Fashion Design and Merchandising Major: What It Includes, Classes and Careers

A Fashion Design and Merchandising major studies how clothing and accessories are designed, made and sold. Fashion programs cover design, patternmaking, textiles, garment construction, trend forecasting and fashion merchandising.

A Fashion Design and Merchandising major includes coursework in fashion illustration, patternmaking, textiles, garment construction, and trend forecasting and more. You build skills such as design, sewing and patternmaking, trend analysis, and visual merchandising. Typical degrees: associate and bachelor's degrees.

Typical courses include fashion illustration, patternmaking, textiles, garment construction, trend forecasting, and fashion merchandising. Exact course names and requirements vary by college, and most degrees also include general education courses.

It depends on the level. Fashion Design and Merchandising is offered as certificate, associate, bachelor’s, and master’s awards at U.S. colleges; certificates take from a few months to about two years, an associate degree usually takes about two years of full-time study, a bachelor’s degree usually takes about four years of full-time study, and a master’s degree usually takes one to two years after a bachelor’s. Part-time study takes longer.

Associate and bachelor's degrees. In the latest federal data, 38 colleges reported certificate awards, 53 colleges reported associate awards, 118 colleges reported bachelor’s awards, and 22 colleges reported master’s awards.

Career paths connected to fashion design and merchandising include fashion designer, apparel patternmaker, tailor, visual merchandiser, and retail store manager. Some roles need additional training, experience, certification or a license.

Examples include fashion designer (typical training: 4 years), apparel patternmaker (typical training: Months to years of training), tailor (typical training: 6 months–2 years), visual merchandiser (typical training: 1–6 months), and retail store manager (typical training: 2–5 years of retail experience).

Fashion Design and Merchandising majors build skills such as design, sewing and patternmaking, trend analysis, visual merchandising, and business awareness.

Good pairings include Marketing (helps you promote collections and brands) and Business (helps you run a fashion business).

It can be a good fit if you are interested in the work it leads to, such as fashion designer, apparel patternmaker, and tailor, and enjoy subjects like fashion illustration and patternmaking. No major guarantees a job, so compare the coursework, the careers and the education each career requires before deciding.

How hard it feels depends on your strengths. Core coursework includes fashion illustration, patternmaking, and textiles; if those subjects interest you, the major is likely to feel more manageable. Reviewing a college’s course list and talking to current students helps you judge.

172 U.S. colleges reported awarding degrees or certificates in this field in the latest federal (IPEDS) data. Programs can have different names at different schools.

California (36), New York (12), Texas (12), Ohio (8), and Illinois (7), based on the colleges that reported awards in this field.

146 of the colleges that offer fashion design and merchandising also report offering at least one program entirely online, though not necessarily this one. Use the college search with this major and “Offers fully online programs”, then confirm with the school.

Fashion Design and Merchandising studies how clothing and accessories are designed, made and sold. Graphic Design teaches you to communicate visually through layout, typography, images and digital media. Fashion Design and Merchandising leads to careers such as fashion designer and apparel patternmaker, while Graphic Design leads to careers such as graphic designer and art director.

Fashion Design and Merchandising studies how clothing and accessories are designed, made and sold. Interior Design designs functional, safe and attractive interior spaces. Fashion Design and Merchandising leads to careers such as fashion designer and apparel patternmaker, while Interior Design leads to careers such as interior designer and set designer.

Yes. Short online career training can help you understand a specific job and build practical knowledge alongside your classes. It does not replace your degree or any required license.

No. Career Education Institute is not a college and does not award degrees. It offers short, non-credit online trainings about jobs connected to fashion design and merchandising, such as Fashion Designer Training.