Ready to make your mark on the world of fashion? New Jersey has six schools that can help you get started. Two of these schools offer graduate degrees in addition to the undergraduate degrees offered by all six schools.
The average cost of tuition in New Jersey is $14,818, but you may be able to get scholarships and grants. In fact, the average scholarship award at Centenary College is $12,447.
Attending Centenary College can give you unique fashion opportunities. They put on an annual fashion show, and every fashion student gets to create a fashion line that is featured in the show.
Getting your first fashion job is the next exciting step in your career after you have earned a degree. You may find fashion, merchandising, and marketing jobs at retailers, fashion design companies, and marketing firms. Major employers in New Jersey include The Dain Lingerie and Corset Shoppe, Fashion to Figure, and Bloomingdales. The job outlook in New Jersey is improving; the unemployment rate is down to 7.4% (BLS, 2013).
Starting salaries vary considerably from employer to employer. In general, you can earn more money as you gain more relevant experience. Fashion designers earn an average salary of $61,160 per year and merchandise displayers earn, on average, $33,420 per year (BLS, 2012). The average salary for marketing specialists is $73,900 (BLS, 2012).