Miami Dade College fashion graduates have an announced route to continue their studies at Istituto Marangoni Miami under an articulation agreement described by both institutions this month. The partnership links an Associate of Science in Fashion Design from MDC’s Miami Fashion Institute with eligible Bachelor of Fine Arts study in Fashion Design or Fashion Styling at IMM.
MDC’s October 7 partnership notice scheduled a signing ceremony for October 12. IMM’s October 14 subsequent announcement says presidents Madeline Pumariega and Hakan Baykam formalized the agreement at MDC’s downtown fashion institute. Those dates distinguish the advance notice from the later account of the signing.
The pathway is conditional. Qualified Fashion Design associate-degree graduates may transfer subject to IMM’s admission, prerequisite and degree requirements. The institutions say completion of that associate degree satisfies IMM’s general education requirements. That does not establish automatic admission or a universal number of remaining semesters for every student.
The announced financial support includes one 100% talent-based scholarship and three 50% talent-based scholarships for selected students. The notices also describe eligibility for a 25% MDC scholarship for fashion graduates, which may be combined with additional scholarship opportunities. Students should obtain the written award terms before assuming how those percentages apply to tuition, fees, particular semesters or other awards.
The institutions plan transfer guides, individual advising and academic plans, with a specialized orientation for students moving to IMM. Those records will matter when a student compares completed coursework with a proposed bachelor’s program. A general transfer announcement cannot determine every student’s credit evaluation or final cost.
MDC’s program information distinguishes Fashion Design from Fashion Merchandising. The design track includes creative illustration, apparel evaluation and production, clothing construction and portfolio development. Merchandising instead includes retailing, product development, forecasting, merchandising strategies and textile and retail analysis.
That distinction is important because the transfer language specifically identifies the Fashion Design associate degree. Students in other tracks should ask an adviser how their own coursework fits, rather than treating every fashion credential as interchangeable. MDC also offers a Pattern Making and Construction certificate, which can be taken alone or within its Fashion Design associate program; the certificate is not the same credential as a completed associate degree.
For prospective transfers, useful questions include which entry term is available, which courses remain, how talent awards are selected, whether awards renew and what expenses remain after aid. Neither the public notices nor this report provides a personalized financial-aid offer or guarantees a particular completion timeline.
This account relies on the institutions’ agreement announcements and MDC’s academic program record. TAQ has not independently assessed transfer outcomes, obtained every award condition or verified an individual student’s eligibility. The announced pathway is a new option to investigate with both colleges, while admission and financial decisions still require the student’s own written evaluation.
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Feature image: AI-generated illustration of fashion work materials; it does not depict either college or its students.
