B.A. in Fashion Media

The way we dress — from the clothing we wear to the cosmetics and grooming products we use — says a lot about us. From our tastes to membership in particular communities, clothing and personal adornment serves as a vast communication system that we all participate in — whether we pay attention or not. As RuPaul once said, “We’re all born naked, and the rest is drag.” Beyond its role in popular culture, fashion also exists as big business. To be exact, it’s a $2.5 trillion, global industry.

SMU’s Fashion Media program prepares students for a range of careers in this fast-paced industry by providing them with professional opportunities, classes that develop critical-thinking and professional skills, and a supportive community in the fashion-savvy city of Dallas. Based in the Division of Journalism, students learn how to write and report on fashion using contemporary media tools, including audio, video, photography and social media. They take classes that examine fashion as a cultural, design and economic force from professors with real-world experience at fashion and media brands, and who study the forces of fashion with an academic lens. They also choose electives from the division’s extensive journalism offerings, including magazine writing, and special topics like beauty writing and lifestyle journalism.

Fashion Media majors enjoy internships in Dallas and other major markets and gain professional experience at student-run, award-winning publications such as SMU Look and the Daily Campus.

To join the Fashion Media program, University students must achieve a minimum GPA of 2.5 across Introduction to Academic Writing (WRTR 1312), the Writing and Editing Tutorial and Laboratory (JOUR 2103), Fashion, Media and Culture (JOUR 2310), and Building Digital Audiences (MSA 2305) with no grade lower than C+.

The below plan is for incoming students; current students should consult their advisor about their specific degree requirements.

Fashion Media, B.A.

The fashion media program prepares students to become thoughtful media producers while also developing their expertise and understanding of fashion and fashion-related industries. Students take equal parts fashion courses, which address theoretical, historical, and practical considerations; and media coursework, where students practice writing and production techniques across platforms. Students also can contribute to the division's award-winning student media outlets including the fashion magazine SMU Look; The Daily Campus news site, and broadcast productions through SMU-TV.

Admission and Degree Requirements

Strong writing skills are essential to each student's success in the production courses and later in communication professions. Those seeking permission to major in fashion media must have completed 24 hours of study, which may include transfer hours. Students must also have completed the following courses, with no grade lower than C+ in either of them:

Notes: 

  • Students transferring from other universities must have completed equivalent courses and obtained the equivalent GPA and minimum grades in those courses before they can declare a Fashion Media major.
  • The Journalism Division has a focus on and commitment to diversity, recognizing the need for diversity in media and communications in the 21st century.
  • The fashion media major requires a minimum of 21 credit hours with the FM course prefix designation.
  • All fashion media majors must declare and complete a second major or a minor of their choosing outside of the division.
  • Fashion media majors may not minor in Journalism; however, they may major in it.
  • Required courses must be passed with a grade of C- or better to count for credit toward the major in fashion media.

SMU Degree Requirements

An SMU undergraduate degree requires a minimum of 120 credit hours and must include completion of the

University's Common Curriculum
, one major and a combination of electives and/or other majors or minors. Completion of certain majors requires more than 120 hours to finish the degree. The credit hours within this curriculum are distributed as follows:

Requirements for the Major

Media Core (22 Credit Hours)

Diversity (3 Credit Hours)

One from the following:

Historical Perspectives (3 Credit Hours)

One from the following:

Contemporary Perspectives (6 Credit Hours)

Two from the following:

Fashion Media Production (6 Credit Hours)

Two from the following:

Visual Fashion Skills (3 Credit Hours)

One from the following:

Minor or Second Major and Free Electives

Hours vary as needed to meet University residency and degree requirements

Total for the Major Only: 43 Credit Hours

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