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Academic Field / Family & Consumer Sciences

Apparel and Textiles

Students study fashion design, textile science, apparel production, merchandising, and the global supply chains behind the clothing and textile industries. Graduates typically pursue careers in fashion design, textile product development, apparel merchandising, quality assurance, and supply chain management for clothing brands. The fashion industry is a multi-trillion-dollar global market with diverse career paths from design to business.

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Schools

Programs analyzed

Earnings

$35,961

Avg 1-yr grad earnings

Range $14,537–$51,494

Outlook

47/100

Avg DegreeOutlook Score

AI Risk

High

52% task exposure

Field Overview

What Apparel and Textiles graduates do

Your degree in Apparel and Textiles prepares you for the business and creative sides of the industry. Many graduates land in high-demand marketing roles, where a typical day involves analyzing consumer data to predict the next hit color palette for a global brand or managing social media campaigns for a direct-to-consumer clothing line. Others follow a design path, sketching new garment concepts, sourcing innovative and sustainable fabrics, or selecting textiles for commercial interior design projects.

Career progression often means moving from an entry-level specialist or assistant designer role to a marketing manager, leading brand strategy and teams, or a senior designer overseeing entire collections. While business-focused marketing paths are growing robustly, be aware that some traditional, hands-on roles like patternmaking are shrinking due to automation.

With moderate AI exposure in this field, your daily work is set to change. Expect AI to automate routine tasks like data analysis or generating initial design variations. Your value will shift to curating those outputs, making creative and strategic judgments, and managing client and supplier relationships. Adaptability is key.

Students weighing Apparel & Textiles often also consider Housing & Interiors, Consumer Sciences & Business, and Human Development & Family Studies — compare earnings, ROI, and AI outlook side by side.

Career Trajectories

Where Apparel and Textiles graduates work

Common career paths for Apparel and Textiles graduates, with median salaries, projected growth, and AI exposure per role. Roughly 133,800 combined openings per year across these roles.

Role	Median Pay	Annual Openings	10-yr Growth	AI Exposure
Marketing managers	$161,030 $111K–$211K	34,300	+6.6%	High · 50%
Materials scientists	$104,160 $80K–$134K	600	+4.9%	Moderate · 48%
Fashion designers	$80,690 $54K–$108K	2,300	+2.0%	Moderate · 39%
Family and consumer sciences teachers, postsecondary	$77,280 $57K–$100K	200	+3.4%	High · 54%
Market research analysts and marketing specialists	$76,950 $56K–$105K	87,200	+6.7%	High · 55%
Fabric and apparel patternmakers	$67,670 $44K–$91K	300	-10.2%	Moderate · 47%
Interior designers	$63,490 $50K–$81K	7,800	+3.2%	High · 50%
Farm and home management educators	$58,120 $46K–$69K	1,100	-2.5%	Moderate · 37%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. Salary range shows 25th–median–75th percentile (national).

Top Institutions

Best schools for Apparel and Textiles

Schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score (earnings × AI resilience × ROI × job-market size). Top 10 of 53.

Rank #1 · DegreeOutlook Score 65

Indiana University-Bloomington

Bloomington, IN · Public

$50,264 1-yr earnings

14.3x ROI multiple

High AI risk

University of Delaware

Newark, DE · #2

$47,760/yr · 10.7x ROI

Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, NY · #3

$40,463/yr · 24.2x ROI

Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL · #4

$41,130/yr · 25.3x ROI

#	School	DW Score	1-yr Earnings	ROI
5	University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR · Public	60	$40,948	15.8x
6	University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA · Public	59	$44,647	14.1x
7	Ohio University-Eastern Campus Saint Clairsville, OH · Public	58	$39,969	21.2x
8	Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus Chillicothe, OH · Public	58	$39,969	21.2x
9	Ohio University-Southern Campus Ironton, OH · Public	58	$39,969	21.2x
10	Ohio University-Lancaster Campus Lancaster, OH · Public	58	$39,969	21.2x
11	Ohio University-Zanesville Campus Zanesville, OH · Public	58	$39,969	21.2x
12	Utah State University Logan, UT · Public	57	$51,221	12.9x
13	University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO · Public	57	$40,176	11.5x
14	Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA · Public	56	$51,494	12.0x
15	University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC · Public	56	$40,059	16.6x
16	Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH · Public	55	$41,827	10.9x
17	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA · Public	55	$38,262	17.1x
18	North Dakota State University-Main Campus Fargo, ND · Public	52	$40,558	11.5x
19	Auburn University Auburn, AL · Public	52	$37,329	11.5x
20	The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX · Public	52	$37,245	11.7x
21	Iowa State University Ames, IA · Public	51	$40,849	11.1x
22	Washington State University Pullman, WA · Public	51	$40,081	10.0x
23	Missouri State University-Springfield Springfield, MO · Public	51	$35,703	14.3x
24	San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA · Public	51	$30,082	21.0x
25	Ohio University-Main Campus Athens, OH · Public	49	$39,969	9.0x
26	East Carolina University Greenville, NC · Public	48	$32,418	17.0x
27	The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL · Public	47	$37,111	9.9x
28	Appalachian State University Boone, NC · Public	47	$36,945	13.9x
29	Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO · Public	45	$34,852	9.7x
30	University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE · Public	45	$34,244	11.7x
31	SUNY Oneonta Oneonta, NY · Public	44	$28,180	14.5x
32	Kansas State University Manhattan, KS · Public	43	$37,529	7.6x
33	University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI · Public	43	$33,161	8.0x
34	Framingham State University Framingham, MA · Public	43	$31,574	10.9x
35	University of Wisconsin-Stout Menomonie, WI · Public	42	$35,768	7.8x
36	University of Kentucky Lexington, KY · Public	42	$34,315	8.7x
37	Illinois State University Normal, IL · Public	41	$37,111	4.8x
38	Indiana State University Terre Haute, IN · Public	41	$29,578	12.0x
39	Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN · Public	40	$30,371	11.8x
40	Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA · Public	40	$28,911	16.4x
41	Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY · Public	39	$36,635	7.7x
42	University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI · Public	38	$33,016	6.4x
43	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN · Public	37	$33,502	4.1x
44	Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS · Public	36	$31,352	7.0x
45	University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH · Public	33	$29,177	4.7x
46	California State University-Sacramento Sacramento, CA · Public	33	$26,968	7.9x
47	Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah, GA · Private nonprofit	32	$31,574	2.5x
48	Liberty University Lynchburg, VA · Private nonprofit	31	$31,796	3.7x
49	Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA · Public	31	$26,004	4.4x
50	Rhode Island School of Design Providence, RI · Private nonprofit	29	$14,537	-0.4x
51	Academy of Art University San Francisco, CA · Private for-profit	28	$27,630	1.5x
52	Wayne State University Detroit, MI · Public	28	$26,490	5.9x
53	Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale, IL · Public	25	$25,247	4.3x

Find the top Apparel and Textiles schools — ranked by actual earnings data from 53 programs →

Highest Earnings Top 5

Central Washington University WA	$51,494
Utah State University UT	$51,221
Indiana University-Bloomington IN	$50,264
University of Delaware DE	$47,760
University of Northern Iowa IA	$44,647

Best ROI Top 5

Florida State University FL	25.3x
Fashion Institute of Technology NY	24.2x
Ohio University-Eastern Campus OH	21.2x
Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus OH	21.2x
Ohio University-Southern Campus OH	21.2x

Related majors

Similar fields of study often offered alongside Apparel and Textiles.

Human Development & Family Studies Nutrition & Food Science Housing and Human Environments Family & Consumer Sciences Family & Consumer Economics Political Science Psychology History Accounting Teacher Education Fine Arts Business Administration

Consider the trade route

Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Apparel and Textiles offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.

Compare Apparel and Textiles trade programs on TradeSchoolOutlook →

FAQ

Frequently asked about Apparel and Textiles

How much do Apparel and Textiles graduates earn?

First-year earnings for Apparel and Textiles graduates average $35,961 annually, based on data from 53 programs. The range spans $14,537 at the low end to $51,494 at the top.

Will AI affect Apparel and Textiles careers?

Our analysis classifies Apparel and Textiles as "High" for AI risk — approximately 52% of typical job tasks overlap with current AI capabilities. That puts most of the daily work in the automation-sensitive category.

Which school has the best Apparel and Textiles program?

Indiana University-Bloomington leads all 53 programs with a DegreeOutlook Score of 65/100. Graduates earn $50,264/yr — the ranking weighs earnings, ROI, AI resilience, and job market size equally.

What's the outlook for a Apparel and Textiles degree?

Typical graduates earn 11.6 times what they paid in tuition within a decade. This is a strong return on investment. Look at per-school ROI in the table above — averages can mask significant variation.