Around 0.1% of California's graduates graduate from fashion merchandising degree programs every year. Thus, California's 8 fashion merchandising schools put out approximately 1,088 fashion merchandisers each year.

Top Schools

Point Loma Nazarene University, which was ranked 67th nationwide in 2010, is the top-ranked school in California that has a fashion merchandising program. It is located in San Diego. In 2010, Point Loma Nazarene University graduated 4 students from its fashion merchandising program. Tuition at Point Loma Nazarene University was $27,100 per year.

The second-ranked school in California that has a fashion merchandising program is FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising-Los Angeles. FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising-Los Angeles, which was ranked 71st in the country in 2010, is located in Los Angeles. In 2010, FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising-Los Angeles graduated 797 students from its fashion merchandising program. Tuition at FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising-Los Angeles was $25,536 per year.

The Art Institute of California-Hollywood, which is located in North Hollywood, is the third-ranked school in California that has a fashion merchandising program. It received a ranking of 72nd in the country in 2010. 37 students graduated with degree in fashion merchandising from The Art Institute of California-Hollywood in 2010. Students at The Art Institute of California-Hollywood paid $18,798 per year in tuition fees.

Cost

If you are hoping to attend one of California's fashion merchandising schools, you can expect to pay an average tuition of $22,013 per year, though tuition can range from $27,100 per year to $14,447 per year. The highest tuition rates in 2010 at California fashion merchandising schools were charged at the following schools:

1. Point Loma Nazarene University - located in San Diego, students are charged $27,100 per year
2. FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising-San Francisco - located in San Francisco, students are charged $25,536 per year
3. FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising-Los Angeles - located in Los Angeles, students are charged $25,536 per year

The following California fashion merchandising schools had the lowest tuition rates:

1. Westwood College-Los Angeles - located in Los Angeles, students are charged $14,447 per year
2. The Art Institute of California - located in Sunnyvale, students are charged $18,748 per year
3. The Art Institute of California-Hollywood - located in North Hollywood, students are charged $18,798 per year

A fashion merchandising degree from a California school... what next?

The highest percentage of fashion merchandising graduates in California pursue careers as a fashion merchandiser. California had 7,890 fashion merchandisers in 2010. The following counties have the largest number of California fashion merchandisers:

1. Los Angeles County - 2,270 fashion merchandisers
2. San Benito County - 1,090 fashion merchandisers
3. Orange County - 970 fashion merchandisers

Projected Growth

According the US Bureau of Labor Statistics the number of fashion merchandisers is expected to grow by 1% by 2018. There are projected to be 8,900 fashion merchandisers working in the California then.

Salary

A fashion merchandiser in California earns $108,300 per year on average. In 2010, however, some California fashion merchandisers earned as little as less than $48,330 per year or as much as more than $164,250 per year. The counties in California with the highest average salary for a fashion merchandiser are:

1. San Benito County - $123,540 per year
2. Marin County - $120,610 per year
3. El Dorado County - $111,020 per year

The following counties in California have the lowest average salaries for fashion merchandisers:

1. Santa Cruz County - $70,850 per year
2. San Luis Obispo County - $71,820 per year
3. San Joaquin County - $85,500 per year

More Information

For more data regarding a career in fashion merchandising in California and to compare salaries with various related fields such as fashion or fashion design, take a look at the graphs and charts below.