What is textile technology?
Are you looking for a hands-on, STEM intensive education? Do you like knowing how products are made and how you can make them more efficiently and sustainably? If so, our Bachelor of Science in textile technology (TT) is the right fit for you.
Our program provides you with knowledge of fiber materials, science and technology and teaches you how to apply this in-demand expertise to product design and development, quality control, and production. In other words, you’ll learn about not only textile science, but also business, manufacturing and management. Our industry-caliber labs filled with cutting-edge technology bring these lessons about woven fabrics, knits, technical textiles and nonwovens to life.
Ultimately, you’ll apply NC State’s Think and Do philosophy to complete a year-long Senior Design project in partnership with industry sponsors.
Senior Design
You’ll learn about:
Textile product development and processes; Fabric formation; Management; Fiber science; Performance evaluation/quality control; Polymer chemistry; Physics
Concentration options
- Medical Textiles: Design and methods of production of textile products and devices used in medical applications (for example: sutures, grafts and implantable meshes).
- Supply Chain Operations: Management, business and quality control and other skills needed to transform raw materials into finished textile products.
- Technical Textiles: Design principles, understanding of applications, and technologies for textiles used in industries such as transportation, storage, packaging, automobile engineering and geotechnical engineering.
- General Curriculum Track: Students transferring from other programs or community colleges may choose this concentration, which provides the flexibility of advised electives for pursuing a minor or their own interests.
Popular minors:
Business Administration; Environmental Sciences; Global Health; Sustainable Materials and Technology
Making a difference through textile technology:
The unique combination of fiber science and business/product development know-how you’ll gain from a degree in textile technology uniquely positions you to make the textile industry more sustainable. Because textiles touch so many parts of our lives, developing a more sustainable textile industry is crucial to protecting our planet.
You can also make a difference through medical textiles, either by ensuring their quality and efficient production or by developing new ones.
textile technology and sustainability
What can I do with my degree?
You can find textiles just about anywhere, which means you can find our graduates there too. TT alumni land jobs within aerospace, medicine, architecture, automotive, apparel, sports, manufacturing and more.
These are just a few of the places our graduates go:
- Athletics and Apparel: Nike, Adidas, The North Face, New Balance, Reebok, Levis, Fruit of the Loom, Hanesbrands
- Healthcare/Medical Textiles: Medline, Secant Medical
- Homewares: Target, Kohl’s
- Government Agencies/Defense: United States Patent and Trademark Office, State Bureau of Investigation (SBI)
- Traditional Textiles: Milliken, Unifi, Parkdale Mills, Glen Raven, Springs Global
- Professional Graduate Programs: Analytics: NC State; Law: Campbell University
- Technical Graduate Programs: Textile Engineering and Textiles: NC State
- Plus: SAS, All Trails, Lenovo, Cisco, Accenture, IBM, Wolfspeed Inc.
Sample careers:
- Materials Developer/Specialist/Designer: Apply an understanding of fibers, woven constructions, fabric testing, dyeing and finishing, and more to develop materials used in everything from camping tents to sneakers. Find new applications for a company’s existing materials.
- Product Designer: Develop prototypes for new products that are aesthetically pleasing while also meeting performance/functionality needs.
- Quality Control Engineer: Establish and maintain systems and processes, conduct audits, to minimize deviation and to make sure that all products meet standards set by the company, industry organizations, or government entities.
- Research and Development Specialist: Direct and execute research programs that lead to development of new products and processes or new applications of existing products and processes to improve profits, maintain quality and generate growth for a company or brand.
- Strategic Sourcing Manager: Analyze and improve supply chain partnerships and processes to ensure a company is acquiring and transporting its materials in the most effective and cost efficient way. Negotiate with suppliers.
- Logistics Manager/Inventory Manager: Oversee ordering, stocking and organization/distribution of items and materials to minimize waste throughout the supply chain.
- Production Manager/Project Engineer/Product Manager: Ensures progress on a project from start to finish in order to meet deadlines, quality standards and sustainability standards. This could include managing orders, collaborating with technicians and other engineers and adjusting production schedules. Communicates this progress with any clients, vendors or other stakeholders.
- Technical Marketing Manager: Work with engineers to create marketing strategies and materials for technology products or services. Conduct market research and analyze customer feedback to inform pricing and product development.
- Technical Service/Sales: Use technical knowledge of textiles (as well as related machinery, processes, applications and testing standards) to serve as a resource to the sales team and answer customer questions.
What’s the difference between textile technology and textile engineering?
Our degrees in textile engineering (TE) and textile technology (TT) have many similarities, and students are able to start in one degree and then transfer to the other.
Here are some of the key similarities and differentiating factors that could help you choose the program that’s the best fit for you:
- Seniors in both programs go through the same Senior Design program and work with students from the other program on Senior Design teams.
- Engineering-based calculus and physics are required for TE students. They are not required for TT students.
- TE students are required to take additional engineering courses that TT students are not. That’s because TE is a joint degree with the College of Engineering, while TT is housed solely within the Wilson College of Textiles.
- TE teaches students to use system thinking to design to products or processes using materials. TT focuses on the use of technology to solve problems.
- TT has a stronger focus on business than TE.