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The Textile Industry in the United States depends upon the quality of the technical
and managerial leadership attracted to the industry. The technological, chemical, and marketing advances of the
industry in recent years have opened the door to many career opportunities.
Textiles also provide a unique opportunity for those who seek a lucrative profession. Today’s modern textile industry
is remarkably diversified, comprising a world where one can develop individual talent and specialize in aspects
of manufacturing, chemistry, marketing, management, styling, and design.
Textiles have their application in every conceivable field of modern day living from the products we wear, to industry,
the environment, medicine, and explorations in space and the oceans.
Government and industry continue to have tremendous need for those who are educated in the textile sciences. The
opportunities for the graduating student present a challenging, exciting, and very rewarding future. More than
ever, the industry relies on well-educated textile graduates to continue its manufacturing excellence, capabilities
in developing innovative new products, and competitiveness in a high-tech, global market. The curriculum at UMass
Dartmouth aims to educate its students to meet these challenges and contribute to the industry’s future.
Students enrolled in Textile Sciences who have an interest in fashion, buying, or merchandising that extends beyond
the course offerings at UMass Dartmouth are eligible to become “visiting students” at the Fashion Institute of
Technology or the University of Rhode Island. Students are responsible to tuition and other costs assessed by FIT
or URI.
Those students interested in textile design may also be interested in the Textile Design/Fiber Arts major, which
is offered through the College of Visual and Performing Arts.
In 1993 the department made substantial changes in the textile pro-grams leading to the Bachelor of Science degree.
The program Textile Sciences, with a General Option and an Appied Fiber Materials Option, represents a new
textiles major with emphasis on manufacturing and business management. The Textile Chemistry major was revised,
as well.
Two graduate programs, one leading to the Master of Science Degree in Textile Technology and the other in
Textile Chemistry, are offered by the Department of Textile Sciences.
Textile programs qualify under the New England Regional Student Program to allow non-resident students from the
other New England states to pay a reduced non-resident tuition.
The Textile Sciences Building has approximately 21,000 square feet of laboratory space devoted to research and
education, with equipment for the processing of yarn from the raw material and the conversion of these yarns into
various textile structures from wovens and knits to composites and specialty products.
Equipment is also available for dyeing small lots of fibers, yarns, and fabrics both atmospherically and under
pressure. A variety of chemical finishes can be applied to fabrics to produce various functional properties. Students
gain experience with most wet finishing operations and evaluating performance properties during each processing
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