Online Fashion Schools 2021

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Fashion designers use their creativity, education, and experience to create clothing and accessories. Every decision they make, such as selecting materials and inventing new styles, reflects their artistic sensibility. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that fashion designers in the United States earned a median annual salary of $73,790 in 2019.

Although the BLS projects jobs for fashion designers to decrease 4% between 2019 and 2029, professionals can increase their employability by enrolling in an online fashion school. These institutions allow students to hone their skills and build a portfolio. Some fashion school online programs also run asynchronously, enabling learners to continue working while earning a degree.

Considering Fashion School? Ask these Questions First

Why Get a Degree in Fashion?

Students often enroll in an online fashion school to hone their skills and advance their career. Learners attain these and other benefits by earning good grades and using their school's career resources. Some additional benefits of earning a degree in fashion include:

Courses in Fashion School

Top degrees in fashion emphasize the professional and business fundamentals students need to succeed in the field. Many programs feature a final-semester capstone course in which learners develop a comprehensive portfolio or propose a business plan. Other graduation requirements may include general education courses, such as public speaking, ethics, and statistics.

The sample curriculum below introduces three typical fashion courses. Not all colleges offer or require these courses, so prospective students should speak with enrollment counselors to learn more.

• Fashion Textiles for Apparel and Home

  The textile industry influences the fashion design process at every level. Students analyze different fabrics' qualities and production processes, sourcing, popular finishes, and how fashion designers select the best materials. Other course topics may include fast fashion's adverse environmental effects and the industry's sustainability efforts.

• Interactive Fashion Communication

  Fashion designers use multiple tools when advertising their products, including videos, photographs, websites, and 3D models. Other options include brand partnerships and persuasive writing. This course introduces students to these and other techniques, and learners analyze multiple real-life examples. Graduates use the skills this course emphasizes to create an engaging personal brand.

• Internship

  Many top programs require enrollees to complete a local internship. No matter the internship site, degree-seekers learn under experienced professionals, gain on-the-job experience, and network with potential employers. Many internships also require students to contribute to an online discussion board, sharing their experiences with their professor and peers.

• Design Studio

  Enrollees use their new knowledge and skills to create a product. Coursework involves considering different materials, turning an idea into a concept draft, and applying critical thinking skills to the design process. Online fashion schools may require more than one design studio course.

• Objects as History

  This philosophy course asks students to consider what qualities define a physical object. Learners explore human-made objects' impact throughout recorded history, such as how the first arrowheads influenced hunter-gatherer tribes. This analysis helps degree-seekers attain a greater understanding of how design influences function and vice versa.

Scholarships for Fashion Students

Although many fashion school online programs offer institutional and departmental aid, prospective and current students should still research and apply for private scholarships. Opportunities like those below cater to online learners and degree-seekers majoring in fashion or a related topic.

Online Fashion Schools 2021