College of the Arts
School of Fashion Design and Merchandising
www.kent.edu/fashion

About This Program

The Fashion Design B.F.A. program offers a specialized curriculum, experienced faculty and real-world opportunities to help you develop your creative talent and succeed in the fashion industry. Enroll now and take your design skills to the next level. Read more...

Contact Information

• Noël Palomo-Lovinski | npalomo@kent.edu | 330-672-0137
• Kendra Lapolla | klapolla@kent.edu |
  330-672-0138
• Speak with an Advisor
• Chat with an Admissions Counselor

Program Delivery

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus

Examples of Possible Careers

• Fashion designer
• Creative director
• Illustrator
• Product developer
• Print designer
• Technical designer
• Textile designer
• Knit designer
• Knit programmer
• Sourcing

Accreditation

National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD)

Admission Requirements

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.

New Students: Admission to this degree is selective and not open to new students at Kent State University. The B.F.A. degree requires applicants to have a minimum 2.750 overall Kent State GPA and the support of the Fashion Design faculty. To be considered for the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, students must be enrolled in junior-level fashion design studio courses and submit a letter of intent and B.F.A. proposal by the established deadlines.

Transfer Students: Admission to the Fashion Design major requires a minimum 2.750 overall GPA based on minimum 24 credit hours of college-level coursework at an accredited institution. Those students meeting this GPA requirement but with fewer than 24 credit hours will be evaluated as new freshmen.

Students who do not meet the criteria for admission to the Fashion Design major may be eligible for admission to the Pre-Fashion Design and Merchandising non-degree major. In addition, students who do not meet the admission criteria may initiate the process for declaring the B.A. degree in Fashion Design after completing minimum 12 credit hours of non-developmental coursework at Kent State University and earning a minimum 2.750 overall GPA.

Effective for the fall 2025 admission term, transfer students will follow the same admission criteria as new students.

International Students: All international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning a minimum 71 TOEFL iBT score, minimum 6.0 IELTS score, minimum 47 PTE score or minimum 100 DET score, or by completing the ELS level 112 Intensive English Program. For more information on international admission visit the admissions website for international students.

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

¹

A minimum C grade must be earned to fulfill the writing-intensive requirement.

²

Students are required to participate in a study away opportunity. Students must have a minimum 2.500 overall GPA to participate in this study away requirement. Choose from the following: FDM 30189; FDM 30190; FDM 30289; FDM 30290; FDM 35070; FDM 35080; FDM 35589; FDM 35689; FDM 35789; FDM 35889; FDM 35989; FDM 45392; FDM 45589; FDM 45590; OGE 10095.

³

Maximum 6 credit hours of FDM 45093 can be used as an Additional Major Elective. Maximum 6 credit hours from each non-Fashion Design and Merchandising (FDM) subject area can be used as an Additional Major Elective.

Graduation Requirements

• Participation in a study abroad/away experience
• Minimum 2.500 overall GPA required for internship
• Minimum 2.500 overall GPA required for study away

Roadmap

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

University Requirements

All students in a bachelor's degree program at Kent State University must complete the following university requirements for graduation.

NOTE: University requirements may be fulfilled in this program by specific course requirements. Please see Program Requirements for details.

Kent Core Requirements

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Understand the fashion industry, fashion markets, fashion products and services.
2. Demonstrate understanding of integrating conceptual, technical and production design knowledge and skills, leading to a synthesis of the design process from concept to production.
3. Apply knowledge and skills in the use of basic tools, techniques and processes sufficient to produce work from draft or specifications to finished product, including skills in portfolio preparation.
4. Articulate conceptual and critical thinking applicable to the fashion industry.
5. Employ research processes and practices employed in the fashion industry.
6. Articulate professionalism and communication skills in the appropriate creative industry.

Full Description

The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design integrates conceptual, technical and production design knowledge and skills, leading to a synthesis of the design process from concept to production. These processes include color, design and trend research; technical sketching and rendered illustration; pattern-making and garment construction; analysis of appropriate fit and fabric selection; best practices in sustainable methods and knowledge and the ability to communicate specifications for production using industry standards appropriate to specific markets.

The degree program prepares students for professional careers by developing technical competency, creative/independent problem solving and conceptual understanding necessary for the challenges of a career in the creative industries. Students develop portfolios for presentation at industry interviews and are prepared to be strongly competitive for any entry-level design position in the industry. In addition, students participate in a study abroad/away experience, which includes opportunities to study for a semester in New York City and Florence, Italy, as well as through collaborative partnership programs with the Paris American Academy, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Regent's University in London.

The B.F.A. degree in Fashion Design engages students in a focused-study thesis project (collection development) as a capstone experience that results in submitting their collection for formal review by faculty and industry designer-critics, followed by public presentation in a fashion venue and completion of a thesis "magazine" (print collateral).