Fashion & Apparel
What you'll do in college
Sewing machines will break at 2 AM, your fingers will be permanently nicked from pin pricks, and you'll learn that draping a bias-cut dress is much harder than it looks. You'll obsess over fabric weight, seam allowances, color palettes, and Pantone chips you can identify in your sleep.
If you're in jewelry or metals, swap the sewing machine for a soldering torch and the pin pricks for burns. Either way: long studio nights, brutal critiques, and a portfolio you'll rebuild three times before senior year.
What you'll do after college
Career paths range from glamorous to grueling. Grads land at fashion houses (often as wildly underpaid assistants for years), retail chains as merchandisers and buyers, costume departments for film and theater, or as independent jewelers and metalsmiths.
The top of the field pays well — established designers, creative directors, and luxury merchandisers do great. Mid-tier is competitive and crowded. Building your own line is romantic, financially brutal, and increasingly viable through direct-to-consumer channels.
Famous graduates
- Marc Jacobs — Iconic fashion designer; B.F.A. from Parsons School of Design
- Tom Ford — Fashion designer and filmmaker (Gucci, YSL, his own house); studied at Parsons School of Design
- Anna Sui — American fashion designer with her own global brand; Parsons School of Design
Selectivity vs. earnings
By acceptance rate
By SAT median
Earnings vs. selectivity rank
Majors in this category
| Major | Colleges | Degrees ▼ | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fashion & Apparel | 156 | 5,076 | 13% / 87% | 9% | $53,491 | 94% |
| Fashion Design | 57 | 1,661 | 15% / 85% | 19% | $52,350 | 93% |
| Fashion Merchandising | 53 | 1,419 | 9% / 91% | 7% | $53,750 | 96% |
| Apparel and Textiles | 47 | 1,164 | 12% / 88% | 1% | $53,008 | 94% |
| Apparel and Textile Manufacture | 3 | 118 | 36% / 64% | 8% | $60,336 | 94% |
| Fashion Merchandising and Design | 1 | 99 | 11% / 89% | 3% | $54,491 | |
| Apparel Design and Production Management | 1 | 97 | 3% / 97% | 2% | $62,650 | 90% |
| Fashion | 1 | 80 | 14% / 86% | 4% | $63,188 | 94% |
| Apparel, Merchandising, and Design | 1 | 79 | 14% / 86% | 0% | $50,823 | 93% |
| Fashion and Retail Studies | 1 | 67 | 13% / 87% | 0% | $61,223 | 98% |
| Apparel, Housing, and Resource Management | 1 | 61 | 44% / 56% | 8% | $70,108 | 92% |
| Fashion Design and Merchandising | 2 | 57 | 7% / 93% | 0% | $53,149 | 100% |
| Fiber, Textile and Weaving Arts | 5 | 38 | 11% / 89% | 8% | $37,069 | 90% |
| Textiles | 2 | 30 | 13% / 87% | 33% | $38,052 | 84% |
| Costume Design | 5 | 19 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $38,300 | 98% |
| Apparel Design | 1 | 15 | 40% / 60% | 20% | $58,185 | 90% |
| Jewelry + Metalsmithing | 1 | 11 | 9% / 91% | 36% | $42,001 | 82% |
| Jewelry Arts | 5 | 9 | 33% / 67% | 11% | $35,125 | 92% |
| Fashion/Apparel Design | 3 | 9 | 11% / 89% | 0% | $48,817 | 83% |
| Apparel, Retail Merchandising, and Design | 1 | 8 | 25% / 75% | 0% | $54,262 | 98% |
| Jewelry and Metal Arts | 1 | 6 | 0% / 100% | 83% | $34,104 | 86% |
| Fibers | 1 | 5 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $34,716 | 87% |
| Jewelry and Metalsmithing | 1 | 5 | 40% / 60% | 20% | $34,716 | 87% |
| Textile Science | 1 | 5 | 0% / 100% | 20% | $93,068 | 100% |
| Textiles, Merchandising, and Design | 1 | 5 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $50,260 | |
| Apparel Design and Merchandising | 1 | 3 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $47,995 | 100% |
| Textiles and Apparel | 1 | 3 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $58,815 | 100% |
| Apparel Merchandising | 1 | 2 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $51,443 | |
| Metalsmithing/Jewelry | 1 | 1 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $32,675 | 91% |