Do you think of your room as a reflection of you? Do you change it regularly, searching everywhere for the right colors, sheets, lamp, and pictures? Is watching HGTV and the Food Network your idea of a good time? Do you love being in the kitchen and seeing how things are made?
There’s a whole industry—with global sales of $289 billion—dedicated to understanding what consumers want for their homes—and to creating the home products they desire. And style definitely counts: Fashionable names like Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, and Vera Wang all have home furnishings lines.
In this Bachelor of Science program, you’ll learn how soft goods (bedding, towels, rugs, curtains) and hard goods (dinnerware, glassware, cookware) are developed for home markets. You’ll explore bedding and bath, kitchen and tabletop, giftware, and decorative accessories. You’ll learn the many factors involved in the development process, including materials, lifestyle dynamics, sourcing and distribution, branding and licensing, packaging, marketing and merchandising.
In courses taught by practicing professionals, students work in a collaborative environment that mirrors the industry. You gain strategic marketing knowledge, global awareness, and presentation skills—and graduate prepared to work closely with product developers, designers, merchandisers, and marketers to develop products people want to live with.
Highlights
- FIT’s BS in Home Products Development is the only program of its kind in the world.
- Key industry executives view the program as the training ground for their industry.
- We take full advantage of FIT’s New York City location, with frequent field trips to showrooms, stores, and trade shows, as well as mentoring and shadowing opportunities with industry professionals.
- 90 percent of students find full-time employment in the field after graduation.
- The industry sponsored Senior Product Development Competition challenges students to develop an innovative product and present the results to industry experts.
In this program, you’ll:
- travel to the High Point Furniture Market in North Carolina and the International Home and Housewares Show in Chicago
- have travel abroad opportunities to London and Paris for the International Maison et Objet Trade show.
- get real-world experience through internships at top companies such as Calvin Klein Home, Nautica Home, KitchenAid, Cuisinart, and Oneida, among many others.
