The New England state of Rhode Island has an excellent selection of fashion schools. There are three fashion schools in this small state, and all three offer undergraduate and graduate programs. Tuition can be fairly expensive in Rhode Island, as the average tuition cost is $26,631. However, this is partially offset by the average scholarship award of $13,523.
The Council of Fashion Designers of America awards several different fashion scholarships that Rhode Island School of Design students can apply for. Some of the scholarships include the Geoffrey Beene Design Scholarship, the Teen Vogue Scholarship, and the CFDA Scholarship.
There are many different fashion careers you can start once you have put in the hard work of earning a degree. You may find work with fashion designers, retail companies, and marketing firms. Major fashion employers in Rhode Island include DSW Shoes, Destination XL Group, and The Limited. Rhode Island’s economy is fairly steady at the moment; the unemployment rate is 9.1% (BLS, 2013).
Salaries in the fashion field vary from job to job. Merchandise displayers in Rhode Island earn an average salary of $36,310 per year (BLS, 2012). Marketing specialists, a job title that includes fashion marketers, earn an average salary of $67,390 per year (BLS, 2012).