<p>I’m a senior looking for colleges that offer rigorous academics in addition to a well-developed arts department. In particular, I’m looking for small liberal arts colleges with fashion programs. I haven’t had any luck finding schools that I think will challenge me academically but are also small in size (I’m not very interested in large universities) but also offer classes in fashion design and textiles. I want to be surrounded by academically driven students but also have the opportunity to pursue fashion, or at least the visual arts in depth. My current list is Pomona, Occidental, Swarthmore, Vassar, Sarah Lawrence, Rhode Island School of Design, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Macalester and Brown. However, with these schools I feel as though I would be choosing between fashion design and academic challenge. </p>
<p>Does anyone have any suggestions of liberal arts colleges with fashion departments? Thank you!</p>
<p>Hi artsygurl, I’m an intern for Occidental College Office of Admission. I thought I should let you know that Oxy currently does not offer a fashion design major program. However we do have a visual arts program that I encourage you to check out on our website! I think you’ll find that Oxy really has the perfect combination of academic rigor and arts education :)</p>
<p>Macalester has a strong visual arts program (and a wonderful new building for the arts), but it doesn’t have a fashion design program. However, Macalester students can take fashion design courses at Saint Catherine’s College (also in Saint Paul), through the Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities.</p>
<p>I’ve worked in the fashion industry all my career and my observation is that almost all successful designers I’ve known actually went to design school for professional training. Some also had liberal arts degrees, but what propelled them into design positions was their time spent at a design school with serious industry connections.</p>
<p>Having said that there are many fashion/retail careers that involve design aesthetics but are not designer positions per se. For these types of merchandising and product development jobs, a liberal arts education is a BIG PLUS. The key is to get some industry exposure during your college years in the form of summer jobs and internships. </p>
<p>So I’d say that you do have to choose: do you want to focus on pure design or do you want a liberal foundation with a strong art studio foundation? You could always get a BA in studio then supplement it with a two year design program.</p>
<p>Some other small LACs that I’d recommend for good to great academics and strong studio art are: Wesleyan, Williams, Hamilton, Haverford, Kenyon, Conn College, Skidmore, Smith. Of the schools on your list, I’d agree Vassar and Brown offer entrees to the fashion business. Swarthmore and Pomona are wonderful schools, but less so for studio art. </p>
<p>The combined Brown/RISD program would be ideal, but it is prohibitively hard to get into.</p>
<p>Though not a small LAC, Cornell’s Department of Fiber Science and Apparel Design is also worth a look. I’m not sure how much flexibility the program allows to study other disciplines, though.</p>