Design M.F.A. with a concentration in Fashion Design

M.F.A. in Fashion Design Program Overview

The Master of Fine Arts with a concentration in Fashion Design in the CVAD Department of Design seeks to create an educational experience that provides students with an understanding of the pedagogy of teaching design, focused research and creative scholarship within the academy that supports the burgeoning needs of their profession in a world that is becoming more interconnected and interdependent.

The M.F.A. program is a terminal degree in fine arts and design and requires a total of 60 credits, which typically takes from three to four years to complete. It differs from other master's programs, such as an M.A. or M.S., which typically require 30 or 36 credits. As you consider your graduate program options, it's important to think about how they align with your long-term career goals. The CVAD M.F.A. program is designed to prepare graduates to be effective design educators, managers and professionals while helping them expand their ability to build and apply knowledge in the field of fashion design.

The majority of the coursework consists of independent study, with the student working individually with various College of Visual Arts and Design faculty members. The student is required to have a concentrated area of study, focusing on a specific topic in Fashion Design and its related fields.

The M.F.A. degree program culminates in a gallery exhibition of the student's work as a problem in lieu of a thesis.

Students may select a minor field of study either within the College of Visual Arts and Design or from another academic unit across the university, subject to program and Graduate School approval.

Three people, Michael Faircloth, Chanjuan Chen and Jeremy Bernardino, talking under the Michael W. Faircloth Fashion Design Program sign.

Designer and alum Michael W. Faircloth, left, visits with fashion design faculty Chanjuan Chen and Jeremy Bernardoni.

M.F.A. Admissions Requirements

Students who apply for admission must meet the following requirements.

An accredited Bachelor's degree (minimum of 120 semester credit hours) in the same or closely related field, as follows.
a. Fashion Design
b. Clothing and Textiles
c. Apparel Manufacturing, etc.
A minimum of two years of professional experience in the field.

How to Apply

To get started, visit UNT Apply Now for instructions.

You will apply and submit the required materials using the UNT GradCAS, Centralized Application System. To use the UNT Graduate Centralized Application Service, UNT GradCAS, follow the instructions on the UNT Graduate Admissions Steps to Apply webpage.

Priority application deadlines for consideration for scholarships, fellowships, and assistantships are Feb. 1 for the fall semester and Oct. 1 for the spring semester.

Department-Specific Materials to Submit

Please submit the required materials — described below — through UNT GradCAS for departmental review.

Statement of Purpose
A one-to-two-page statement outlining your intended area of concentration, your research interests in the field to which you are applying, and the goals that you hope to achieve by obtaining the degree.
Resume/Curriculum Vitae
Should list all relevant work experience, affiliations, etc.
Two Letters of Recommendation
Letters should be from former professors/instructors, design professionals, or clients with whom you have worked closely and should address why you would be a viable candidate for the M.F.A. program.
Link to a portfolio website or a cloud folder with work examples
Submit a link to your portfolio website or a cloud-based folder containing your work. Your portfolio should include a minimum of 10 work examples that demonstrate a broad range of fashion design skills, including, but not limited to, patternmaking, draping, fashion illustration, computer-aided design, 3D design and garment fitting, product lifecycle management systems, creative development, garment construction and textile knowledge. If you have previous teaching experience, you are encouraged to include up to 10 examples of your students’ work in addition to your own portfolio. Please clearly label these examples as student work and briefly describe your role as the instructor or mentor.

Please note: Graduate application materials should represent the applicant’s original work. The use of artificial intelligence-generated or AI-assisted content in application materials is not permitted. If your portfolio contains projects that investigate or incorporate AI as part of the research or creative process, you must clearly identify those projects and explain how AI was used, including the specific tools used and your individual contributions. Therefore, only research directly investigating AI should include AI usage. If your research direction is not clearly investigating the use of AI, the submission should not include any AI-generated work.

Program Structure and Components

With each course counting as three credit hours, each candidate must successfully complete a minimum of 60 semester hours to earn the Fashion Design M.F.A. degree. All courses must be numbered 5000-level or higher. The basic program structures are as follows.

21–30 hours (7–10 courses) – Fashion Design concentration
9–15 hours (3 to 5 courses) – Minor
9 hours (3 courses) – Art History
0–9 hours (0–3 courses) Electives
6 hours (2 courses) — Research Methods
6 hours Problem in Lieu of a Thesis
60 hours – Total

Independent studies are arranged through faculty advisement. Up to 30 hours of graduate work from a previous or concurrent graduate degree may be used.

Additional requirements

All graduate students seeking the M.F.A. in the design department must participate in graduate reviews every term/semester they are enrolled in a studio course until they pass and are admitted to candidacy.

All M.F.A. candidates must pass an oral examination in defense of the Problem in Lieu of Thesis requirement. In addition, candidates are expected to prepare an exhibition of their work for presentation to the public. This project must be completed under the supervision of the candidate’s major and minor professors and his or her M.F.A. committee.

Careers

An M.F.A. in Design with a concentration in Fashion Design enables the individual to pursue a career in teaching at the university level. M.F.A. graduates will have the following.

The training to effectively teach Fashion Design and its technical skills at the university level
Expertise in patternmaking, construction, fitting, design and draping skills
A well-defined philosophy of design and area of expertise
A strong base of understanding of historic costume - graduates will be proficient in research methodologies, trend study and predictions as well as presentation techniques

UNT graduates from our M.F.A. program are currently in tenured or tenure-track positions in the Fashion Design departments at Kent State University, Kent, Ohio; The University of North Carolina, Greensboro, North Carolina; Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas; Texas Woman's University, Denton, Texas; and Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Questions?

For more information about the M.F.A. program in Design with a concentration in Fashion Design, please email the Department of Design at CVAD.Design@unt.edu.