FIT Graduates First Class In Home Products Development And Marketing

Furniture World Magazine

The Fashion Institute of Technology will graduate its first class in Home Products Development and Marketing at the college's fifty-third commencement exercise on May 25, 1999. The ceremonies will take place in the Theater at Madison Square Garden beginning at 10:00 am. The new Bachelor of Science degree program in Home Products Development and Marketing is the only one of its kind in the country, preparing students for careers in the hard (furnishings and accessories) and soft (textile) areas of the home furnishings industry. "We are proud to be sending our first class of highly qualified graduates into the industry," says Christine Pratt, chairperson of the program. Boasting a placement rate of over 95 percent, graduates will enter this $75 billion dollar industry in areas ranging from buying and merchandising and sales to product development and public relations. Developed with the assistance of alumni and leaders in the home furnishings industry, the Home Products Development and Marketing program consists of core courses in product knowledge, marketing strategies, and product development. Industry support is an integral part of the program, and since its inception, more than 600 industry professionals have attended FIT's Home Products Breakfast each year. This event raises more than $45,000 annually toward the Home Products Scholarship/Technology fund and has allowed for every student in the program to own a laptop computer. Leaders in the home products industry also help foster professional development through advisory boards, mentoring and shadowing programs, and internships. A college of art and design, business and technology, FIT is a world leader in professional career-oriented education. Expanding beyond its original mission of fashion-related education, FIT has grown into a multifaceted college serving 12,000 students from all 50 states and 64 countries. The college offers 30 majors leading to associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees in such diverse areas as Interior Design, Advertising and Marketing Communications, Photography, Toy Design, and Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing.