Fashion Studies (Minor)

College of Human Ecology

Program Website

Program Description

The Department of Human Centered Design (HCD) offers a Fashion Studies Minor to interested students.  

The Fashion Studies minor offers students with interests in fashion business and entrepreneurship, museum studies, smart clothing and wearable technology, design, sustainability, or global labor relations the opportunity to select FSAD courses across the major to suit their particular goals.  

To be considered for the Minor in Fashion Studies, students must not be a Fiber Science and Apparel Design (FSAD) major.

Academic Standards

Grade Requirements

All courses must be taken for a letter grade. 

Each course must be completed with a grade of B or better to count toward the minor. 

Minor Declaration Information 

After completing one FSAD course at the 1000 level, students should submit the Intention to Minor in Fashion Studies form (contact fsad-dus@cornell.edu for form). To receive consideration or priority for enrollment in FSAD courses, this form must be submitted prior to the semester in which enrollment is desired; however, submission does not guarantee enrollment.  

During the semester in which you plan to graduate, submit the Application to Graduate with a Minor in Fashion Studies (contact fsad-dus@cornell.edu for form) and an unofficial copy of your transcript by March 15th. The FSAD minor is self-guided. As some courses have prerequisites, students are encouraged to plan their coursework carefully.

  1. Students who complete the Intent to Minor in Fashion Studies form will be given preference for admission to FSAD courses once students in the major are accommodated, with the stipulation that studio and lab courses are capped due to space constraints and there may not be room.
  2. Submit the Intent to Minor form any time after having completed at least one of the courses required for the minor with a grade of at least a B. Note that to receive any consideration or priority for course enrollment, a form must have been submitted prior to the semester in which enrollment is desired. Formally declaring intent to minor in Fashion Studies does not guarantee that a student will be able to take an offered FSAD course.
  3. It is the student’s responsibility to keep track of courses required and completed toward the minor; students will not be assigned an FSAD advisor. Only Fiber Science & Apparel Design courses may be used to satisfy the requirement of the minor.
  4. During the semester in which a student is planning to graduate, submit an Application to Graduate with a Minor in Fashion Studies form, include an unofficial copy of their transcript by March 15th to the Program Coordinator.
  5. After it has been verified that the student has completed the requirements for the minor, the appropriate college registrar will be notified, and the final transcript will indicate that the student are earned a minor in Fashion Studies.