Colleges & Universities that provide Fashion Design Degrees

Job Outlook for Fashion Design Industry

The clothing design industry is a very competitive field. It is constantly impacted by the economy. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, growth in the fashion design field will be only about one percent between now and 2018. The best bets for finding a job will be in design areas that create clothing for large scale department stores and retail store chains. It will be in areas where clothing is designed for America's masses and middle class. High end clothing design will not see much job growth and will have fewer new positions opening up.

Salaries in Fashion Design Industry

There is great variance in the salaries of this field. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook,  the average salaries for salaried fashion designers in 2008 were between $42,000 and $87,000. The highest ten percent made over $124,000 annually. The bottom ten percent made under $32,000 annually. In different categories of the fashion design industry, the management of fashion design had median salaries of about $72,000 annually. In the apparel manufacturing industry, the median salary for fashion designers was $66,000. In the merchant wholesaler's category, fashion designers made about $61,000 annually, and in the specialty design area, fashion designers made about $59,000 annually.

Great Degree Programs in Fashion Design

Many colleges are offering associate's degree (2 years), bachelor's degree (4 years), and master's degree (2 years after bachelor's degree) in the fashion design field. Some colleges also offer specialty areas that will allow students to specialize in one specific area of fashion design like marketing, retail management, technical design, and others.