2026-2027 Academic Catalog
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
The mission of the Apparel, Housing, and Resource Management housed in the School of Design is to improve quality of life for individuals, families, and the broader community by creating and extending knowledge in apparel, housing, and resource management. We apply business, consumer, and design perspectives to teaching and learning, research, and outreach.
AHRM includes four majors Consumer Studies, Fashion Merchandising and Design, Property Management, and Residential Environments and Design.
Career Advisor: I. Leech
The Consumer Studies major prepares students to enter a variety of careers in the public and private sectors. Central to these careers is the ability to analyze issues and problems from the perspectives of consumers, business, and government. Students learn to reasonably advocate consumer interests and to help consumers improve their well-being. They develop fundamental skills that are used to resolve problems faced by consumers in the market place and the work place.
Graduates enter careers related to consumer affairs, marketing and sales, business management, and human resources. Required courses build a thorough understanding of households in the dual roles of producers and consumers that function within an international economic marketplace affected by government policy and regulation. Students study current events to track changing conditions and public policy. Additional courses develop skills for effectively processing and conveying information. A choice of controlled electives enables a student to tailor study to consumer products and promotion or consumer financial services, and counseling.
Consumer Studies students are provided a variety of learning experiences on- and off-campus. Through involvement with student professional associations, as well as relevant state and national organizations, students can develop leadership and organizational skills and network with active professionals. There are opportunities to relate classroom learning to the "real world" with projects and visits with industry, legislators, and regulators. An individualized study experience, typically an internship related to personal career interests, is required.
Career Advisor:
Apparel fashion is an exciting and competitive field where designers, product developers, manufacturers and retailers create and merchandise products and services for target customers. The Fashion Merchandising and Design major prepares students for diverse career opportunities available to graduates of the program. Students may find employment with apparel or textile manufacturers or with a wide variety of retailers and fashion media, including magazines and social media websites. Products in apparel fashion range from fast fashion and haute couture to special-use apparel for athletes and extreme sports to accessories and shoes. Graduates from the FMD major may be employed in the areas of product development and/or merchandising. Positions in merchandising include:
Positions in design and product development include:
The FMD curriculum is structured to build students' knowledge and skills in the design, development, production, marketing, sale, and use of apparel and other textile products. Individuals employed in today's fashion world need to understand both product design and development and merchandising management. In addition, students learn details about the business and economics of the textile and apparel industry and the cultural and historic aspects of apparel fashion. Supporting courses in accounting or statistics, management, and marketing enhance career preparation.
Many courses in the FMD major promote hands-on learning so that students gain industry type experiences in product development, computer-aided design, textile and apparel evaluation, merchandise planning, promotion, and consumer patronage behavior. Through coursework, internships, study tours, student organizations, and interaction with industry experts, students become prepared to enter the dynamic apparel fashion field.
Career Advisor:
Property management offers a fast-growing career encompassing positions in luxury and affordable apartment developments, senior living communities, mixed-use, and office and retail properties. Hundreds of management positions are available each year, and graduates of Virginia Tech's program are in great demand because they are equipped with skills that address the complexities of managing multimillion-dollar investments. Employment is available in various aspects of the industry including management, operations, marketing, human resources, training, development, and acquisitions.
The property management major offers a wide-ranging program of study that includes specific courses in property management, as well as supporting courses in housing, business, and real estate. All students complete at least one internship that is typically a paid internship with housing provided. The internships give students an opportunity to gain real-world experience, make valuable career contacts, and explore different aspects of property management. Property management's very active advisory board visits campus twice yearly, and many also attend the property management career fair held on campus each March. Board members act as mentors and provide financial support for field trips, professional development, and scholarships. Property management seniors take the National Apartment Association's Certified Apartment Manager exam. Graduating with this credential places new employees a year or more ahead of other entry-level peers.
Career Advisor: G. Galford
The Residential Environments and Design (RED) major focuses on the planning, design, and marketing of residential environments. Required courses emphasize design, human, social, and business factors, including current issues and practices, which influence the environment of housing. The diversity of the population with differing needs, the range of available products, the growth of regulation, the increased concern for health and safety, and the rapid changes in technology are among the factors that lead to a very complex marketplace in the residential industry.
There are many career opportunities for graduates of the RED major, which provide employment as well as business opportunities. Employment opportunities include certified kitchen and bath designers, manufacturing and sales of residential products, residential construction, home furnishings, appliances, and related industries. The future looks bright for those students who choose careers in the residential design industry. A number of trend and demographic indicators suggest that people will continue to spend money on their homes and need products and services from experts. There will be a strong, on-going need in the residential industry for well-educated professionals with specialized knowledge in design and the ability to think and solve complex problems.
The RED major's program in kitchen and bath design is accredited by the National Kitchen and Bath Association, and interested students can prepare to sit for the first level design certification examination. Students in the major are mentored by industry members of the Residential Environments and Design Industry Board. Classroom learning is expanded through field trips, guest speakers, community clients, internships, competitions, and other special projects.
School Director: Matt Powers
Professors: P.J. Fisher and D.H. Kincade
Associate Professors: G.A. Galford, E.Z. Hopkins, E. Hwang, I.E. Leech, E. Shin, D.C. Smith-Glaviana
Assistant Professors: J. Yoo, H.E. Chae
Collegiate Assistant Professor: G. Cheng
Associate Professor of Practice:
Assistant Professor of Practice: R. Walsh
Visiting Assistant Professor: H. Illahe
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