Bachelors In

Fashion Design Degrees

The complete guide on what you’ll learn, job prospects, university programs, and saving time and money.
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Why We Love It

  • $73,180
    Potential Avg. Salary*
  • Growing Demand
    Job Outlook

* Salary & growth data is based on the recent Bureau of Labor and Statistics data published at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes271022.htm for 27-1022 Fashion designers 11/2021. Based on national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary.

With a bachelor of arts in fashion design, you’ll learn how to design fashion collections, how to market and merchandise your collections, and how to choose and pair comfortable and aesthetically pleasing textiles.

Graduates go on to work as designers for retail store collections, develop their own branded collections, and design wardrobes for television shows and movies.

What is a Degree in Fashion Design?

In a bachelor of arts in fashion design program, you’ll take courses that prepare you for a career in fashion and wardrobe design. You’ll learn about textiles, sewing techniques, and conceptual design techniques that enable you to create a collection of your own.

Students in fashion design programs commonly develop collections over the course of their programs that can be used to market services after graduation, and may also engage in internships that offer real-world design experience.

In addition to refining your fashion design skills and building your collection, you’ll also take courses that help you learn the business of fashion merchandising. You’ll learn how to market your products to retail outlets to sell your fashions in stores, how to develop online and e-commerce stores for clothing and accessory sales, and how to find work developing fashions for big-name brands.

Fashion design majors may go on to develop their own signature collections, or to create wardrobes for actors on TV and film.

Recommended Schools

What Courses Would I Take For a Major in Fashion Design?

  • Fashion Graphics
  • Art, Design, & Visual Thinking
  • Apparel Design
  • Computer-Aided Fashion Design
  • History of Fashion
  • The Business of Fashion
  • Introduction to Textiles
  • Fashion Sketching

What Jobs Can You Get with a Degree in Fashion Design?

Internationally, there is a huge market for fashion design, though the field is highly competitive. In the U.S., most fashion designers find careers in wholesale design, creating designs for brand-name and retail-store collections.

Demand for designers who can create cost-friendly and stylish designs that mimic high-fashion clothing and accessories is expected to increase significantly in the coming decade.

How Long does it take?

A bachelors in Fashion Design will have a typical length of 4 years in a full time schedule. That said, there are many ways to speed up the timeframe by either taking more units via online coursework, community college, or taking free classes at OnlineDegree.com that could transfer to universities in the US.

Recommended Schools

Best Jobs for Fashion Design Degrees

Graduates of bachelor of arts in fashion design programs may be able to find work in a variety of places. Some go on to create designs for retail store collections and big-name fashion brands.

Others develop their own collections and sell them in retail stores or online. Some very successful fashion designers gain significant recognition and show off their collections in major runway shows during Fashion Week.

How to save time and money

Our mission is to help you to avoid paying full price for college. We want your Fashion Design degree to be affordable and accessible. Here’s how you could save:

Create Your Free SmartPlan

There are many ways to make college affordable and accessible.

That’s why we created a helpful tool called SmartPlan.

It’s free, and helps you find potential ways to save and tons of information about each school you’re considering

Think of it as your “college blueprint”, to help you instantly craft a path to your degree:

  • Which Colleges Match Your Needs
  • Ways You Could Save Time & Money
  • Free Courses You Could Take for Credit
  • Valuable Data and Insights on Each College
  • Detailed Steps You Should Take!

See what’s possible for you and generate a free plan within just a few minutes

Create My SmartPlan

Get a Certificate in Fashion Design First

When looking for work as a fashion designer, talent may be more compelling than education. For this reason, you may be able to find entry-level work in the field and begin accruing professional experience with a certificate in fashion design.

With a certificate, you’ll learn the basics of designing clothing and accessories, and this may help you find work sooner to help pay for your bachelor’s degree program.

You Might also be Interested in

Many visitors who look for a degree in Fashion Design are also interested in the following degrees.

Start Towards Your Fashion Design Degree, Free.

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