Planning a course schedule may seem like a chore, with specific classes required each semester to reach graduation. At the Wilson College of Textiles, however, there are a multitude of exciting courses available from degree requirements to electives.

Alongside a variety of degree paths, the Wilson College of Textiles has a vast network of expert professors teaching subjects just as varied in the Wilson College’s classrooms, labs and studios. Below, you can find an engaging class offered to students in each major during the fall semester, from required coursework to electives.

TMS 211: Introduction to Fiber Science

• Eligibility: Required for all students majoring in fashion and textile design or fashion and textile management.

Knowing how different fibers respond to different conditions is imperative to understanding when and where to use them. In TMS 211: Introduction to Fiber Science, students not only learn about, but also work hands-on with a variety of both common and specialty fibers.

“TMS 211 is a fiber science course geared towards understanding the different types of fibers. You learn about the chemical structures and properties of the fibers and their uses,” Says Devyn Williams, a junior majoring in fashion and textile design with a concentration in fashion design.

Through learning about the chemical structures and properties of fibers like cotton, polyester and even kevlar, students are able to see how fiber content affects a finished textile product. Examining these fibers under the lens of a microscope allows them to gain firsthand experience on how a variety of factors can influence the fiber’s properties.

“Even the smallest chemical structures can make a giant impact. A shift in polymer structures can impact the entire makeup of the fiber, and that impacts the fabric that you make, which impacts the garment that you end up with. Everything is really connected,” Williams says.

Understanding the unique characteristics of popular fibers is not only necessary for people who plan to work with fibers before the fabric stage. This knowledge is also important for product developers and designers as well as brand managers when it comes to choosing fabric options and marketing strategies.

FTD 375: Woven Textile Design Studio

• Eligibility: Required for textile design students. May be taken as an independent study by fashion design students.

Interested in learning to weave on professional machinery? Woven Textile Design Studio allows students studying fashion and textile design to build foundational skills and knowledge around woven design while they weave their own pieces throughout the semester. The studio is a required course for students in the textile design concentration, but students in the fashion design concentration can take a similar course for an independent study credit.

In class, students learn the basics of woven structures, color theory and application, and textural effects. Upperclassmen studying FTD learn to set up, manage and create with their own looms. Independent projects are dispersed throughout the semester and students are allowed free rein with their designs. The studio format means students complete a majority of their work outside of class time. 

Edie Youngblood, a junior majoring in fashion and textile design with a concentration in textile design, took FTD 375 this semester. She says the creative freedom encourages exploration and has made the class more fun.

“The whole class is really open-ended. There’s no specific criteria you have to meet. All of it is really just about experimentation, which I really enjoy,” Youngblood says. “The college has a wide selection of yarns we get to choose from, so being able to make whatever I want has been my favorite part.”

To gain an understanding of the woven design industry, students are introduced to computer-integrated design systems and broader industrial processes. They also get the opportunity to engage outside of the classroom. This semester, they visited the Gregg Museum’s archival collection of textiles and went to High Point, North Carolina, for the Interwoven Textile Fair. 

“Throughout this class, I’ve gained a better understanding of how weaving works. I’ve taken other classes where we learn about the actual structure, but with the more hands-on studio I can really connect it to my other classes and instruction,” Youngblood says.

PCC 301: Technology of Dyeing and Finishing

• Eligibility: Required for students majoring in textile engineering or polymer and color chemistry. May be taken as an elective by textile technology students.

Alongside its corequisite lab, PCC 301 teaches students majoring in polymer and color chemistry the basics of dyeing and finishing textiles. Throughout the semester, students take part in the physical process of dyeing with many different types of dyes, learning about what works, what doesn’t and the chemistry behind it all. 

Students learn about color theory, measurement and application as well as the technology and science involved with the process of coloration. In addition, weekly labs allow students to apply the content they learn in class with experiments and by working directly with machinery. 

“The labs are definitely my favorite because we get to be hands-on with the process and see how everything works together,” says Olivia Burgin, a junior majoring in polymer and color chemistry with a concentration in medical sciences.

Burgin took PCC 301 this semester with Professor Ahmed El-Shafei, and says she always looked forward to the class for its welcoming environment and engaging content. 

“Dr. El-Shafei makes the whole class very comfortable. He likes to ask questions and the class is always open to discussion,” Burgin says. “I feel like I’ve learned so much, not through extensive studying, but just by being in the class and the helpful reinforcement we receive from professors.”

Learning about the extensive science underlying the textile processes has been fun for her as a PCC student, and she says she is excited to continue learning and working with textile chemistry in the future. 

“I never knew there was so much chemistry behind dyes and honestly, chemistry behind everything,” Burgin says. “When I initially applied for polymer and color chemistry, I wasn’t sure what I was getting into. But doing practical work like this, I enjoyed it so much more than I ever thought I would.”

FTM 483: Global Trade and Sourcing

• Eligibility: Required for all fashion and textile management students, no matter which concentration they are pursuing. Fashion and textile design students can take the course as an elective.

In today’s world, almost all business is global business. In FTM 483: Global Trade and Sourcing, students have the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of global sourcing and supply chain operations, with a special focus on the textile industry. 

Global Trade and Sourcing is an expansive course that covers everything from legal regulations to corporate social responsibility and gives students an in-depth look at the international textile industry. Students learn about these topics through in-depth research and collaboration, completing two major projects over the course of the class. Senior fashion and textile management student Kaylee Jacobs took the course this fall.

“Dr. Carter has a lot of different experiences that she is able to pull from which was super helpful to learn about how things actually work in industry,” Jacobs says.

This course allows students to learn about the global sourcing and supply chain industry hands-on from a professor with years of experience in the industry. Class discussions and practical project work immerse students in the world of global sourcing and help them identify and analyze major strategic decisions used in global sourcing. Students spend their time exploring the vital imports and exports for some of the world’s most prominent countries as well as examining the social responsibility of brands we all use on a daily basis.

MT 432: Evaluation of Biotextiles

• Eligibility: Required for textile technology students pursuing a concentration in medical textiles. Polymer and color chemistry students pursuing a medical sciences concentration or a science and operations concentration, as well as textile technology students pursuing a supply chain operations concentration, may take this course as an elective.

Whether you realize it or not, medical textile products are everywhere. From everyday bandages to prosthetic devices, the study of medical textiles saves lives. As medicine evolves, it is important that these devices evolve as well. 

MT 432: Evaluation of Biotextiles gives its students a look into the complex and fascinating medical textile industry. Students get to learn about everything from quality assurance, to manufacturing, to testing techniques in the lab. Focusing on implantable medical products, this course gives students a unique insight into a complicated industry. Senior textile technology student Abby Carr recently took the course.

“Biology and textiles are completely two different things, and when you combine them together to create a life-sustaining device that is implanted in your body for years there are several things that factor into that,” Carr says.

Safety and accuracy are two of the most important factors in the medical textile field. The smallest flaw in a product’s design or use could drastically change its ability to perform. In this course, students learn all of the steps a medical textile product has to go through to ensure that it is safe for patients.