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Fashion Design

Types of Degrees Fashion Design Majors Are Earning

Those studying Fashion Design may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	127
Associate’s Degree	910
Bachelor’s Degree	1,881
Master’s Degree	266
Doctor’s Degree	2

What Fashion Design Majors Need to Know

Studies in Fashion Design develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Fashion Design graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Fashion Design emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Fine Arts — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Design — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Fashion Design program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Fashion Design careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Fashion Design graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.9 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.6 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.5 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Fashion Design professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Adobe Creative Cloud software	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
JavaScript	Web platform development software	—
Adobe InDesign	Desktop publishing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Fashion Design graduates include:

• Media Arts Professor
• Art Instructor
• Lighting Design Lecturer
• Scene Design Lecturer
• Arts and Crafts Instructor
• Performing Arts Instructor
• Dramatic Coach
• Artist Instructor
• Dance Instructor
• Music Theory Teacher
• Adjunct Instructor
• Professor
• Music Professor
• Ballet Teacher
• Ceramics Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Fashion Design graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	39.9%
Doctoral degree	24.9%
Bachelor’s degree	21.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	10.5%
Post-master’s certificate	1.3%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.6%
Some college courses	0.2%
Less than a high school diploma	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Fashion Design?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 83.7% of Fashion Design degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,667	83.7%
Men	519	16.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Fashion Design graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,075	33.7%
Asian	318	10.0%
Hispanic or Latino	668	21.0%
Black or African American	316	9.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	15	0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	5	0.2%
Two or More Races	112	3.5%
Race Unknown	70	2.2%
International Students	607	19.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Fashion Design Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Fashion Design graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$32,054
4 years	$41,389
5 years	$46,982

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $46,982 — roughly 47% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Fashion Design Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Fashion Design. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	2	4
Bachelor’s	2	2
Master’s	1	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Fashion Design Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Fashion Design graduates earn a median of $41,389 four years after completion — roughly 9% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Design and Applied Arts	50.04
Commercial and Advertising Art	50.0402
Commercial Photography	50.0406
Design and Applied Arts, Other	50.0499
Design and Visual Communications, General	50.0401
Game and Interactive Media Design	50.0411
Graphic Design	50.0409
Illustration	50.0410
Industrial and Product Design	50.0404
Interior Design	50.0408
Costume Design	50.0510
Acting	50.0506

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.