Fashion Design major
Fashion Design: courses, careers, and where to study
Fashion Design teaches the craft of conceiving and constructing apparel and accessories, suited to students who pair visual creativity with hands-on technical and production skills.
A Fashion Design major, usually a bachelor's degree, covers sketching and fashion illustration, pattern making, draping, sewing and garment construction, textiles and materials, color and design theory, and computer-aided design (CAD). Programs typically include the study of fashion history, trend research, and the business of fashion, and most culminate in a portfolio and a senior collection that students present to faculty and industry reviewers. Internships with design houses, manufacturers, or retailers are common.
Graduates develop, design, and produce clothing, footwear, and accessories, working through the full cycle from concept sketches and material selection to fittings and production specs. A bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education for fashion designers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; a graduate degree is generally not required, and a strong portfolio carries significant weight in hiring. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 2% employment growth for fashion designers from 2024 to 2034, and reports a 2024 median annual wage of $80,690 for the occupation.
Academic classification (CIP)
In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Fashion Design maps to CIP 50.0407, Fashion/Apparel Design, within the VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS family. The official definition:
A program that prepares individuals to apply artistic principles and techniques to the professional design of commercial fashions, apparel, and accessories, and the management of fashion development projects. Includes instruction in apparel design; accessory design; the design of men's', women's', and children's' wear; flat pattern design; computer-assisted design and manufacturing; concept planning; designing in specific materials; labor and cost analysis; history of fashion; fabric art and printing; and the principles of management and operations in the fashion industry.
Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov
What credential Fashion Design is awarded as
Of the 3,110 Fashion Design credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2023-24:
- Certificate9%279
- Associate28%883
- Bachelor's59%1,846
- Graduate3%102
CampusPin does not have enough states reporting this field to say whether the mix changes from state to state. See the full study.
Credentials conferred in 2023-24, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.
What you'll study
- Fashion sketching and illustration
- Pattern making and draping
- Sewing and garment construction techniques
- Textiles, fibers, and material selection
- Color theory and design principles
- Computer-aided design (CAD) for fashion
- Trend research, history of fashion, and the business of fashion
- Portfolio development and a senior collection
Typical careers
- Fashion designers
- Apparel / Technical Designer
- Pattern Maker
- Textile Designer
- Fashion Merchandiser / Buyer
- Costume Designer
Typical salary range: $80,690 median for fashion designers (BLS, 2024)Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.
Related occupations
Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Fashion Design, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.
| Occupation | Median pay | Openings / yr | Projected change | Most entrants hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary | $80,190 | 9,000 | +1.7% | Master's degree |
| Fashion Designers | $80,690 | 2,300 | +2% | Bachelor's degree |
Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 2 of these 2 occupations report a median wage.
“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Fashion Design does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.
Before you commit to a Fashion Design major
CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Fashion Design program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.
Ask the Fashion Design department
- Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
- What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
- What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
- Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?
Ask current students & check the curriculum
- How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
- What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
- Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
- How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Find a Fashion Design program
CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.
Colleges that awarded the most Fashion Design credentials
Largest by credentials conferred in 2023-24. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.
- Fashion Institute of TechnologyNY · 617
- The New SchoolNY · 290
- Savannah College of Art and DesignGA · 200
- FIDM-Fashion Institute of Design & MerchandisingCA · 171
- Kent State University at KentOH · 122
- Columbia College ChicagoIL · 94
- Arizona State University Campus ImmersionAZ · 80
- Virginia Commonwealth UniversityVA · 68
- Miami Dade CollegeFL · 56
- Los Angeles Trade Technical CollegeCA · 50
- Pratt Institute-MainNY · 49
- Mt San Antonio CollegeCA · 47
Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2023-24. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.
Where Fashion Design credentials were awarded
7 states have a distinct enough set of Fashion Design colleges to be worth its own page.
Search Fashion Design schools by state
Related majors
Graphic Design
Graphic Design teaches students to communicate ideas visually through typography, layout, and imagery, suiting people who want to combine creativity with craft across print and digital media.
Interior Design
Interior Design combines spatial planning, materials, and building codes with studio drawing and CAD, preparing graduates to design functional, safe interiors for homes, offices, and public spaces.
Marketing
Marketing majors learn how to identify, reach, and convert customers, combining strategy, consumer behavior, digital channels, brand management, and analytics.
Communications
Communications studies how messages move through media, combining writing, public speaking, and media analysis with hands-on training in PR, journalism, broadcasting, or strategic communication.
Put this major in context
The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Fashion Design degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.
Explore Education & Library careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
Explore Arts, Design & Media careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
How one major leads to many careers
Why a single Fashion Design degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.
Why a median wage is not a starting salary
How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.
When accreditation and licensure matter
How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Fashion Design path before you enroll.
Does a pricier college pay off?
How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.
Does picking a major narrow your college list?
Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.
Certificate or degree?
What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.
How this guide is sourced
This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.