Auburn University’s fashion program earns top national, regional rankings

Auburn University is among the best fashion merchandising and fashion design schools in the region and country in 2015, according to a website devoted to researching fashion schools for students seeking information about programs and careers.

The website, www.fashion-schools.org, considers Auburn to be the best public fashion merchandising school in the country and the best overall in the South, which the website defines as Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas. Nationally, Auburn is the second-ranked school for fashion merchandising, moving up from sixth place in 2014.

Among the top 50 fashion design schools in the country, Auburn ranked 11th, fourth among public fashion design schools and second in the South.

At Auburn, the Apparel Merchandising, Design and Production Management program is offered by the Department of Consumer and Design Sciences in the College of Human Sciences. Department Head Carol Warfield said, "These rankings are a reflection of the high quality of Auburn's faculty, the richness of our educational offerings and the ability of our students to stand out as they enter this chosen careers."

No university in the Southeastern Conference is ranked higher than Auburn nationally or regionally in design or merchandising. The University of Georgia was the closest to Auburn's achievements, finishing third in fashion merchandising schools in the South.

The writers, designers and researchers behind the website began publishing regional and national rankings in 2013 at the request of aspiring fashion designers and merchandisers asking about the best schools in the country, a given state, or a particular region. The result also provided students access to ample information so they can make an informed decision about the school and program that best fits their needs.

To prepare its rankings, the website team examined hundreds of schools across the country with fashion design and fashion merchandising on the basis of academic reputation, admission selectivity, depth and breadth of the program and faculty, value as it relates to tuition and indebtedness and geographic location. School surveys were an added factor in 2014.