Best 4 Fashion Design Courses: Eligibility, Fees, Career Scope, Salary, and More
Fashion designing is a very celebrated profession in India, and that is the reason many students look for the best fashion design courses and colleges out there.
Fashion design is mainly the art of designing clothes and accessories presenting a certain theme, aesthetic, culture, trend, or just abstract art. Every piece of clothing we come across is either designed or has been inspired by another design.
Starting from the very casual wear, to formals, ethnic and glamorous looking clothing, all of them have been made by the successful efforts of a fashion designer. They create each bit of clothing and accessories, from design to color.
If you’re an aspiring fashion designer or someone who wants to learn the art of fashion design then this article will guide you through the very details of the course. The details include the best fashion design courses you can go for, the career scope after you completion of each of the courses, the eligibility criteria, salary offered, and more.
Fashion Design Courses: Eligibility, Fees, Career Scope, Salary, and More
There are a lot of fashion design courses out there that interested students may choose to opt for. Depending on the qualification of students, they may consider going for the fashion design courses they are eligible for.
The fashion design courses are available at different levels for students with different qualifications and therefore students shall understand the details such as eligibility criteria and other requirements before going for the course.
For students who have completed their 10th (Matriculation) or 12th (higher secondary education) may prefer to go for diploma or degree level courses whereas the students who have completed their gradation in the arts stream with any subjects like fashion design may prefer to pursue post-graduation or masters program in fashion design.
Fashion design itself is a very broad categorization of the subject and there are so many subjects involved in it. In fact, there are so many types of fashion design and accordingly, there are courses to help you learn and achieve expertise in those subjects.
Some of the very popular types of fashion design include:
- Knitwear Design
- Apparel Design
- Textile Design
- Fashion Business
- Lifestyle and Accessory Design
These are only some of all the types of fashion design practices that students wish to learn and master. Mastering the craft of fashion design can bring you a lot of opportunities. A career in fashion design can be very rewarding as the industry is actively growing and expanding.
Types of Fashion Design Courses
Like it has been mentioned, there are many types of fashion design courses that the students may consider taking. However, a broad categorization of the courses would suggest that there are mainly 4 types of fashion design courses, they are:
- Diploma level fashion design courses
- Degree Level Fashion Design Courses
- Masters Degree Level Fashion Design Courses
- Certification Courses for Fashion Design
Let’s try and understand the kind of courses in each one of these types and what are the career scope, fees, salary, and eligibility criteria of these fashion design courses.
Diploma Level Fashion Design Courses
The diploma courses in fashion design are mainly to guide the students through the practical aspects of the fashion design industry. The course duration is usually 1 year however, some colleges offer 2-year diploma courses in fashion designing.
Although the exposure after diploma level fashion design courses might not be as huge as the kind of exposure degree level students get, still they might be able to find placements for an assistant or associate role.
The students are required to have completed their 10th standard or matriculation at least to be able to apply for admission for pursuing a diploma in fashion design. Some of the colleges specifically require the students to have completed their 12th standard or higher secondary education.
The eligibility criteria might be different depending on the colleges, but on average, the applicants must have scored at least 55% in their matriculation or higher secondary education (12th). The diploma is an educational standard and not the name of a course, and therefore under the diploma, there are a few fashion design courses.
Some of the fashion design courses at diploma level are:
- Diploma in Fashion Design
- Diploma in Fashion Management
- Diploma in Fashion Accessories
- Diploma in Fashion Illustration
- Diploma in Fashion Marketing
- Diploma in Fashion Communication
These are only some of the diploma courses for fashion design and there are definitely more, however, these are some of the most popular and very preferred courses when it comes to diplomas in fashion designing.
Each of these diploma courses in fashion design has a different syllabus that contains different subjects and specializations. Some of the subjects in diploma courses in fashion design are:
- Textile science
- Pattern making and garment construction
- Fashion merchandising and management
- Fashion accessory
- Fashion ornamentation
- Product Specification
- Computer-Aided Design
These are some of the common subjects that are included in all the diploma-level fashion design courses. Let’s now discuss the career scope in diploma-level fashion design courses.
As it is mentioned that the students might not get as huge exposure as the graduation level students pursuing fashion design courses to get, however, the students may still be able to find placement at some of the very good companies.
The profiles are usually assistant and associate level and the average salary may be anywhere between INR 1.5 lakh to INR 3 lakh per annum.
So, these were some of the lesser-known facts about the diploma-level fashion design courses. It is quite an opportunistic field and the students who want to lead in this sector may prefer to go for this course. It is a 1-2 year program depending on the college that gives you close insights into fashion designing practices and the students may then go for jobs, internships, or higher-level courses in fashion design to learn more.
There is a good range of streams to choose from when it comes to fashion design courses and some of the most popular courses have been mentioned already, however, there are more and you may browse the web to find those.
Degree Level Fashion Design Courses
The degree or graduation level fashion design courses are of immense importance to the students who aspire to become fashion designers shortly. The majority of students who wish to have a career in the fashion design industry prefer to go for degree-level courses as compare to the diploma and master degree level fashion design courses.
The placement opportunities and the exposure to the industries are way higher than diploma-level courses in fashion design. To be able to pursue such courses, a student must have either completed their 12th (higher secondary education), or they must have completed their diploma in the same stream. Some colleges specifically require the students to have 12th to get a seat.
Though the eligibility criteria may differ from college to college, still on average a student is needed to have maintained at least 55% throughout their academic career. Some private colleges may allow admission for students who have secured below that as well.
The duration of the course may vary from course to course and it ranges from 2-4 years depending on the type of courses you prefer to choose. The subjects included in the course are pretty much the same as discussed in the diploma except for some additional subject.
Some of the subjects in bachelor’s degree in fashion design are:
- Jewelry Design
- Leather Design
- Communication Design
- Fashion Design and Image Styling
- Fashion Design
These are some additional subjects, while the other subjects in fashion design remain the same as the subjects in diploma in fashion design. The students pursuing a bachelor’s in fashion design will get a more in-depth and practical knowledge of the subject.
Some of the bachelor’s degree courses in fashion designing are:
- Bachelor of Design in Fashion
- Bachelor of Fashion Design
- Sc. in Fashion and Design
- A. in Fashion and Design
- Sc. in Fashion and Apparel Design
These were some of the bachelor’s degree courses in fashion design and the students may prefer to choose from these courses in fashion design if they want to pursue graduate graduate-level and find career opportunities in the field of fashion design.
The students get plenty of placement and employment opportunities right after completion of the course. Good colleges are often approached by big brands and companies for their hiring needs.
Some of the top recruiters in the fashion design domain hiring fashion design graduates are:
- Van Heusen
- Calvin Klein
- Tommy Hilfiger
- Levis
- Raymond
These are only a few companies however there are literally hundreds and thousands of companies ready to hire graduate-level fashion designers. Even local brands and Indian brands approach colleges for their hiring needs.
The salary offered is quite good and on average the starting package of graduate-level fashion designers ranges anywhere between INR 3 lakh to INR 6 lakh. So these were some of the very details that should be known to the students before applying for a bachelor’s degree in fashion design.
Having a bachelor’s degree in fashion design can bring you a good number of opportunities helping to kick-start a fruitful career. It is a very active industry that is growing at an extraordinary pace. The fashion industry is worth hundreds of billions and landing a job at one of the top companies in the fashion domain would definitely be one of the greatest achievements that can transform your career and thus your life.
Master Level Fashion Design Courses
The master-level fashion design courses are very much suitable for those who want to specialize in a specific subject in fashion design. A majority of the students settle in their careers and find employment opportunities right after their bachelor’s in fashion design. However, post completion of their graduation in fashion design, they may choose to pursue a master’s in fashion design.
The student is required to have completed their bachelor’s degree in the same stream (fashion design) and to find admission in a good college, the candidate must have a good academic performance throughout.
Some of the colleges may conduct entrance exams and interviews that the students will have to qualify to find a seat to pursue a master’s in Fashion Design.
The career opportunities are definitely better to post completion of master level courses in fashion design. Having a master’s degree tremendously improves the chances of getting a well-paying job. The subjects remain the same as in graduation but the students get to specialize in a particular subject and not study the entire stream.
Some of the subjects that you may prefer to specialize in fashion design are:
- Textile Management
- Fashion Communication
- Fashion Merchandising
- Fashion Business Management
There are some more subjects that you may choose to keep as the primary subject while pursuing your master’s degree in fashion design. Some of the master level courses in fashion design are:
- Master of Design in Fashion and Textiles
- Sc. in Fashion Designing
- A. in Fashion Design
- Master of Fashion Management
For students who have completed their graduation in Arts or particularly fashion design and are looking forward to specializing in a particular subject, may prefer to go for master level courses in fashion design.
There is definitely a good scope in career for students after completion of their master’s degree. If you complete your masters from one of the top colleges then certainly, you’ll be approached by some of the top companies like Adidas, Reebok, Nike, Chanel, Mochi, Zara, etc
The job roles you may apply for after completing your masters in fashion design are:
- Fashion Designer
- Fashion Consultant
- Fashion Manager
- Apparel Designer
- Footwear Designer
- Quality Controller
These are some of all the job roles that you can try for after completing your master’s in fashion design and the master’s degree holders are paid quite well when it comes to the fashion industry. The average starting salary for master level graduates in Fashion design is INR 10 lakh and above.
So, if you are willing to master the craft of fashion design and specialize in a particular subject of your interest, then you may choose to go for a master’s course. However, the basic requirements such as maintaining a 55% throughout your academic career, completing your graduation, and qualifying for the entrance and interview conducted by the colleges shall be met.
There is definitely a good opportunity in terms of exposure to employment opportunities, salary, opportunity to work with some of the biggest brands, and learning more about the industry itself.
Certification Courses in Fashion Design
As the name clearly suggests these are not college degrees or diplomas, rather these are certification courses that offer training around a particular set of skills, concepts, or theories. The standards of education have changed, and college degrees are no longer the only way to lead a career in any industry.
In fact, a lot of companies look for certifications even while hiring college graduates. That is how important certifications are. It shows that the students have received formal training and are therefore fit to work.
The certifications hold immense value at this point and companies are very much willing to consider certifications that suggest a candidate has been through proper training on particular skills. Whether you have a relevant college degree or not, you can still learn fashion design and master the craft.
In fact, if you have received training from a recognized institute, then you might as well land some amazing internship programs which will further propel your career in the fashion design industry. Unlike mainstream education courses usually do not have a vast syllabus, rather they guide the students through a particular subject.
Some of the certification courses and institutions attract companies to hire students. Although some courses will need to have the knowledge of the fashion design industry or maybe to be undergoing a fashion design degree, the others do not have any such specific demand. Therefore anyone and almost everyone can learn the craft of fashion design through these certification courses and start their career in the industry.
There are a variety of courses out there that range from very basic level to extreme professional level, and you may do multiple courses to master the art of fashion designing over a period of time.
The duration of such certification courses is usually between 6 months to 1 year and the fees of such courses also varies depending upon the nature of the course, the institution offering it and the features that you get to avail such as placements, internship opportunity, etc.
So, these were some of the very important details that you needed to know about the certification courses for fashion design in India. If you are a newbie or someone willing to increase their knowledge in fashion design then you may go for the certification courses.
The certifications can be immensely helpful in improving the resume score and that will ultimately help you find the right internships and job opportunities.
Conclusion
Fashion designing is a very celebrated profession and as the fashion industry is expanding, so is the demand for fashion designers. The need for fashion designers has increased in recent years as more fashion-related brands have established themselves globally are looking to expand.
Having an education in fashion designing definitely helps by providing the students with much-needed exposure to job opportunities. However, the students might as well try having a career in the fashion design industry by learning it through any of the many certification courses around fashion design.
So, if you’re an aspiring fashion designer, you must go through the mentioned details and smartly analyze which course you’ll benefit the most from.
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