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Shoe designer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a shoe designer. Shoe designers usually study graphic design, business, or psychology. 61% of shoe designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 283 real shoe designer resumes to see exactly what shoe designer education sections show.
The most common colleges for shoe designers are the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Fashion Institute of Technology.
There are also many online shoe designer courses to help get the education required to be a shoe designer.
What education do you need to become a shoe designer?
What degree do you need to be a shoe designer?
- Bachelor's, 61%
- Associate, 15%
- High School Diploma, 11%
- Master's, 7%
- Other Degrees, 6%
What should I major in to become a shoe designer?
- Graphic Design, 25%
- Business, 10%
- Psychology, 10%
- Fine Arts, 9%
- Other Majors, 46%
Most common colleges for shoe designers
| Shoe designer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Fashion Institute of Technology | 18.92% |
| Academy of Art University | 8.11% |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | 5.41% |
| Kutztown University of Pennsylvania | 5.41% |
| The New School | 5.41% |
Best majors for shoe designers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graphic Design | 25.5% |
| 2 | Business | 9.8% |
| 3 | Psychology | 9.8% |
| 4 | Fine Arts | 8.8% |
| 5 | Accounting | 5.9% |
Best colleges for shoe designers
The best colleges for shoe designers are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Duke University.
A shoe designer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for shoe designers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become shoe designers.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
5. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
6. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
7. University of Maryland - Baltimore County
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$11,778
Enrollment
11,156
8. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
9. University of California - Davis
Davis, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,402
Enrollment
30,698
10. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
20 best online courses for shoe designers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for shoe designers
The most affordable schools for shoe designers are California State University - Long Beach, university of florida, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for shoe designers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for shoe designers.
1. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
2. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
3. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
5. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
6. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
7. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
9. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
10. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for shoe designers
The hardest universities for shoe designers to get into are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Duke University.
Some great schools for shoe designers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for shoe designers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
3. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
4. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
6. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for shoe designers
The easiest schools for shoe designers to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, wayland baptist university, and mount saint mary's university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a shoe designer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for shoe designers.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
3. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
4. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
5. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
6. Bluefield College
Bluefield, VA • Private
Admissions rate
95%
SAT average
980
7. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
8. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
9. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
10. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
Average shoe designer salary by education level
| Shoe designer education level | Shoe designer salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $63,699 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $88,793 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $90,317 |
Shoe designer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025