Advance the fashion industry to serve humanity.

Grow as a fashion industry expert while you develop a solution to a significant industry issue.

As an Apparel Design Ph.D. student, you will complete core courses to develop your understanding of a broad range of fashion industry topics, such as fashion curation, ethical design and functional clothing.

Through intensive, self-driven research into your chosen Ph.D. topic, you will prepare a dissertation designed to make a substantial contribution to the field of fashion.

This is a four-year, fully-funded program for students who have completed a master’s program prior to matriculating to the Ph.D. 

Fiber Science and Apparel Design

This program is offered through the graduate field of Fiber Science and Apparel Design.

gallery view of an exhibit of clothing

from Material Resistance: Social Justice and Empowerment Narratives Told Through Cloth

About HCD and FSAD

Our department is Human Centered Design (HCD) in the College of Human Ecology.  

Our field is Fiber Science and Apparel Design (FSAD). At Cornell, graduate study is organized using a field structure. Fields are composed of faculty members from a number of departments who come together around a shared intellectual interest and may draw from different campuses or colleges. 

Our expertise is at the nexus of creative expression and scientific research resulting in real-world applications. FSAD is home to state-of-the-art apparel design studios, multiple research labs and the Cornell Fashion + Textile Collection. Students and faculty in FSAD also have access to the Digital Design and Fabrication Studio. Learn more about our spaces and studios. Our extensive alumni network provides opportunities for industry visits and career explorations through internships and career speakers.

person touching a historical garment on a table

Core courses

A written thesis is required for completion of all graduate degrees in Fiber Science and Apparel Design. Candidates for the Ph.D. require at least three years of full-time study beyond the master's degree.

Unlike undergraduate studies, graduate work focuses on independent research. At the Ph.D. level you are expected to take coursework that will give you a broad base in all aspects of the apparel design discipline, along with courses that will help you develop your research topic.

The core courses for graduate study in apparel design are:

  • FSAD 6025 Design for Change: Imagining Decolonial Futures
  • FSAD 6415 Anthropology of the Fashioned Body
  • FSAD 6451 Fashion Curation
  • FSAD 6500 Fashion, Media, and Technology
  • FSAD 6640 Human Factors: Anthropometrics and Apparel
  • FSAD 6700 Fashion Theory and Philosophy
  • FSAD 6800 Ethical Design: Engine of Positive Change
  • FSAD 6900 Understanding Functional Aspects of Clothing and Design
See the graduate student handbook for a complete program description

Application information

The fall admission deadline is December 15. We do not admit for spring. 

Applications for graduate study are submitted directly to the Cornell University Graduate School, which has jurisdiction over all graduate work and advanced academic degrees. A complete application includes a statement of purpose, a personal statement, unofficial transcripts, and two (preferably three) letters of recommendation. Please do not include copies of certificates, passports or other documents. We will not review your application until it is fully complete, including TOEFL/IELTS test scores if required. 

No individual faculty member can offer you admission. A graduate admissions committee will read your application when it is complete and make the decision. 

Application fee waivers are available in the application.

Admissions are based on evidence of potential capability for advanced study. Applicants for the Ph.D. must already hold a master's degree. We do not require the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).

International applicants must demonstrate proficiency in the English language by taking a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) exam. 

Minimum TOEFL scores are: 

  • Writing: 20
  • Listening: 15
  • Reading: 20
  • Speaking: 26
  • Minimum total score: 100

If all of these scores and the total are not met, applications will not be reviewed. 

The Graduate School requires an overall band score of a 7.0 or higher on the IELTS.  

For more information, including waiver information, see the graduate school’s website.

Cornell University expects all applicants to complete their application materials without the use of paid agents, credentials services or other paid professional assistance. The use of such services violates university policy, and may lead to the rejection of application materials, the revocation of an admissions offer, cancellation of admission or involuntary withdrawal from the university.

Applicants who wish to specialize in apparel design for an Ph.D. may be asked to submit a portfolio. For those whose research will be in applied design areas, a portfolio is required. Other research areas may not require a portfolio. Portfolios should contain whatever you feel is necessary to show your work and be under 10 MB to upload to your application. 

Financial support, in the form of teaching assistantships, graduate research assistantships or fellowships is offered with acceptance to Ph.D. students only. Full assistantships include tuition, fees and individual health insurance. Assistantships are offered for four years. Continued funding is contingent upon acceptable academic performance constituting good standing in your graduate field and satisfactory fulfillment of any teaching or research responsibilities as defined by your assistantship supervisor.

Faculty you'll work with

portrait of a woman in a maroon top
Fatma Baytar
Associate Professor
Focus areas Digitalization in the apparel industry, 3D body scan data + apparel simulation, 3D digital technologies
Margaret Frey headshot
Margaret Frey
Vincent V.C. Woo Professor in Fiber Science Emerita 
Focus areas Micro and nanofibers, Uses for high specific surface area materials, Environment/sustainability in fashion + textiles industries
portrait of a woman wearing glasses and a patterned dress
Denise Green
Lau Family Associate Professor, Director of Graduate Studies in Fiber Science & Apparel Design
Focus areas Anthropological studies of style and fashion, History and curatorial practice of dress and textiles, Native American textiles and regalia
smiling man sitting in a blue chair
Juan Hinestroza
Rebecca Q Morgan '60 Professor of Fiber Science & Apparel Design
Focus areas Intersection Science-Design, Nanomaterials in Textiles, Use of waste as raw-material
portrait of a woman in a blue blazer
Cindy Hsin-Liu Kao
Associate Professor
Focus areas Wearable technology and on-skin interfaces, Designing skins across scales, Social perceptions towards on-body technologies
portrait of a woman wearing red glasses
Renata Leitao
Assistant Professor
Focus areas Design for Indigenous empowerment, Transformational design for societal + environmental change, Intercultural design knowledge
Van Dyk Lewis
Associate Professor
portrait of a man wearing a blazer with bright red embroidered cuffs
Heeju Terry Park
Vincent V.C. Woo Professor
Focus areas Activewear and protective clothing, Smart wearable interface, Ethics of design and fashion
portrait of a woman wearing glasses sitting in a red chair
Jaleesa Reed
Assistant Professor
Focus areas Self-definition + consumption for marginalized groups, Feminist theory + Black geography, Racism + representation in relation to beauty + identity
portrait of a woman wearing glasses and standing in front of bright green panels
Larissa Shepherd
Assistant Professor
Focus areas Tailoring fibers (spinning) for practical applications, Optically responsive fabrics, Immersion electrospinning
man wearing glasses sitting in a bright blue chair
Tamer Uyar
Associate Professor
Focus areas Nanofibers and nanotextiles, Medical textiles and drug delivery, Water treatment, food packaging
See all faculty in the field of Fiber Science and Apparel Design
student in a jean jacket puts a vintage dress on a mannequin

Take the next step

Contact the HCD office with any questions or begin your application on the Cornell Graduate School website.

close up of brown fabric with yellow embroidery