Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, USA

Overview

History, Affiliations & Rankings

Fashion Institute of Technology is a public college, part of the SUNY system. It was founded in 1944. Since its inception, it has been offering degree programs in arts, communication, design all leading to careers in the fashion industry. It is based in Manhattan, New York. US News and World rank 2020 Edition have ranked it at #12 for being the Most Innovative School 2020 ranking. The QS Ranking has ranked the Fashion Institute of Technology as one of the top 150 colleges for art and design subjects. SUNY FIT is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) and also has program-specific accreditations from organizations like the Council for Interior Design (CIDA) and the National Association of Art and Design.

Infrastructure, Campus & Courses

The five-acre campus has nine different buildings including classrooms, studios, radio stations, book libraries, etc. The highlight of FIT is the museum that displays collections of clothing, textiles, and accessories. It is a boon for fashion studies as you get to observe design aesthetics from the 50s and 70s. Students always take inspiration for their projects from here. SUNY FIT has 4 different schools namely, School of Art and Design, School of Liberal Arts, School of Business and Technology, and School of Graduate Studies. It offers associate degrees, BFA and BS at the undergraduate level and MA, MFA, and MPS degrees at postgraduate levels. Some of the most popular programmes offered at FIT include Business, History, Communication, Journalism, Fashion Design, etc. FIT is located in the Chelsea district of Manhattan in New York. It is Midtown Manhattan which is the largest CBD in the world. Chelsea is one of the fastest-growing districts with the city's new shopping hub with some of the big names opening stores nearby.

Accomplishments & Alumni

SUNY FIT has made partnerships with renowned schools and universities with similar courses in Art and Design, Business and Technology, and Liberal Arts, to study abroad. Prominent schools include American Business School of Paris, France, ICART Paris, France, KEA (Copenhagen School of Design and Technology “Københavns Erhvervsakademi”), Denmark, and Politecnico di Milano [FIT in Milan], Italy to name a few. The institution has more than 50,000 alumni around the world. Some of the well-known designers are Calvin Richard Klein (the brand Calvin Klein), Michael Kors, Joel Schumacher (Film Director), Nina Garcia – Editor in Chief, Elle and many others.

Student Diversity & Visiting Companies

As of the 2016-17 fall intake, it holds an enrollment of 7500 students. More than 10% of the student body (1000+) are international students coming from various countries around the world. The average class size at Farmingdale State College is 16 with a student-faculty to student ratio is 20:1. The institution is dominated by women and has roughly 85% women as opposed to only 15% men in the undergraduate courses. SUNY’s FIT holds a strong foot for fashion academia and has deserving placements for its students. Some of the top recruiters with amazing salaries are – Ralph Lauren Corporation, Komar Brands, Calvin Klein, Tory Burch LLC, Elle, 3.1 Phillip Lim, and many more.  

Fashion Institute of Technology Facts & Highlights