College Life

Private Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• Parsons The New School for Design
• Pratt Institute
• Academy of Art University
• California College of the Arts
• School of the Art Institute of Chicago

State Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• Fashion Institute of Technology
• Kent State University
• Ohio State University
• University of California—Davis
• Arizona State University

Classes in the Major

Fashion design techniques. Some of the first and most important classes for fashion design revolve around conceptualizing designs and putting them down on paper. Have you ever seen the super-stylized sketches made by fashion designers that feature paper-thin models who are 80% legs? Here's where they learned how to do that. Classes on drawing, such as figure and form, fashion illustration, and life sketches, help fashion designers fine-tune their fine art skills. Additional courses on flat pattern design and Computer-Aided Design (CAD), round out typical course requirements for drawing and design.

Interior design techniques. Similar to fashion design majors, interior design students will focus on pencil and paper first. Techniques in architectural drawing, such as drafting, perspective drawing, and creating floor plans, help interior designers lay down the literal framework for their visions. Courses in more high-tech design techniques may also be taken, including Computer-Aided Design and Drafting (CADD) and computer space modeling and visualization (otherwise known as 3D modeling).

Apparel design. In fashion, you not only have to design the clothes, but you often have to make them afterwards. These classes include sewing, knitting, draping, cutting, and constructing various forms of silhouettes. Get ready to poke yourself repeatedly with a sewing needle…and to swear under your breath. You'll spend hours and hours with thimbles, knitting needles, and industrial equipment. On the plus side, when you're done, you can actually wear your work.

Construction systems. Just as fashion designers move on from the drawing to creating, so do interior designers. Once they've studied techniques for designing an interior space, they'll then learn how to construct them. This doesn't necessarily mean you'll put on a hard hat and start demo-ing a run-down house (although, that would be excellent practice). What it does mean is that you'll learn about space planning, architecture, lighting and color schemes, and selections of materials. Not only do you need to know how to make a home look pretty, you also need to understand how to keep it from falling apart. Simple enough, right?

Art history. Design majors get their largest dose of liberal arts by being submerged in a wide range of art history classes. Both interior and fashion design students will likely study large-scale artistic movements from the Paleolithic period to the Renaissance. However, interior design students will also take courses in architectural history, including medieval domestic architecture, interiors, and furnishing, or mid-century modern design. Meanwhile, fashion designers might study the history of costume or corsetry (ooh la la). Understanding the patterns of artistic trends throughout history will make you a well-rounded and well-educated designer, no matter which field you choose to enter.