Featured Schools

Fashion schools with impressive names or downtown campuses are tempting for their promise of glamour and excitement. But students in suburban areas can look for fashion career colleges in their areas, and take design courses in preparation for the next step of their career.

If you're interested in pursuing a career in fashion design, taking courses at a community college is one path towards your degree. Many community colleges offer courses towards an associate of arts degree in drama, photography, film, and fashion design. Career colleges, on the other hand, grant associate degrees, certificates, and licensing programs in professional areas that are rapidly expanding, including fashion design.

Courses at Fashion Career College

Fashion design courses at career colleges focus on the technical skills that students need to translate their ideas into garments. Computer-aided design (CAD) courses, for example, can show you how to plan patterns in different sizes. Fashion career colleges also allow you to concentrate on the creative part of your curriculum, including pattern work, graphic design, marketing, and budgeting--practical skills you'll need to turn your ideas into marketable garments.

Available Degrees from Fashion Career Colleges

You can earn an associate's degree or certificate at a fashion career college, while fashion design programs at community colleges offer single courses for proficiency in addition to associate's degrees. Besides fashion design, fashion career colleges can also prepare you for careers in floral design, graphic design, textiles, purchasing, or retail management.

About the Author

Lynsey Hemstreet is a freelance writer and hairstylist. She has a BA in Journalism from San Francisco State University.

Source(s):

Bureau of Labor Statistics