The Department of Textile Sciences offers exciting programs in product and textile development. Students in Product Development will be able to follow the major decisions involved in transforming concepts to textile products for apparel and non-apparel end uses. The Textile Development Stream taps into the emerging importance of technical textiles in the healthcare sector. Click here for an informative video on Textile Sciences from a conference.
Textile Sciences Brochure (in .pdf format)
Click here to see a video entitled: Textiles: Your Silent Partner
(You must have RealPlayer installed to watch the video)
Undergraduate Program in Textile Sciences 
Product Development Stream
To create textile products, the first step is to identify the users and the end uses. Then, a product development team will suggest concepts which will be turned into design details. Subsequently, the design details will be matched with appropriate materials and methods of production. Of course, the aesthetics of the end product is also important.
The product development stream of the Textile Sciences program is designed to impart essential knowledge and skills which will enable graduates to turn ideas into meaningful textile products for a variety of end uses . A Bachelor of Science (Textile Sciences) degree enables graduates to function effectively in positions such as technical textile product development, product quality assurance, fashion merchandising, or global sourcing coordination.
Product Development Stream program requirement page
The Textile Development Stream
The Department of Textile Sciences is unique in Canada because it offers an undergraduate program which acknowledges the contribution of textiles to human health. The textile development stream offers courses which cover antimicrobial fabrics, biotextiles, tissue engineering, senses and comfort, and textiles wound dressing and other health applications. Furthermore, students can take any of the following options:
Engineering Sciences Option
Exercise and Sport Sciences Option
Microbiological Sciences Option
A Bachelor of Science (Textile Sciences) degree paves the way for a variety of positions such as the creation of textile products for military, medical, or exercise and sports applications. This stream is also intended to be a stepping stone for men and women who are interested in pursuing graduate degrees in medical textiles.
Additional Benefit – Integration of Information Literacy
The Textile Sciences program involves the application and integration of knowledge from many disciplines. This innovative approach to the study of textiles requires special attention when preparing students to learn. To add value to the students’ experience, the Textile Sciences program is part of an information literacy pilot project. The goal of information literacy is to help students develop the ability to access, evaluate and manage the overwhelming amount of information available at their fingertips. For example, as students progress from first year to fourth year, they will go through increasingly higher levels of skills in retrieving, evaluating, analyzing, and presenting information in a credible and responsible manner. These skills will be useful in everyday life, but more importantly, will be an asset in the workplace.
Mallory Giardino, Textile Science student, is now in Tanzania, where she will be working alongside CPAR and UMATU for the next six weeks. Click here to follow the UofM Student's blog:
In July and August, Polo Park put together a display celebrating their 50th Anniversary. As part of that display, they included the designs of the Textile Science students from the Faculty of Human Ecology, University of Manitoba. Their task in the Senior Project class was to create a line using the 100th Anniversary of the faculty as inspiration. CitiTV was there on the opening day of the celebration to record the festivities.
Click here for one CitiTV video
Click here for the 2nd CitiTV video
(You must have RealPlayer installed to watch the video)
U of M Student in New York
Antonia
Schindle, a 4th year Textile Sciences student, has just finished her first term at the
Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. She says:
"NYC is fantastic and everything I've learned at the U of M has really prepared me for the curriculum at FIT (my textile professor actually asked me to help him teach the class once!). My Textiles degree from the U of M is highly recognized here and many industry professionals I've spoken with are impressed by it.
I'm the Publicity Manager of a club called Ed2010 at FIT (www.ed2010.com, www.ed2010fit.com), a club for students aspiring to break into the magazine industry. I've spent my time with the club organizing panel discussions and events, and studying a lot for my classes. I just landed a Spring semester internship at ELLE magazine starting in January, and I am BEYOND excited for that opportunity, since I have always had a passion for writing and hope to break into journalism and the editorial/magazine industry. So this is my first big step!"
Way to go Nia!
Telio Finalist
Madelaine Calanza was among 25 fashion students from across the country -- and the only Manitoban -- chosen as finalists in
the Telio Design Competition in 2009. She is the 2nd Textile Sciences student in as many years to become a finalist in the prestigious competition in Montreal.
Click here for more details