Columbia College
Programs: Fashion Design, Fashion/Retail Management
Website: http://www.colum.edu/Admissions/Programs/Fashion.php
Columbia College
Founded in 1890 and located in Chicago, Illinois, this private coeducational college of 10,000 students, has a campus composed of many buildings that were built in the early parts of the 20th century and were bought by the school as it expanded.
The Fashion Studies Department offers several degree programs that provide students with the flexibility to create their own interdisciplinary major in Fashion Business, add a fashion business background to a fashion design degree, pursue a creative path in the fashion industry beyond fashion design, or pursue the more rigorous BFA degree in fashion design. Columbia’s students have the invaluable opportunity to experience updated hands-on instruction within the context of a solid liberal arts education.
Offered Curriculum
The curriculum encompasses a broad range of practical, aesthetic, and intellectual skills, devised to anticipate and incorporate the ongoing changes in the international fashion industry. The program has an artistic focus as well as great interest in modern consumer behavior.
Active industry professionals, artists, and scholars share with students real-world experiences in the classroom. There, you are getting prepared for a range of careers including fashion designer, retail manager, clothing buyer, costume designer, boutique owner, journalist and many more. Annually, you participate in various runway events and community partnerships such as Fashion Nation, Dress Code (as part of the City of Chicago’s Fashion Focus), Fashion Columbia, and Launch (the student-produced Senior Showcase).
Impressive Facilities
Facilities rank superior in the Midwest with professional equipment and teaching space. Students are taught in a real-business setting. A great educational tool is the College’s Fashion Study Collection featuring designer garments, fashion history and ethnic dress, and housing more than 6,000 items; a hands-on, inspirational resource for students and the public.
Columbia College Chicago is one of the largest private arts and media colleges in the United States, with a 6-Year Graduation Rate at 41%. It has one of the lowest tuition rates of all private arts and media colleges in the country and is ranked #148 in the Midwest by Forbes. The acceptance rate is 84%.
