What does it take to earn a spot on the list of “Best Fashion Programs?” Is it all about being the most affordable school? Having a stellar reputation in the world of art? Or how about having the most convenient location? Well, it depends. Many reputable ranking agencies consider certain aspects of any given college to determine how it ranks overall. They calculate scores based on factors such as peer assessment, financial resources, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, program offerings, and student selectivity. Each factor carries a certain amount of weight, which helps calculate a final overall score. For example, smaller classes carry more weight than larger classes and the number of students that graduate in four years instead of six matters.
Our list of best fashion schools made the list of best schools overall and the list of best schools for art and design. The state of California is home to 454 Title IV degree-granting institutions, and thanks to the state’s status as one of the most fashionable places in the world, many of these schools offer top-tier fashion programs. While many of the best fashion programs are offered at schools in Los Angeles and San Francisco, we also found some of the best programs in places such as Laguna Beach, Pomona, and Davis.
Browse through our list below to review some of the best fashion programs in California and what they have to offer.
Best Fashion School Programs - Southern California
Woodbury University - Degrees Offered: B.F.A. Fashion Design
Cerritos
Freemont College - Degrees Offered: A.A.S. Multimedia Design, emphasis in Fashion Design or Marketing
Hollywood
Art Institute of California, Hollywood – Degrees Offered: A.S. Fashion Design, A.A. Fashion Marketing, B.F.A. Fashion Design, B.S. Fashion Marketing & Management, Fashion Retailing Diploma
Inland Empire
Art Institute of California, Inland Empire – Degrees Offered: B.F.A. Fashion Design, B.S. Fashion & Retail Management, Fashion Retailing Diploma
Long Beach
California State University, Long Beach – Degrees Offered: B.A. Family and Consumer Sciences with a option in Fashion Merchandising or Textiles and Clothing, Minor in Fashion Merchandising, Minor in Textiles
Los Angeles
Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) - Degrees Offered: A.A. degrees in Fashion Design, Fashion Merchandising, Apparel Industry Management, Merchandise Marketing, Fashion Management, Merchandise Product Development, Footwear Design, Menswear, Theater Costume Design, Jewelry Design, Fashion Knitwear Design, Textile Design, Textile Production & Development, Beauty Industry Management, Beauty Industry Merchandising & Marketing
Los Angeles
Academy of Couture Art - Degrees Offered: A.A. Fashion Design, B.A. Fashion Design, Creative Fashion Design Laboratory Certificate (CFLC), Professional Fashion Design Laboratory Certificate (PFLC)
Los Angeles
Art Institute of California, Los Angeles - Degrees Offered: B.F.A. Fashion Design, B.S. Fashion Marketing & Management, B.S. Interior Design
Los Angeles
Otis College of Art and Design – Degrees Offered: B.F.A. Fashion Design
Northridge
California State University, Northridge – Degrees Offered: B.S./M.S Family and Consumer Sciences with a concentration in Apparel Design and Merchandising, B.S./M.S. Interior Design
Orange County
Art Institute of California, Orange County – Degrees Offered: B.F.A. Fashion Design, B.S. Fashion Marketing & Management, Fashion Retailing Diploma
Pomona
California Polytechnic University, Pomona – Degrees Offered: B.S. Apparel Merchandising and Management with an option in Apparel Production or Fashion Retailing
San Diego
Point Loma Nazarene University – Degrees Offered: B.A. in Fashion and Interiors with a concentration in Fashion Merchandising, B.A. in Fashion and Interiors with a concentration in Fashion Interior Design
San Diego
Art Institute of California, San Diego – Degrees Offered: B.F.A. Fashion Design, B.S. Fashion Marketing & Management, Fashion Retailing Diploma
Best Fashion School Programs - Northern California
Davis
University of California, Davis – Degrees Offered: B.S. Textiles and Clothing, B.S. Fiber & Polymer Science, Minor in Textiles and Clothing
Sacramento
Art Institute of California, Sacramento - Degrees Offered: Fashion Retailing Diploma
Sacramento
California State University, Sacramento – Degrees Offered B.A. in Family and Consumer Sciences with a concentration in Apparel Marketing and Design
San Francisco
Academy of Art University, San Francisco – Degrees Offered: B.F.A. and A.A. degrees in Fashion, Fashion Styling, Fashion Merchandising, Visual Merchandising, Knitwear Design, Menswear Design, Textiles, Jewelry & Metal Arts (J&MA online), and Fashion Journalism; M.F.A. in Fashion Design, Merchandising, Knitwear, Textiles, Jewelry & Metal Arts (J&MA online); B.A. and M.A. in Fashion Journalism; M.F.A. B.F.A., AA. and O.A.C. (Online Award of Completion) in Fashion (Online)
San Francisco
Art Institute of California, San Francisco – Degrees Offered: A.S. Fashion Design, A.A. Fashion Marketing, B.F.A. Fashion Design, B.S. Fashion Marketing & Management, Fashion Retailing Diploma
San Francisco
California College of the Arts - Degrees Offered: B.F.A. Fashion Design, B.F.A. Interior Design, B.F.A. Jewelry/Metal Arts, B.F.A. Textiles
San Francisco
San Francisco State University - Degrees Offered: B.S. Apparel Design and Merchandising, B.S. in Interior Design
Sunnyvale
Art Institute of California, Sunnyvale-Silicon Valley - Degrees Offered: B.F.A. Fashion Design, B.S. Fashion Marketing & Management, Fashion Retailing Diploma
More Programs to Consider:
- San Francisco and Online
