Apparel and Textiles: is it worth it?
A 0–100 score blending this major’s national earnings, ROI and typical debt. How it’s scored.
National picture across 52 college programs, at a typical net price.
The payoff is roughly break-even — the degree recovers its cost, but slowly.
What Apparel and Textiles pays
Career outlook for Apparel and Textiles graduates
The job market for the occupations Apparel and Textiles graduates typically enter, projected through 2034 — from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. This is the demand side, complementing the IRS-verified graduate earnings above.
Top jobs for this major
| Occupation | U.S. jobs | Growth to 2034 | Median pay | Typical entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market research analysts and marketing specialists | 941,700 | +6.7% | $76,950 | Bachelor's degree |
| Marketing managers | 407,000 | +6.6% | $161,030 | Bachelor's degree |
| Interior designers | 87,100 | +3.2% | $63,490 | Bachelor's degree |
| Fashion designers | 25,700 | +2.0% | $80,690 | Bachelor's degree |
| Farm and home management educators | 12,400 | -2.5% | $58,120 | Master's degree |
| Materials scientists | 8,700 | +4.9% | $104,160 | Bachelor's degree |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections (2024–34) & the NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupation pay is the national median wage for the role — not the same as graduate earnings, which we draw from IRS records.
Apparel and Textiles vs similar majors
How Apparel and Textiles stacks up against the closest fields in Family & Consumer Sciences on pay, debt, ROI and the DR Rating. The best figure in each row is highlighted.
| Apparel and Textiles Family & Consumer Sciences · this major | Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services | Housing and Human Environments | Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR Rating | 30 F | 55 C | 46 D | 35 D |
| ROI verdict | Break-even | Strong return | Strong return | Break-even |
| Median earnings (5 yr) | $53,667 | $63,691 | $60,451 | $56,176 |
| Median earnings (1 yr) | $36,928 | $41,908 | $44,617 | $35,726 |
| ROI vs cost | +8% | +134% | +91% | +38% |
| Typical debt | $22,885 | $21,982 | $24,989 | $24,431 |
| Colleges offering it | 52 | 8 | 11 | 63 |
Apparel and Textiles earnings over time
National median earnings one year after graduating, by cohort year — the consistent measure available across the federal data’s history.
Best colleges for Apparel and Textiles
Ranked by the ROI of this major at each college — its graduate earnings against the cost.
| # | College | Credential | Earnings (5 yr) | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Delaware Newark, DE | Associate's | $75,343 | $22,250 | +594% | Strong return |
| 2 | Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN | Associate's | $72,226 | $19,500 | +587% | Strong return |
| 3 | San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA | Associate's | $65,412 | $17,625 | +559% | Strong return |
| 4 | Ohio University-Eastern Campus Saint Clairsville, OH | Associate's | $54,897 | $23,750 | +500% | Strong return |
| 5 | University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO | Associate's | $70,924 | $24,932 | +422% | Strong return |
| 6 | Florida State University Tallahassee, FL | Associate's | $59,543 | $17,750 | +400% | Strong return |
| 7 | Ohio University-Lancaster Campus Lancaster, OH | Associate's | $54,897 | $23,750 | +396% | Strong return |
| 8 | Ohio University-Zanesville Campus Zanesville, OH | Associate's | $54,897 | $23,750 | +391% | Strong return |
| 9 | Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus Chillicothe, OH | Associate's | $54,897 | $23,750 | +391% | Strong return |
| 10 | Ohio University-Southern Campus Ironton, OH | Associate's | $54,897 | $23,750 | +380% | Strong return |
| 11 | University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR | Associate's | $65,634 | $24,775 | +354% | Strong return |
| 12 | Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL | Associate's | $57,009 | — | +348% | Strong return |
| 13 | Centenary University Hackettstown, NJ | Associate's | $63,058 | — | +340% | Strong return |
| 14 | Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH | Associate's | $61,223 | $20,500 | +285% | Strong return |
| 15 | Fashion Institute of Technology New York, NY | Associate's | $62,261 | $19,500 | +281% | Strong return |
| 16 | University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA | Associate's | $58,815 | $20,625 | +251% | Strong return |
| 17 | Washington State University Pullman, WA | Associate's | $57,364 | $19,500 | +234% | Strong return |
| 18 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA | Associate's | $53,977 | $11,600 | +229% | Strong return |
| 19 | Auburn University Auburn, AL | Associate's | $62,650 | $20,500 | +215% | Strong return |
| 20 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX | Associate's | $59,549 | $21,749 | +205% | Strong return |
| 21 | University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI | Associate's | $59,388 | $23,594 | +180% | Strong return |
| 22 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC | Associate's | $53,467 | $25,237 | +172% | Strong return |
| 23 | Framingham State University Framingham, MA | Associate's | $55,499 | $26,000 | +152% | Strong return |
| 24 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus Stillwater, OK | Associate's | $53,384 | — | +140% | Strong return |
| 25 | North Dakota State University-Main Campus Fargo, ND | Associate's | $54,262 | $21,500 | +138% | Strong return |
Related majors
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.