Why study Fashion Design?

The Fashion Design provides a platform for discovery, experimentation, and specialization by way of a strong foundation in critical and cultural theory, experiential learning, craftsmanship, technological literacy, and sustainable stewardship with opportunities for students to author their individual curricular pathway through elective coursework.

The Fashion Design program prepares students with the creative and technical skills necessary to understand the design principles of aesthetic and function. Through foundational course work in fashion communication, drawing, technical pattern drafting, draping, and construction, students are equipped with skills and abilities to pursue personalized interests in fashion. Through elective coursework, students build upon this foundation in specialized areas of emphasis, including fashion theory, advanced craft, digital design and development, and sustainability.

Career Possibilities

The $2.5-3.0 trillion industry employs millions of people globally presenting great opportunities to work in the world of fashion.  Fashion designers operate in several unique segments of the industry, including womenswear, menswear, children's wear, knitwear, footwear, and accessories.  Current employee listings for fashion designers (in addition to those listed above) include job titles such as technical designer, textile designer, design director, pattern-maker, fabric/trim/print researcher and developer, materials and development coordinator, production coordinator, concept and trend manager, production manager, trend forecaster, and color developer, among others. Designers sometimes choose to work in the related fields of fashion styling, retail merchandising, and marketing, as well as countless entrepreneurial endeavors.

Majoring in Fashion Design

All design majors (Communication, Fashion, Industrial) complete a five-year program of study culminating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Design. Students study for a total of eight semesters in the classroom and co-op in professional practice for five semesters.  After the first year (Summer semester off) students either work or study year-round (Fall, Spring and Summer semesters).  Fashion students graduate with 122 credit hours of classroom work that is design-studio focused but complemented with general education requirements, topical lecture courses in design and electives.

Minoring in Fashion Design

The School of Design offers an 18-credit-hour Fashion Design Studies minor. A minor in fashion design studies provides the underpinning history and theories of fashion design as a progenitor of a social and material culture that is integrated within and reflective of the essence of time, place, and people. The contemporary and multi-media practice of the fashion design industry is introduced and explored. 

Students must have a university cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. Admission to the minor is limited. Students can apply by filling out the DAAP Application for Admission form and submitting it to the DAAP Student Affairs Office, 5470 Aronoff.

Major Maps

• Guide: Fashion Design, 2020-2021
• Guide: Fashion Design, 2021-2022

Advising

Prospective students are encouraged to explore the information on our website and contact DAAP Student Affairs at 513-556-1376 or daap-admissions@uc.edu with questions.

Prospective transfer students can recieve support from the Transfer Center within UC Admissions and current UC students interested in changing their major can reach out to the Transition Advising Center. Current DAAP students are assigned an academic advisor based on their major/program. For more information on DAAP advising, please visit the DAAP Undergraduate Advising webpage.

UC Advantages and Special Opportunities

• The city of Cincinnati, once called the "Queen City of the West" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, provides an excellent array of cultural resources for students who intend to pursue a degree in the visual arts. It offers the energy and assets of a larger city, along with quiet neighborhoods steeped in rich traditions. Cincinnati offers live music venues that range from top-notch symphony and opera companies to a growing pop and rock community. Home to the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Taft Museum and the Contemporary Arts Center, the city also enjoys the presence of numerous art galleries and a strong support system among practicing artists. Cincinnati is situated within driving distance of Chicago, Pittsburgh, Atlanta and New York City, allowing DAAP students to take advantage of the rich cultural resources of these cities as well.
• UC's College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) is one of the most comprehensive colleges of its type in the country. A collection of nationally respected design and art programs is housed in a unique and educationally stimulating architectural setting. Architecture students have opportunities to enroll in courses in a range of related disciplines and to participate in interdisciplinary studios or special projects.
• Students learn creative and technical skills in the studio environment, taught by a passionate faculty who interact with their students on a daily basis. The goal is to guide students as they grow both intellectually and professionally.
• Other educational opportunities include organized travel semesters, foreign study semesters.
• The DAAP college library has an outstanding collection of books, periodicals and visual resources supporting architecture, planning, design, art history and related subjects. Access to library holdings is provided by an automated online catalogue, UCLID, which provides access to the University of Cincinnati Library information database, and through OhioLINK, the holdings of other academic libraries throughout Ohio.
• The Computer Graphics Center is a state-of-the-art university facility with hardware that includes PCs, Apple computers and peripherals such as scanners, plotters and digital video-editing suites. Students have access to sophisticated graphics equipment and receive hands-on instruction to augment the use of laptops in the classroom. All computing equipment is linked by high-speed Ethernet to facilitate access across the campus.

Special Programs

• Fashion design co-op students work for both small design firms and large businesses across the country in the areas of design, technical design and product development. Students begin their co-op experiences in the second semester of their sophomore year and alternate semesters of full-time work and study on a year-round calendar until the final semester of the fifth year (there is no tuition for the semesters when students work). They graduate with five semesters, or a year and a half, of work experience in their field.

• DAAP students learn creative and technical skills in the studio environment, taught by a passionate faculty who interact with their students on a daily basis. The goal is to guide students as they grow both intellectually and professionally. Faculty are innovative in transforming the art and design disciplines by applying the newest technologies. They inspire students to take advantage of interdisciplinary studio projects and work within corporate partnerships. This, along with a broad liberal arts background, prepares DAAP students to practice their art and design in both local and global markets.

• Computer Requirements: All undergraduate students in this program are required to purchase a personal laptop computer. Each discipline has its own specific recommendations for hardware and software. Please note that these recommendations may be slightly altered as equipment evolves. Therefore, students new to DAAP are encouraged to delay their computer purchase until the summer prior to entering to make the most informed computer purchase. Many of our programs have additional technology requirements for students in the later years of study.

Admission Requirements

The College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning at the University of Cincinnati seeks to attract, enroll, and graduate academically talented students of varied and diverse backgrounds. Success in our programs is largely dependent upon sound academic preparation. In multidisciplinary programs like those in DAAP, students’ insight and perspective are greatly enhanced by exposure to students from different backgrounds, geographies, and co-curricular interests. DAAP has an admissions review process to support these goals. Effective for Fall 2025, first-year students (i.e. those applying from high school) are no longer able to submit an optional portfolio as part of the undergraduate admissions process. Only the required application materials will be necessary. Please note that it’s impossible to predict – or guarantee – what credentials a student will need to gain admission into DAAP, because the size and quality of the applicant pool varies each year.

Please visit the Admissions Office's website for more information, including application materials, requirements, deadlines, and timelines.

Transferring to UC Requirements

Students seeking to transfer from another regionally accredited university or college must be in good standing to be considered for admission. Students wishing to transfer into a DAAP program should submit a Transfer Application.

Transfer students are generally admitted to the first year of our studio-based, co-op programs due to the sequence of studios and co-op. For further information such as minimum grade point average and application deadlines, please refer to the DAAP Transfer and Transition webpage.

Changing Majors within UC Requirements

Students seeking to transfer from other colleges and programs at UC must be in good standing to be considered for admission. Students wishing to transition into a DAAP program should submit an Application for Change in College and Program.

Transition students are generally admitted to the first year of our studio-based, co-op programs due to the sequence of studios and co-op. For further information such as minimum grade point average and application deadlines, please refer to the DAAP Transfer and Transition webpage.

International Student Requirements

Please visit the university’s Office of Admissions website for general admissions information and application requirements for international students.

Graduation Requirements

All students accepted into the School of Design must take the first-year curriculum as outlined on the foundation studies curriculum guide. Fashion design students must complete a total of 126 credit hours for graduation. Students must also complete five semesters of mandatory professional practice (co-op) and receive a satisfactory (S) for all required work semesters. Students must obtain a minimum overall grade point average of 2.0. In order to be eligible for graduation with honors, a student must have earned at least a 3.6 grade point average and complete a set number of credits within the college.

Application Deadlines

High school applicants who submit a complete application by the December 1 Early Action deadline will be pooled and reviewed for selection. Early Action applicants can expect to learn their admission decision on Cincinnati Decision Day. This date varies by year and is shared on the University’s Office of Admissions website.

Students who apply by December 1 also receive maximum scholarship consideration. Applications received after December 1 may be considered on a space-available basis.

Students seeking to transfer from other colleges and programs at UC or another regionally accredited university or college should submit a complete application for admission by the priority deadline of March 1 for the following academic year.

Accreditation

All programs in the UC School of Design are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).