Welcome to Cheek Magazine
There just isn’t anything out there. There are humour magazines, for sure, but they all seem to be just for men. There are men’s magazines, which is fine if you’re a fan of Jackass or a student of gynecology. There are women’s magazines, but if you’re not as empowered as Oprah, or as thin as a stick-bug, you’re out in the cold, baby. And there are lots of pop culture magazines: heavy on the pop, light on the culture, and, in the end, all about Britney.
Look: this doesn’t pretend to be Vanity Fair, or even Salon for that matter. Camille Paglia and Christpher Hitchens are not on board. They wouldn’t return our calls. And BTW, there’s no “we”. It’s really me, Maureen Holloway, the little red hen, and this is actually a school project fashion-school-finder.com . No, really, it is. Read the Us page if you don’t believe me. Thing is, I have these really talented friends, mostly media geeks like me (see the Us page again,) and we all need an outlet, some sort of forum in which to express ourselves in written form. Some place where we can hang our virtual hats and kick back. Say things like “virtiginous” and “phlegmatic” and “shitbag” if we feel like it. Voice an unpopular opinion, perhaps, or admit to killing a guy once. So welcome to Cheek.
Fashion Design Schools
Thanks to the popularity of fashion-based reality shows, more and more people are pursuing a career in the fashion industry. Although it is still a difficult business to break into, one way to get a leg up on the competition is to earn an excellent education that includes a good internship at a reputable company. While earning a degree isn’t a guarantee that a person will get his or her dream job upon graduation, it will certainly give the person an advantage.
Here is a list of the ten best schools for a career in fashion. These schools offer degrees for a variety of fashion-related careers such as journalism, merchandising, advertising, and public relations. The schools aren’t listed in any particular order. Additionally, don’t fret if you are not able to get into the college or university of your dreams. It is still possible to attain success in the fashion industry as long as you have the right mix of skills and experience.
This list was compiled based on a number of factors including programs, placement opportunities, and number of graduates. These schools have a number of famous alumni which also factored into who made the list. As always, thoroughly research the school to make sure it is one that will help you achieve your goals.
Fashion Institute of Technology (New York City)
Located in one of the fashion capitals of the world, the Fashion Institute of Technology is home to a fashion museum that is highly regarded throughout the world. Graduates of the school find jobs in a number of areas in the fashion industry including at Conde Nast, Saks, Barney’s, and Macy’s. Students are yearly U.S. representatives in the World Retail Congress.
The school offers a pre-college program for students in middle and high schools. Graduates receive lifetime assistance with their job searches. The school also hosts job fairs, on-campus recruiting events, and an online job board.
Associate and bachelor degree programs available at the Fashion Institute of Technology:
- Advertising and Marketing Communications
- Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing
- Direct and Interactive Marketing
- Entrepreneurship for the Fashion and Design Industries
- Fashion Merchandising Management
- International Trade and Marketing for the Fashion Industries
- Production Management: Fashion and Related Industries
- Technical Design
- Textile Development and Marketing
The cost of tuition is up to $7,245 per semester depending on the program of study and whether the student lives on- or off-campus. Famous alumnus includes Michael Kors, Nina Garcia, and Calvin Klein.
Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (California)
Producing such graduates as Lauren Conrad, Pamela Skaist-Levy, and Monique Lhuillier, The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising has hosted several well-known television shows including Project Runway and HGTV’s Design School. The school has the largest fashion library on that side of the country and summer programs for high school students. Graduates from this school work at Nordstrom, Barney’s, and Saks Fifth Ave. Many also go onto to start their own fashion-based companies.
The undergraduate programs available at this college include:
- Apparel Industry Management
- Beauty Industry Merchandising & Marketing
- International Manufacturing & Product Development
- Merchandise Product Development
- Visual Communications
- Bachelor of Science in Business Management
Graduates enjoy on-campus recruitment activities, access to career counselors and job postings, and a career center that actively assists students in finding jobs in the field. Tuition is $26,000 per year.
Parson: The New School for Design (New York City)
The Big Apple certainly doesn’t lack or good fashion colleges and universities and Parson is a great one. Their Bachelor of Business Administration was named as one of the best by Business Week. They also claim Cecilia Dean as a faculty member of their Bachelor of Fine Art: Communication Design program. Graduates have found work at Vogue, Elle, Bergdorf Goodman, and Lord & Taylor. Notable Alum includes Ashley Abess and Julia Restoin Roitfeld.
The school offers associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees in the following programs:
- Business Administration in Design and Management
- Fashion Marketing
- Communication Design
- Fashion Studies
- Design and Marketing of Luxury Goods
Parson works with Columbia Business School to offer the last program which prepares students to work for some of the leading luxury goods companies in the world. Using the school’s connections, students have access to CEOs and other executive staff members of top companies. In conjunction with NYCEDC, Parson developed Fashion Draft NYC and Fashion Campus NYC; two programs designed to assist students with learning about the business side of fashion.
Tuition costs $39,280 per year. When it comes to career placement, students enjoy one-on-one help from advisors, job fairs, internship fairs, resume and interview preparation, and a well-written career services blog.
New York University (New York City)
Yet another university well-known for its high-quality education, New York University boasts a Fashion Business club and a number of industry-specific programs that address the different needs of fashion students. For example, they had a series that discussed dressing for job interviews for fashion-related jobs. The Guess Foundation bestowed a $2.5 million grant onto the Gallatin School so it could develop a fashion professorship. Companies that hire NYU graduates include Hearst, Conde Nast, Barney’s, Bloomingdale’s, J Crew, and Victoria’s Secret. Alumni include Christy Turlington, Tom Ford, and Candace Bushnell.
Students can earn a bachelor’s degree in media, culture, communication, liberal arts, or develop their own individualized program of study. Tuition is $41,614 per year. Career services provided include personalize career placement assistance, and career and industry fairs. The average salary earned by NYU graduates is $45,560 and 4 percent of the school’s 2011 graduating class worked in the fashion industry in some capacity.
Penn State (Pennsylvania)
Listed by the Wall Street Journal as the school recruiters go to the most for well-rounded and well-educated students, people who choose to attend Penn State can pursue a variety of undergraduate programs including public relations, media studies, journalism, and advertising. The school has a student-run publication called Valley Magazine and is close enough to New York City for students to obtain internships with relevant magazines and business.
Graduates have found employment with Elle magazine, BPCM public relations firm, Glamour, Armani Exchange, and Macy’s. Penn State provides students and graduates with season career firs, an online career network, and counseling. Famous people that attended the school include Margaret Carlson and Jayne Jamison. The average cost of tuition is $16,000.
Fordham University (New York)
Affiliated with the Jesuits, Fordham University is the location of the Fashion Law Institute, the very first fashion law center. The school operates a blog called Intern Diary where students can stay on top of trends in the fashion industry. Elle, Kenneth Cole, and Ann Taylor have all hired students who graduated from Fordham University. Alumni include Lana Del Rey and a former Burberry CEO.
Tuition at the school is $39,000 per year. Students can pursue degrees in communication, media studies such as journalism, marketing and business. To help students find jobs in the industry, Fordham offers a mentorship program, on-campus recruiting, a career center that offers time with executives and professionals in the field, career planning assistance, and assorted job hunting services like resume writing and interview skills.
Rutgers (New Jersey)
Rutgers was listed #6 in the nation on the Wall Street Journal’s SmartMoney list of best value schools. The school was also ranked as the most diverse school in America by US News and World Report. Degrees available at Rutgers include Journalism and Media Studies, and Communication and Information Studies.
Students that have graduated from the school have gone on to work for Conde Nast, Hearst, Barney’s, and Starwork public relations. Mark Ecko, Michele Promaulayko, and a number of award-winning journalists are former students of the Rutgers. Tuition ranges from $10,104 to $22,766 per year depending on the major.
Career placement services available at the school consist of an internship program administered by the journalism department. This program places students in positions at companies in New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia at places like MTV, publishing companies, and talk shows. Other resources include an online job board, resume writing service, and interview preparation assistance.
Syracuse University (New York)
Getting into this New York school is highly competitive as they only accept the top students. However, the school is well-known for its top-notch education. Students will have access to the school’s center for digital media start-ups. Employers that have hired Syracuse graduates include Cartier, Avon, Target, Conde Nast, Tory Burch, and Factory PR. Betsey Johnson is a known graduate of the college.
The average cost of tuition is $36,300 per year. Students can pursue undergraduate degrees in Advertising, Broadcast and Digital Journalism, Public Relations, Retail Management, and Newspaper and Online Journalism. Career placement help consists of career counseling, partnerships with corporations like Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, and career fairs.
University of Michigan (Michigan)
University of Michigan is consistently ranked as one of the top schools for a variety of educational programs. Despite being located in the Midwest, UM have strong connections in the NYC/East Coast pipeline. This means graduates are just as likely to land internship and job opportunities with well-known players in the fashion industry. However, students must be highly motivated to get the education and experience required to be successful. The students have a fashion magazine called SHEI.
Students with degrees from UM work at Ann Taylor, Gucci, Michael Kors, Conde Nast, and a variety of public relations companies. Graduates of the school include Jessica Kleiman. The cost of tuition varies based on residency and major and can top out at $18,794 per year. Relevant undergraduate programs include Communication Studies and the Sweetland Center for Writing.
Like most other schools, the University of Michigan offers hands-on job placement assistance, career fairs, and field trips that allow students to see firsthand what people do in their chosen careers.
Boston University (Massachusetts)
Boston University offers degree programs in Communication, Public Relations, Management and Journalism. This New England school has the old public relations program in the nation. They also have a student run public relations agency that provides hands-on experience for undergraduates
Conde Nast and Hearst employ people who have graduated from this school. Mickey Drexler and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy both attended Boston University. The average cost of tuition is $32,590 per year. Career services offered by the college include on-campus recruiting, events, and networking opportunities.