What to Expect
Textile science and engineering students prepare for high-tech jobs. They'll
be involved in the manufacturing of cloths and fibers.
Amanda Lee Patterson researched four countries in an effort to find the
ideal location for a T-shirt factory. While the factory was a hypothetical
one, the idea behind the research was to teach Patterson about how a North
American textile company may make the decision to take its industrial work
to a foreign country.
Patterson majored in apparel and textile engineering at Southern Polytechnic
State University. She says some of her textile classes included fiber formation,
yarn formation and fabric formation.
"There are opportunities everywhere. In fact, I love this major because
it is versatile and varied," she says.
"With choices like carpet, shoes, clothes, camping equipment, automobile
interiors and fiber-enforced composites -- for example, the body of a Corvette
-- you are bound to find something that interests you."
Kelli Ciampi majored in textile management and technology at Auburn University.
She took classes in fabric formation, yarn forming systems, fibers, dyeing
and finishing, non-wovens, development and analysis of fabric, design of fabrics
and quality control.
"This is a great major and...the entire department is willing to help any
way they can," she says. "If you like science and math, this is a fun major."
Lelia Kotowich took textile science. She concentrated on protective clothing
and apparel, which includes such items as thermal protective clothing and
bullet-proof vests.
One of Kotowich's classes covered archeometry, which looks at the
structure of artifacts. She wrote a research paper about how textiles become
"fossilized" when exposed to certain conditions in their burial environment
for extended periods of time.
Kotowich also took courses that went into more detail regarding various
fibers. "In one course, we learned about a lot of neat fibers and textiles,
such as Kevlar (bulletproof vests), Gore-Tex, Coolmax and Nomex," she says.
How to Prepare
Patterson suggests high school students interested in this field begin
preparing now. "Do not wait until your junior year to decide you want
to be an honor graduate and have scholarships pay your way through college.
Start applying yourself as soon as possible," she says.
"Unfortunately, not many people know that the field exists," says Kotowich.
"If you want to go into textile science, read up on it. There are so
many applications to it."