Fashion Design MS

Major: Fashion Design
Degree Awarded: Master of Science (MS)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Minimum Required Credits: 78.0
Co-op Option: None
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 50.0407
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 27-1022

About the Program

The MS in Fashion Design is a full-time, practice-driven program integrating traditional craftsmanship with advanced design technologies and processes. It emphasizes the development of personal aesthetics, conceptual thinking, and the technical skills necessary for research and experimentation. The curriculum typically spans nine or ten graduate terms. Applicants without a portfolio will begin the program with an accelerated summer session in design and drawing. Those who submit a portfolio may be eligible to waive this requirement and begin in the Fall, pending program review.

The curriculum integrates 2D and 3D design to address the physical, aesthetic, psychological, and social requirements of fashion. It is structured so that work in the studio, laboratory, and classroom gives the graduate student a directed experience in the study of aesthetics, criticism, and contemporary art concepts; contemporary and historic art and design; traditional and current fashion technology; the discipline of drawing; and the making of art. An optional industry internship affords the graduate student direct experience in a workplace of their choice. This comprehensive approach provides the basis for a broad range of employment in the fashion and design industries and in education. Other professional opportunities lie in merchandising, costume design, curatorial work, and computer-aided design.

The faculty of the Department of Design includes art historians, CAD and 3D design specialists, apparel designers, knit designers and programmers, fiber artists, merchandising specialists, new materials and processes researchers, and fine artists. The department also draws on practicing professionals as adjunct professors for specialized coursework and for critique of student work.

A thesis is required during the final year of study. To prepare for thesis, students will learn research methodologies applicable to both practical and academic research in the field of fashion studies, along with comprehensive strategies for formulating and addressing complex research problems or questions, with an emphasis on developing rigorous and innovative inquiry skills. A professionally juried annual fashion show, concluding the final term, provides competitive fashion industry and department awards and excellent exposure for the graduate students' design thesis.

A limited number of graduate assistantships are available to students after completing the first year.

The 78.0 graduate quarter credits do not include any of the required prerequisite coursework not waived by program review.

Additional Information

For more information about this program, please contact the program director:

Jackie Kilmartin
jk942@drexel.edu

Admission Requirements

Students enter the program from diverse backgrounds, including liberal arts, fine arts, and business. A personal interview is required. The admission criteria for the graduate program consist of the requirements of the University for graduate admission plus satisfaction of undergraduate coursework in basic fashion design skills and concepts. These prerequisites comprise 15.0 credits in design, drawing, and art history in addition to 13.0 credits in specific undergraduate fashion design professional courses, or their equivalent.

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Or VSST 101, VSST 102, VSST 103 VSST 110, VSST 111 (18.0 credits).

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Or ARTH 102

Beginning in the summer term, students take prerequisites to prepare candidates for the graduate coursework. A portfolio review and departmental evaluation determine what prerequisites have been satisfied. Contact the graduate advisor for specific information about prerequisites or to make an appointment for evaluation.

Additional Information

For more information on requirements and how to apply, visit Graduate Admissions at Drexel University.

Degree Requirements 

The eleven terms of full-time graduate coursework combine seven terms of faculty-directed studio work in fashion design and four terms of student-directed independent studio work with required courses in design, aesthetics, and the art process. Elective coursework in fashion or specific topics; advanced studies in art, computer-aided design, art history, and fashion design; and independent studies allow individual flexibility in curriculum design.

Collection I and Collection II (FASH 685 and FASH 686) emphasize the development of an original statement of design intent, allowing students to synthesize their academic experiences and prepare for the marketplace. Each graduate student develops his or her personal collection which is then produced and presented in a professional fashion show.

Fashion Portfolio II (FASH 664) is a capstone course in which students create a professional quality collection of drawings geared to their market preferences.

Students are required to participate in at least three national and international fashion design competitions (FASH 699). These competitions provide awareness of world-wide design sensibilities and the overall level of competition in various facets of the marketplace.

The Fashion Industry Internship (FASH 600) promotes spirit of entrepreneurship and provides perspective on success in the fashion industry. A full-time ten week position in industry is required and provides experience in design and production processes.

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The 78.0 graduate quarter credits do not include any of the required prerequisite coursework. See the Admission Requirements for a list of courses students are expected to have completed prior to beginning their graduate study.

Sample Plan of Study

Sample Plan of Study without Required Prerequisites 

Sample Plan of Study with Required Prerequisites

Note: Some terms are less than the 4.5-credit minimum required (considered half-time status) of graduate programs to be considered financial aid eligible. As a result, aid will not be disbursed to students these terms.

Only graduate-level courses are aid eligible.

Facilities

The open design of the URBN Center studio spaces fosters collaboration across our diverse design, media and art disciplines. It provides spaces where students can see what their classmates are creating; where making labs can be shared by students from many majors; and where creative connections can be made.

All majors in the college integrate use of discipline-specific and general use software in the 35 computer labs at Drexel's Westphal College of Media Arts & Design which house over 550 computers (Apple iMacs, Apple MacPros, BoxxTech, Dell, and HP). Also available within our college are five premier Music Industry recording studios and a motion capture/green screen compositing space. The Hybrid Lab contains traditional metal and woodworking machines as well as a rapid prototyper, a laser cutter, and access to a 3D router for multi-disciplinary design and product making. In The Shima Seiki Haute Technology Laboratory students experiment with production methods that advance the field of wearable technology using sixteen SDS-ONE APEX3 workstations, three state-of-the-art knitting machines. The CAD Fashion lab is equipped with digital fashion design and proprietary print design software 

The Robert and Penny Fox Historic Costume Collection (FHCC), one of the finest teaching collections in the United States, is an educational resource for the students of Drexel University. Our mission as a University-based collection is to educate and inspire, while providing a significant resource for an ever-expanding community of historians, scholars, artists, and designers. Westphal College’s new URBN Center facility has greatly improved the accessibility and visibility of the FHCC and allowed us to honor A. J. Drexel’s original educational intent in taking a leadership role in research and scholarship, while preserving the collection for future generations. The Charles Evans Library contains books, periodicals, DVDs and other sources of inspiration for the fashion student.

The fourth floor of the Academic Building is occupied by a 10,000- square-foot photography lab, lighting studios, and two digital imaging labs. It offers professional-quality equipment in a comfortable working environment.

Film and video facilities include two fully equipped television studios; digital editing facilities; video-editing suites; film editors; and specially outfitted multimedia rooms for all courses. Loan equipment available to students includes digital video cameras; Bolex, Gizmo and Arriflex film cameras; and field lighting and audio equipment. Additionally, the college operates a cable television station reaching over 400,000 households.

The music industry major’s digital audio labs and recording studios in MacAlister Hall and University Crossings offer opportunities for the creation, modification, analysis, and recording of sound and music using analog and digital media.

The Mandell Theater provides a 420-seat proscenium theater with scene shop, dressing rooms, and costume shop. Costume is taught with primary source material from Drexel’s 7,000-piece Historic Costume Collection.

The Ellen Forman Memorial Dance Studio, adjacent to the Mandell Theater is the primary studio for the Dance major.

In University Crossings, a 25,000-square-foot space houses offices for film, video, screenwriting, and playwriting faculty as well as two state-of-the-art digital editing facilities, a shooting and motion capture studio with special effects capability, two screening rooms, several multi-media classrooms, a laboratory for game development and research, laboratories for other digital media purposes and for music industry, and a well-stocked equipment room.

Program Level Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, graduates will be prepared to:

Fashion Design Faculty

Emeritus Faculty