Best Colleges of Textiles in the US

The textile industry is one of the largest industries nationwide according to Princeton Review. With this in mind, many students enter a college of textiles to become skilled in applying research, production, and design to fiber and fiber-based products. The first career option that many people associate with a textile degree is that of apparel manufacturing that includes job titles such as Industrial Knitting Process Engineer. While this is major area of interest, it is important to note other significant sectors that a degree in Textile Engineering/Materials Science prepares you for including biomedical (knitting surgical products), forensic engineering (analyzing fibers), and construction (creating building materials with fiber). Some of the best colleges of textiles that offer undergraduate and graduate degree programs to prepare for this wide range of careers are reviewed.

Clemson University, Clemson, SC

Polymer and Fiber Chemistry (BS); Materials Science and Engineering (MS, Phd)

Clemson University located in my state of South Carolina is one of the best accredited schools of textiles that offers the degrees of Bachelor's in Polymer and Fiber Chemistry and Master's and PhD in Materials Science and Engineering. The Bachelor's degree program offers small classes that include research, applied labs, and field work at polymer, fiber, and textile material industries. This program focuses on the properties, structure, and production of fiber; the conversion processes from fiber to textile products, and the coloring and finishing of fiber products.

Clemson's Master's and PhD programs require a prerequisite Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, or Biology with high exposure to mathematics. These programs provide skills in polymer and fiber science, polymer and textile chemistry/science, and fiber and composite materials. Some of the sample courses include Dyeing and Finishing, Polymer Science, Fiber Physics, and Fiber Formation. The graduate program prepares students for industrial, biomedical, construction, and various other fields.

North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

College of Textiles, Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science (BS & MS)

Accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, North Carolina State University is known as a "leading textile college in the world" offering the four Bachelor's degrees of Fashion & Textile Management, Textile Technology, Polymer & Color Chemistry, and Textile Engineering. Of most significance, 100% of the graduates have received either full time employment or graduate school placement within the past three years. In particular, the undergraduate Textile Engineering program, offering small classes, incorporates research, summer internship experience, and design projects. The classes focus on textile, fiber, and apparel processes, products, and machinery in relation to science and engineering. Sample courses include Polymer Science & Engineering, Textile Engineering Science, Tech of Dyeing & Finish, Thermodynamics for TE, and Process System Analysis and Control. Further, the Masters of Science in Textile Engineering requires a prerequisite undergraduate degree in Physical Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or Technology. Its concentration includes polymer science, dyeing & finishing, color science, dye elements, and fiber formation.

Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA

School of Materials Science and Engineering (BS & MS)

Georgia Tech's Material Science and Engineering program is also one of the leading programs in the world as U.S. News & World Report ranks its undergraduate program as #9 and its graduate program as #8. In the Bachelor's degree program, the first two years provides a background in mathematics, science, and basic engineering, while the second two years focus on the relationship among structure, processing, and properties of metals, ceramics, and polymers. Georgia Tech also offers a five year BS/MS degree program with or without honors and without a thesis that is open to sophomore students who have earned a 3.5 or higher GPA after 30 semester credit hours. Students in this program may choose a minimum of three of five core courses: Thermodynamics; Crystallography, Structure & Defects; Kinetics of Diffusional or Non-Diffusional Phase Transformations; and a selection of sub-category courses under the general categories of Characterization and Computations. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is must be maintained throughout this program.

Having reviewed these colleges of textiles that are rated as the world's leading textile colleges you are on the right track toward preparing for an amazing career in the textile industry. These degree programs are especially noteworthy to those entering undergraduate degree programs with foundations in science, math, and technology as well as those entering graduate degree programs with prerequisite undergraduate degrees in engineering, chemistry, physics, or technology.

Sources

"Clemson University - Graduate School - Degree Programs - MSE." Clemson University .

"Textile Engineering." Princeton Review.

"Textile Engineering, Chemistry & Science." North Carolina State University .

"Welcome/School of Materials Science and Engineering." Georgia Tech.