Fashion Studies

Degree Options: Minor Only
Location: Lincoln Center
Visit the Fashion Studies Program

There’s a fashion show every day on the streets of New York City, a fashion capital of the world.

Fashion is much more than the trends of the season. Fashion is a cultural language, economic powerhouse, and artistic force felt throughout the world. Nowhere is this more apparent than in New York City, a global fashion capital and home to Fordham University.

Fordham’s fashion studies minor offers a unique take on fashion education. We don’t want to just teach you about how the fashion industry works today—we want to give you the tools to shape its tomorrow.

The minor’s foundational courses are shaped by the University’s mission to foster the habits of careful observation, critical thinking, creativity, moral reflection, articulate expression, and reverence for all cultures. They explore fashion from a variety of perspectives: cultural, commercial, and visual. These courses prepare students to face the multitude of new challenges facing the fashion industry today, including growth in emerging markets, the rise of new media and social networks, and increasing pressure to develop merchandise that is produced and marketed ethically and sustainably.

In the context of Fordham’s curriculum and your major of choice, the fashion studies minor will prepare you to excel in your field—and as a human being. Because of course, you’ll learn more than fashion studies here. You’ll also study philosophy, theology, economics, mathematics, languages, science, and the performing arts through Fordham’s common core curriculum, the centerpiece of our liberal arts education.

  • As a fashion studies minor, you’ll take six courses.

    You’ll take three required introductory courses:

    • Introduction to Fashion and Culture
    • Introduction to Fashion Design
    • The Business of Fashion

    And you’ll choose three electives that reflect your specific interests. A few recent examples:

    • Fashion and Costuming in Film
    • Fashion Journalism
    • Fashion Marketing

  • The fashion studies minor pairs well with a majority of majors and programs, uniquely preparing students for countless career paths.

    Creative Majors
    Students studying the visual arts may choose to focus their artistic energy on fashion or textile design, fashion photography, or styling. Those more inclined toward the written word (majoring in English or journalism) might consider fashion journalism, creative direction, or various types of content creation. Film and performance majors may expand their knowledge to fields such as costume design, wardrobe supervision, fashion show production, makeup artistry, or modeling.

    Business Majors and Pre-Law Track
    Fashion is big business. In fact, the industry is valued at more than $2.5 trillion! It’s easy to see why business students may consider becoming a marketing executive, merchandiser, buyer, CEO, CFO, or accountant of a fashion company. Pre-law students might also consider representing a fashion brand or company.

    Cultural Majors
    Culturally based majors can use their study of fashion to bolster their understandings of different demographics, making them well suited to pursue work in consumer insights, trend forecasting, marketing, or public relations, or positions at a museum, archive, or university.

    STEM Majors
    Environmental science majors will be well prepared to contribute to sustainability in the industry, and with chemistry majors may be interested in creating synthetic textiles or pursuing textile conservation. Computer science and digital technology and emerging media majors might focus on web and app design for a designer or label, or they might innovate new technology for creating or merchandising fashion.

Learn More About the Fashion Studies Degree

Visit the Fashion Studies Program