Advising and Support

Colorado State University is operating normally and our faculty and advisers will be meeting with students in person or remotely using Microsoft Teams. If you have questions for your adviser, please find their contact information on the DM Directory.

DM Faculty and Staff

Students, if you need help using Microsoft Teams, please see the Get started with Microsoft Teams page.

Design and Merchandising Student Advising

If you are unsure about who your adviser is, log in to RAMweb and click on ‘My Adviser(s)’ under the Registration heading on the left.

If you are a current APAM or IAD major and there is not an assigned adviser listed, please email us at dmrecruitment@colostate.edu. Please do not schedule an appointment with an adviser other than your assigned adviser.

Current Students
Login to your RAMweb account to view your assigned academic adviser. Your landing page will indicate who your current adviser is. If your adviser is not listed, contact the main department office at (970) 491-1629.

New Students
If you are new to campus and have not taken any courses at CSU, your adviser will be assigned to you after you attend a university orientation program.

Current DM Undergraduate Students

If you are currently enrolled as one of the following majors:

Apparel and Merchandising Major
Interior Architecture and Design Major
Merchandising Minor

Schedule a 30-minute appointment with your adviser

Major Information Sessions for Current CSU Students

If you would like to change your major, add a second major, or minor to:

Apparel and Merchandising
Interior Architecture and Design
add Merchandising Minor

We are meeting with students in person for our major information workshops. Major information workshops are mandatory for all students who wish to change into and declare a major or minor in the department. Preregistration is not required to attend one of the dates and times listed on this webpage.

Major Information Sessions for Current CSU Students

If you are interested in changing your major, or adding a second major in Apparel and Merchandising, Interior Architecture and Design, or adding the Merchandising Minor, you must attend one of the dates listed below. Preregistration is not required to attend one of the dates and times listed.
Day	Date	Time	Location
Wednesday	July 31	1-2 p.m.	105 Nancy Richardson Design Center
Thursday	Aug. 22	10-11 a.m.	105 Nancy Richardson Design Center
Friday	Aug. 30	1-2 p.m.	105 Nancy Richardson Design Center
Wednesday	Oct. 16	10-11 a.m.	120 Nancy Richardson Design Center
Tuesday	Oct. 22	10-11 a.m.	105 Nancy Richardson Design Center
Monday	Nov. 4	1-2 p.m.	120 Nancy Richardson Design Center
Tuesday	Nov. 12	noon-1 p.m.	105 Nancy Richardson Design Center
Monday	Nov. 18	1-2 p.m.	105 Nancy Richardson Design Center
Tuesday	Dec. 3	12-1 p.m.	105 Nancy Richardson Design Center

Frequently Asked Questions

Registration for fall and spring terms generally opens about 10 weeks into the regular semester. Registration appointment times are assigned by the Registrar’s Office based on your total number of completed credits. Graduate students and students with Senior level credit status generally register first, followed by Juniors, Sophomores, Freshman, Transfer students, and new admits. Please check RAMweb for your individual registration appointment time and plan to make an appointment with your adviser approximately two weeks prior to your registration time. During peak advising time, appointments fill up quickly.

Yes, email is an important piece of our communication to you. The department sends out an email to all students letting them know when pre-registration and peak advising is beginning. We strongly encourage you to check your CSU email on a regular basis so that you do not miss out on important messages and exciting opportunities.

Advising codes are given to design and merchandising students after advising has been completed for the fall or spring term. Please make an appointment with your adviser in a timely manner in order to receive your advising code so that you are able to register at the beginning of your assigned registration appointment time. Advising codes are not given over the phone in lieu of advising.

Changing into Apparel and Merchandising or Interior Architecture and Design
Attend a mandatory major information session (link found in the Major Information Sessions section on this page) to complete the required electronic approval and learn about requirements for the major, the four-year plan of study, and our selective advancement components.

Changing out of Apparel and Merchandising or Interior Architecture and Design
Contact the department of the major that you wish to change into to understand their major change process.

Adding a Merchandising Minor is easy. Please join us for one of the major info sessions (link found in the Major Information Sessions section on this page) to complete the required electronic approval and pick up a current checksheet. We are happy to include adding a Merchandising Minor to our information. Note that additional coursework beyond courses on the checksheet may be required in order to complete the Merchandising Minor. We encourage you to meet with your adviser on a regular basis so that careful planning of regular coursework and elective coursework is complete.

When reviewing the current checksheet for your major, pay close attention to courses indicated with an AUCC category identification. If the name of the category is listed with a line, you are free to choose a course in the category indicated on the checksheet. In some cases, your major may require a specific course in a core category. If you are not sure if a specific course is required, please ask!

AUCC General Catalog

Even when a class has reached its published enrollment limit, the instructor may give special permission for a student to register in the course. Students should inquire about overrides with the instructor assigned to teach the class or the department offering the class. Overrides are processed electronically via ARIESweb by the instructor or department offering the course. Once granted an override, the student must still register for the course through RAMweb. To do so, the student will need to manually enter the course reference number into the Add Classes Worksheet in RAMweb.

An internship is required for both apparel and merchandising and interior architecture and design students as part of the graduation requirements in each program. AM students are required to take a Professional Practice course (DM 492) prior to the semester they enroll for the internship experience. AM students usually do their internships during the final spring or summer term. Interior Architecture and Design students take part in internships after the fall semester of their Junior year. Students who are eligible for internships must meet the following prerequisite requirements established by each program area in the department:

Apparel Design and Production (DM 487B, 12 credits)
Minimum 2.5 GPA; AM 244; DM 492
Merchandising (DM 487A, 12 credits)
Minimum 2.5 GPA; AM 371, DM 360/MKT 360; DM 492
Product Development (DM 487C, 12 credits)
Minimum 2.5 GPA; AM 375; DM 492
Interior Architecture and Design (INTD 487, 12 credits)
Minimum 2.5 GPA; INTD 376 or INTD 456 with a minimum C grade

Students who do not meet prerequisite requirements are not eligible for internship credit at that time and should consult with a faculty adviser. The department recognizes that there are many work experiences available to students. We encourage students to take advantage of work experience; however, we will not be able to award internship credit for these experiences prior to the student meeting the prerequisite requirement of the formal internship placement course (DM 487A, DM 487B, DM 487C, and INTD 487).

Design and Merchandising Advising and Support