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Fashion

Overview Degrees/Certificates Courses Faculty

Associate Degree

A.A. in Applied Apparel Studies

The Applied Apparel Studies program is designed to provide a program of study for the student interested in pursuing a career in fashion as a cutter-draper, tailor, pattern drafter, alterationist, or fiber artist in fashion studios or costume work rooms. Selected courses provide students with lifelong learning knowledge and consumer skills.

California's apparel industry is a major success story. It is an important, but often overlooked, contributor to the state's economy. San Francisco and Los Angeles are the largest centers for apparel manufacturing outside of New York City. One of the largest apparel wholesale markets in the world is the California Mart in Los Angeles.

California apparel jobs have steadily grown with the success of the industry. Jobs increased in the 2010's, a time when the rest of the U.S. lost apparel jobs, and have steadily grown in numbers. This is because the high-end tasks, such as computer aided design and pattern making, size grading, and color setting, are performed in the U.S. as well as the planning and management of off-shore production.

Emerging careers in this high growth industry will require state of the art high-tech training.

Catalog Date: August 1, 2025

Degree Requirements

Student Learning Outcomes

Career Information

Certificate of Achievement

Applied Apparel Studies Construction Certificate

This certificate consists of four core Applied Apparel Studies courses. Textiles gives students an overview of appropriate fabrics to use for different applications. Premier Level Construction builds upon basic skills and adds fit, alteration, and construction of apparel. Intermediate Construction continues the understanding of fit, fabric selection, and detailed seaming techniques. Advanced Couture Construction lifts the skill level to an advanced placement. These four courses provides students the tools needed for entry-level jobs in multiple subject areas.

Catalog Date: August 1, 2025

Certificate Requirements

Student Learning Outcomes

Career Information