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Textile & Apparel Studies Major

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Textile & Apparel Studies

139 Master's Degrees Annually
6 Doctor's Degrees Annually
#225 in Popularity (Master's)
$59,120 Median Salary

Types of Degrees Textile & Apparel Studies Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many textile and apparel studies graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Master’s Degree 139
Doctor’s Degree 6
Graduate Certificate 5

What Textile & Apparel Studies Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, textile studies majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Textile Studies Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

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  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
  • Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Skills for Textile Studies Majors

textile studies majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

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  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Abilities for Textile Studies Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a textile studies student include the following:

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  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a Textile & Apparel Studies Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with textile studies:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Farm and Home Management Advisors 7.7% $49,840
Fashion Designers 2.5% $72,720
Interior Designers 4.5% $53,370
Marketing Managers 10.1% $134,290

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Textile & Apparel Studies?

139 Master's Degrees Annually
88% Percent Women
23% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
The major attracts more women than men. About 88% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of textile studies majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 3
Black or African American 21
Hispanic or Latino 5
White 43
International Students 61
Other Races/Ethnicities 6

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Textile Studies, too. About 43.9% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

  • China
  • South Korea
  • India
  • Taiwan
  • Turkey

How Much Do Textile & Apparel Studies Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The median early-career salary of textile and apparel studies students with a master’s degree is $30,532 a year according to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $30,532 (25th percentile) and $30,532 (75th percentile).

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Note that some of these people may have jobs that are not directly related to a textile studies degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $52,700 to $87,610 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to textile studies. This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Median Salary for a Textile & Apparel Studies Major  ( 52700 to 87610 )
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Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
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Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
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Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
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Some careers associated with textile studies require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for textile studies careers below.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma 3.1%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) 10.5%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) 3.6%
Some College Courses 8.4%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 9.4%
Bachelor’s Degree 42.4%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. 1.3%
Master’s Degree 16.5%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level. 1.5%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession. 3.8%
Doctoral Degree 1.3%

Online Textile & Apparel Studies Programs

In 2020-2021, 136 schools offered a textile studies program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level Colleges Offering Programs Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) 0 0
Certificate (1-2 years) 43 0
Certificate (2-4 Years) 1 0
Associate’s Degree 58 4
Bachelor’s Degree 4 2
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 33 6
Post-Master’s 1 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 7 0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

Is a Degree in Textile & Apparel Studies Worth It?

The median salary for a textile studies grad is $59,120 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 48% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $384,400 after 20 years!

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You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to textile studies.

Major Number of Grads
Human Development & Family Studies 1,589
Food, Nutrition & Related Services 1,214
General Family & Consumer Sciences 368
Family & Consumer Economics 251
Human Sciences Business Services 58
Housing 54
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences (Other) 8

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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