes 30 hours of course work plus a professional internship; (2) encouraging top performing undergraduate students to take three to nine hours of course work for graduate credit (when their program of study will allow such), during their senior year. These students then enroll in the master 's program and complete the degree in three additional semesters. (Recruiting from within is ongoing)
Implementation of the following plans for this new initiative are just beginning. The time line follows:
The ATID department has been involved with a group of eight institutions in the Great Plains IDEA to develop a distance master 's degree in retailing/merchandising. This initiative has been underway for approximately one year. The time line follows:
Survey of graduating seniors from each participating institution concerning interest in such a degree (November, 2003)
Identify courses to be taught by faculty at local institution (November 2003-March, 2004)
Collect data on industry needs (November 2003 - March 2004
Summary of needs assessment due to Board (April 2004)
Working meeting of consortium in Fort Collins to approve course syllabi (April 2004)
Present program for approval on home campus (September 2004)
Online courses offered (January 2005)
Team evaluation of first course offerings (June 2005)