What Schools Have Fashion Degrees in Indianapolis, Indiana?

Salary and Career Outlook for Fashion Professionals in Indianapolis

With a background in fashion, you could become a fashion designer, buyer or purchasing manager. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, purchasing managers negotiate prices on behalf of suppliers and merchandisers, while buyers select products for stores to sell to customers. Fashion designers design clothing and create accessories. To become a buyer, you typically need at least a high school diploma, on-the-job training and experience in the field. Fashion designers don't need to complete a formal degree program, but it can familiarize you with fabrics and textiles, provide relevant field experience and allow you to put together a portfolio. Most purchasing managers must have at least a bachelor's degree.

The BLS projected that the national employment for fashion designers would experience little change from 2010-2020. For buyers and purchasing managers, the BLS projected that employment would increase by seven percent during that same time frame. As of May 2011, the mean annual salary for purchasing managers in the Indianapolis area was about $98,000 and for buyers it was around $52,000, according to the BLS. Salary information for fashion designers in the Indianapolis area isn't available, but the BLS reported that the national median annual salary for fashion designers was roughly $65,000 as of May 2011.

Bachelor's Degree Programs in Fashion in Indianapolis

Ball State University

• Program Name: Bachelor of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences
• Specialization: Apparel design, fashion merchandising
• Program Length: Four years
• Tuition: $3,956 per semester for Indiana residents and $10,946 per semester for out-of-state residents (cost as of 2011-12 academic year, full-time tuition and fees)
• School Type: 4-year, public; 16,000 undergraduate students and 2,000 graduate students
• Address: 2000 W. University Avenue, Muncie, IN 47306
• Phone: (765) 289-1241

Located about 50 miles from Indianapolis, the family and consumer sciences degree program at this school is available with 11 different majors, including two related to fashion. Through the fashion merchandising program, you'll learn to make clothes, purchase items for retail stores, increase sales, market clothing and display garments. The apparel design classes can familiarize you with fashion history, creating your own patterns, modifying other people's patterns, sewing clothing, fashion trends and techniques to tailor clothing. Completing an internship is required and can help you gain practical professional experience, including working for a design studio. A minor in fashion is also available.

Indiana University - Bloomington

• Program Name: Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design or Bachelor of Science in Apparel Merchandising
• Program Length: Four years
• Tuition: $4,375 per semester for Indiana residents and $15,100 for non-residents (cost as of 2012-13 academic year)
• School Type: 4-year, public; roughly 33,000 undergraduate students and 10,000 graduate students
• Address: 107 S. Indiana Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47405
• Phone: (812) 855-4848

At Indiana University - Bloomington, you can earn a bachelor's degree in fashion design or apparel merchandising. You'll take courses that will familiarize you with the different types of fabrics, their textures and ways to use types of fabrics. You'll learn about creating patterns, the history of dress and fashion, how clothing affects people and fashion design. Other classes address the marketing side of merchandising, including brand creation, retail promotion and product development. In addition to completing an internship, you can join a retail studies organization that will prepare you for product design, development, branding and merchandising.

Master's Degree Programs in Indianapolis

Ball State University

• Program Name: Master of Arts or Master of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences
• Specializations: Fashion merchandising, apparel design
• Program Length: Two years
• Tuition: $3,639 per semester for Indiana residents and $9,093 per semester for non-residents (cost as of 2011-12 academic year, full-time tuition and fees)
• Admissions Requirements: A bachelor's degree
• School Type: 4-year, public; 16,000 undergraduate students and 2,000 graduate students
• Address: 2000 W. University Avenue, Muncie, IN 47306
• Phone: (765) 289-1241

Ball State's master's degree programs are available as both Master of Arts and Master of Science programs. The fashion merchandising concentration covers buying and selling clothing in retail stores. You'll explore historic fashions and accessories, identify modern fashion designers and their contributions and learn to predict fashion trends. Through the apparel design program, you'll learn how to design your own patterns using computer-aided design technology, sew garments, tailor clothing and become familiar with modern fashion trends. You'll gain real-world experience working with clothing and fashion through the school's design and construction labs.