Fashion Industry Studies - M.F.I.S.

Full Description

The Master of Fashion Industry Studies degree in Fashion Industry Studies addresses the highly interdisciplinary character of practice within fashion as an industry.

Fashion Industry Studies is an initial master's level degree for the academic advancement of students to engage in learning and experiences applicable to the fashion industry. The degree program prepares professionals who intentionally use cross-disciplinary and applied research methods to address complex issues and provide impactful solutions for the fashion industry.

For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university¹
• Minimum 3.300 undergraduate GPA on a 4.000-point scale
• Official transcripts(s)
• GRE or GMAT scores if GPA is below 3.300 for conditional admission
• Goal statement (maximum 1,000 words) relating career/academic goals and research interests as they relate to critical issue(s) the applicant has identified in current fashion industry practice
• Supportive materials that demonstrate research and writing capabilities (e.g., significant term paper, research project report and/or visual portfolio with minimum 5-10 examples of work in any media documenting design process)
• Résumé
• Three letters of recommendation
• English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions) by earning one of the following:
  • Minimum 587 TOEFL PBT score
  • Minimum 94 TOEFL IBT score
  • Minimum 82 MELAB score
  • Minimum 7.0 IELTS score
  • Minimum 65 PTE score
  • Minimum 120 Duolingo English score

¹

Students who are expecting to pursue coursework or thesis research in a design topic are required to possess a bachelor's degree in fashion design or a bachelor's degree in a related field and substantial employment experience (minimum two years) in the fashion industry.

Application Deadlines

• Fall Semester
  • Funding deadline: February 15
    Applications must be submitted by this deadline to be considered for an assistantship or any other funded position.
  • Application deadline: April 15
    Applications received after this deadline will be considered on a space-available basis.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a capacity for critical analysis of fashion to identify pertinent issues.
2. Demonstrate an ability to use cross-disciplinary and applied research methods with appropriate knowledge and technologies.
3. Demonstrate the skill of critically generating concepts and-or pragmatic solutions through testing and experimentation that connects fashion history, theory and-or practice(s).
4. Demonstrate abilities to effectively synthesize ideas and present innovative and pragmatic research-based investigations.

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

¹

The Non-Fashion Elective from Cognate Area must be approved by the student's thesis advisor.

²

Students who select the thesis option must complete a written thesis accompanied by a visual presentation/representation that is successfully defended and approved by a committee of faculty with feedback from an industry partner. The thesis must demonstrate an innovative and pragmatic research-based solution applicable to the fashion industry.

Graduation Requirements

• Students in the M.F.I.S. degree are required to complete 24 credit hours of graded graduate coursework and minimum 6 credit hours of thesis or 27 credit hours of graded graduate coursework and minimum 3 credit hours of practicum capstone
• Students without a fashion background may be required to complete foundational coursework (FDM 10033 and FDM 10034) concurrently during the first semester, and either FDM 30260 or FDM 30262. Students must complete these courses within the first 18 credit hours of graduate study. These undergraduate credit hours are in addition to the 30 graduate credit hours required for the M.F.I.S. degree.

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus

National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD)