New York City has a thriving fashion industry and with it comes world-renowned fashion design institutions.
Fashion Institute of Technology has undergraduate and postgraduate programs in fashion design. Students learn about professional draping, pattern-making and sewing techniques. Top designers, like Carolina Herrera and Calvin Klein, act as "critics" to help students create outfits.
Parsons, The New School of Design, founded in 1986, offers such degrees as Fashion Design and Fashion Marketing. Designers like Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford and Donna Karan graduated from Parsons.
New York School of Design offers students the chance to study courses in fashion design, garment construction and fashion graphics to provide a comprehensive guide to the fashion industry. The school focuses on accelerated training so courses run for up to six months.
An interior design course is the starting point for those wanting a career as an interior designer. Schools in New York City offer a variety of degrees and certifications for those pursuing this career.
New York School of Interior Design, founded in 1916, is dedicated solely to teaching all levels of interior design. Undergraduates can choose from two programs -- a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree program and a Bachelor of Arts degree in the History of the Interior and the Decorative Arts program. It also offers a two-year associate degree in interior design.
Pratt Institute offers its own bachelor's and master's programs in interior design. Both programs have a curriculum that focuses on spatial design rather than surface embellishment.
Graphic design programs in New York City range from associate and bachelor degrees to a postgraduate master's degree.
The School of Visual Arts specializes in graphics degrees, with undergraduate programs in graphic design and 3D graphic design. Students are taught about texture, symmetry, tone, balance and the principles of perspective.
Parsons, The New School of Design offers an associate's degree program in graphic design that teaches traditional concepts of graphic design and new techniques in Web design. It is a two-year program.
Pratt Institute offers a two-year associate degree program in graphic design/illustration. Students must complete courses such as computer graphics, typographic design, 3D design and illustration.
Some previously mentioned schools in New York City offer other types of design.
Parsons, The New School of Design offers undergraduate degrees in architectural design and urban design. It also offers postgraduate studies in lighting design and architecture design.
The School of Visual Arts has several master's degree programs in other areas of design. A Design Criticism master's teaches students to analyze design and its social and environmental implications. Interaction Design looks at what design means in everyday interactions. The Design for Innovation master's program looks at how designers can can make a significant contribution to society through their work.
Fashion Institute of Technology has a variety of under-graduate programs to complement its Fashion Design program, including Jewelry Design, Accessories Design and Textile/Surface Design.