Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Fashion Design
- San Francisco, USA
- Online
Bachelor's degree
DURATION
8 semesters
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Jan 2027
TUITION FEES
USD 1,463 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* per unit for international students / USD 1,239 per unit for domestic students
Key Summary
About: Academy of Art University's School of Fashion offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) across ten specialized programmes: Design, Knitwear, Textile, Costume, Footwear and Accessory, Fashion Styling, Product Development, Visual Merchandising, Merchandising, Fashion Marketing. Options include Fashion Design or 3D Design Pattern Making. Coursework combines design, production, and technology. Degree requires minimum C- in core/major and LA 107/108, minimum 2.0 GPA plus general education credits.
Career Outcomes: Graduates become fashion designers, textile designers, costume designers, footwear/accessory designers, stylists, product developers, visual merchandisers, buyers, fashion marketers, pattern makers, or launch freelance careers and work in retail, production, entertainment, brand management.
The School of Fashion offers ten BFA degree programs, each designed to prepare you for work in the fashion industry. They are Design, Knitwear Design, Textile Design, Costume Design, Footwear & Accessory Design, Fashion Styling, Fashion Product Development, Fashion Visual Merchandising, Fashion Merchandising, and Fashion Marketing. Students in these BFA programs may choose an emphasis in Fashion Design or 3D Design Pattern Making. Coursework combines excellence in design, artistic production, and innovative technology to provide students with the skills necessary to fully realize their creative visions.
Unit Requirements
Degree Requirements
BFA Fashion Degree Requirements
- Minimum grade of C- in all core courses, major courses, and LA 107 Writing for the Multilingual Artist or 108 Composition for the Artist
- Minimum 2.0 GPA and the following general education requirements:
- 1 Written Communication: Composition
- 1 Written Communication: Critical Thinking
- 1 Written Communication: Context & Style
- 2 Art Historical Awareness: Western Art
- 2 Art Historical Awareness: Surveys
- 1 Historical Awareness
- 1 Quantitative Literacy
- 1 Cultural Ideas & Influences
- 1 Employment Communications & Practices
After the above general education requirements are met, take Liberal Arts electives as needed to fulfill the Liberal Arts unit requirement.
Undergraduate students will meet the following student performance criteria:
Research and Concept Development
- Produce creative and original designs
- Select concepts appropriate for the market and customer, building on the analysis of design and market research
- Generate ideas that are coherently related to the chosen concept as well as to one another
- Conduct thorough design research, as evidenced in the sketchbook
- Demonstrate evidence of trialing and self-editing designs
- Propose designs that are possible to translate from 2D to 3D
- Relate silhouettes, color, and fabric, details, and styling to the design concept
- Produce croquis that use color to indicate color and fabric
Visual Presentation Skills
- Create professional and organized presentations that reflect an individual/personal style
- Effectively communicate their design concepts and philosophy two-dimensionally
- Produce accurate and detailed technical drawings that include supportive information, where appropriate
Technical Skills
- Work effectively with industry-standard software
- (3D Design) Draft flat patterns and drape 3D designs
Verbal and Written Presentation Skills
- Clearly express their ideas utilizing fashion industry vocabulary
Professional Readiness
- Create a relevant and original portfolio and collateral materials which can be used to market themselves to the industry
Academy of Art University Learning Outcome
Graduates of the Academy of Art University will demonstrate the ability to:
- Produce a body of work suitable for seeking professional opportunities in their chosen field of art and design.
- Solve creative problems within their field of art and design, including research and synthesis of technical, aesthetic, and conceptual knowledge.
- Communicate their ideas professionally and connect with their intended audience using visual, oral, and written presentation skills relevant to their field.
- Execute technical, aesthetic, and conceptual decisions based on an understanding of art and design principles.
- Evaluate work in their field, including their own work, using professional terminology.
- Recognize the influence of major cultural and aesthetic trends, both historical and contemporary, on art and design products.
- Learn the professional skills and behaviors necessary to compete in the global marketplace for art and design.
Semester 1
- FSH 100: Drawing for Fashion
Core / 3 Units - FSH 111: Introduction to Fashion
Core / 3 Units - FSH 120: Color Science and Fabric Technology
Core / 3 Units - FSH 164: Fashion Sewing Techniques
Core / 3 UnitsSemester 2 - FSH 102: Drawing for Fashion 2
Core / 3 Units - FSH 140: Introduction to Costume Design
Major / 3 Units / Recommended for summer - FSH 187: Introduction to Knitwear
Core / 3 Units - FSH 274: Applied Textiles 1
Core / 3 Units - LA 108: Composition for the Artist
Liberal Arts / 3 Units - LA 244: History of Fashion
Liberal Arts / 3 Units / Recommended for summerSemester 3 - FSH 101: Fashion Design 1
Core / 3 Units - FSH 112: Drawing for Fashion 3
Core / 3 Units - FSH 220: Construction/Draping/Flat Pattern 1
Core / 3 Units - LA 120: Art History Through the 15th Century
Liberal Arts / 3 Units - LA 291: Designing Careers
Liberal Arts / 3 UnitsSemester 4 - FSH 109: Introduction to Fashion Product Design
Major / 3 Units /Recommended for summer - FSH 221: Fashion Design 2
Major / 3 Units - FSH 230: Construction/Draping/Flat Pattern 2
Major / 3 Units - FSH 266: Computers for Fashion
Core / 3 Units / Recommended for summer - FSH 311: Millinery
Major / 3 Units - LA 121: Art History Through the 19th Century
Liberal Arts / 3 Units - LA 202: English Composition: Creative Persuasion & Argument
Liberal Arts /3 UnitsSemester 5 - FSH 240: The Classical Tutu: Introduction
Elective / 3 Units - FSH 262: Fashion Design 3
Major / 3 Units - FSH 330: Construction/Draping/Flat Pattern 3
Major / 3 Units - LA 110: Writing the Short Story
Liberal Arts / 3 Units - LA 119: Fabric and Fiber Technology
Liberal Arts / 3 UnitsSemester 6 - FSH 331: Construction/Draping/Flat Pattern 4
Major / 3 Units - FSH 335: Computerized Patternmaking
Major / 3 Units - FSH 340: Fashion Design 4
Major / 3 Units - FSH 456: Fashion Portfolio
Major / 3 Units / Recommended for summer - LA ###: Any LA course
Liberal Arts / 3 Units / Recommended for summer - LA 171: Western Civilization
Liberal Arts / 3 Units - LA 255: College Math
Liberal Arts / 3 UnitsSemester 7 - FSH 337: Construction/Draping/Flat Pattern 5
Core / 3 Units - FSH 430: Fashion Design 5
Major / 3 Units - LA 117: Survey of Landscape Architecture
Liberal Arts / 3 Units - LA 127: Topics in World Art
Liberal Arts / 3 UnitsSemester 8 - FSH 400: Construction/Draping/Flat Pattern 6: Senior Collection
Major /3 Units - FSH 465: Fashion Design 6: Senior Collection
Major / 3 Units - LA ###: Any LA course
Liberal Arts / 3 Units - N/A: Any Course
Elective / 3 Units