Develop stronger, smarter, life-changing materials, fiber by fiber.

Explore the physical and chemical properties of organic and synthetic fibers people interact with every day, as well as innovative, industry-changing fibers that are just emerging.

As the Fiber Science major’s interdisciplinary courses cross from social sciences to hard sciences, you will examine how fibers have made a positive impact on society — from seatbelts to wearable technology. Coursework and discussions delve into the latest advancements in fiber science, including nanofibers, smart textiles, conductive fibers and sustainable materials.

With opportunities to work collaboratively with other disciplines, such as fashion design and biomedical or materials engineering, you will uncover new ways to use fibers to improve lives.

How to apply

Visit Admissions for application information.

Human Centered Design

This program is offered through the Department of Human Centered Design.

two college students testing fabric strength

Degree requirements

Fiber Science students will explore the physical, chemical and engineering properties of fibrous materials and their applications, including biomedical materials, advanced engineering composites, geotextiles and protective clothing, as well as the more traditional applications found in apparel and interiors. In addition to foundation courses in basic sciences, the requirements include courses in fiber science and related fields. There is considerable flexibility in this curriculum that will permit the student to develop their program around their special interests, in collaboration with their advisor.

Suggested schedule

To help plan your courses, view a suggested schedule.

Curriculum sheets

Curriculum sheets give an overview of all course requirements and help chart your path to completing your degree. View the sheet for the year you entered the program.

See all CHE curriculum sheets
purple-gloved hands use tweezers to pull back a layer of off-white papery material
HEB terrace with light purple wash

Career paths

Fiber Science graduates have entered careers in the fiber, textile and chemical industries, as well as with government agencies developing and evaluating new products, conducting research, providing technical services, helping to ensure product safety, and coordinating consumer information programs. Some alumni work with materials development for athletic product manufacturers or materials safety for baby products, while others explore sustainability innovations.

Graduate/professional school

Many students pursue graduate studies in fibers, textiles, polymers, materials science or other science and engineering fields at schools such as North Carolina State University, Drexel University, Georgia Tech, Clemson, M.I.T. or Harvard. Others pursue medical or other professional degrees.

Sample career paths

  • Director CRM and Analytics, Kiehls
  • Director of Product Design & Development, Kent Wool
  • Director, Textiles Lab, Good Housekeeping Institute
  • Fabric Research & Development Manager, Athleta; Fabletics
  • Laboratory Technician/Protective Clothing, Intertek Laboratories
  • Manager, Environmental Sustainability & Product Stewardship, PVH Corporation
  • Materials Development Manager, Bolt Threads
  • Materials Performance Engineer, Patagonia
  • Senior Innovation Designer, Nike
  • Textile Technology Patent Examiner, United States Patent and Trademark Office

Courses you could take

blue african print clothing on mannequins
Fibers, Fabrics, and Finishes (FSAD 1350)

Introduces the properties and performance of textile materials and processes, and provides a general overview of the textile industry from a scientific perspective. 

close up of glass test tubes
Fiber Chemistry (FSAD 4360)

Covers the chemical structure, and physical and thermal properties of commercially important synthetic and natural fibers.

close up of red fibers
Nanotechnology in Fibers and Fabrics (FSAD 4460)

Introduces nanomaterials, nano-finishes, and nanocoating processes used for functional fibers and textiles.

Research 

Students can participate in research with a faculty mentor and through special projects with student teams. An honors program option is also available.

Additional research experiences include summer research positions or National Science Foundation funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs.

college student in a lab coat adds material to a scale
college student in a lab coat adds material to a scale

Modifying existing fibrous materials through application of nanomaterials

microscopic view of microfibers
microscopic view of microfibers

Electrospinning of nanofibers for environmental cleanup and applications

machinery performing a fabric strength test
machinery performing a fabric strength test

Evaluation of strength of fabric samples joined by an adhesive bonding technology after laundering

Learn more about faculty research

Experiential learning

Internships add a significant experiential component to the course of study, providing valuable practical knowledge while testing students’ academic and career interests.

Students engage in summer internships in technical apparel and textiles, material and polymer development, and fabric sourcing for fashion firms, as well as in development and testing labs.

Students may select from many study abroad options, including College of Human Ecology exchange programs through Hong Kong Polytechnic University or Bocconi University. Popular destinations include Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong.

Department-led trips to India, Sri Lanka and China explore production processes and the global supply chain.

Undergraduate internships are available for Fiber Science undergraduate students.

Many summer internships require that you be eligible for academic credit for the experience. You may be awarded 1 S/U credit of FSAD 4020: Supervised Fieldwork in the subsequent fall semester if all the following requirements are met:

  • You have completed the first year and a minimum of 30 credits (Cornell, transfer and/or AP) prior to your internship.
  • Your HCD faculty advisor agrees to be your sponsor. If your internship employer requires proof that you will be receiving credit for the internship, your faculty advisor should write this letter for you.
  • You obtain an unpaid or paid summer internship of at least 10 hours a week for a minimum of 8 weeks. (More than one internship placement, completed in the same summer, may be combined to meet the minimum work hour and week requirement.) You will need to provide your faculty advisor with written proof from your internship supervisor of completion of the internship(s).
  • During the summer internship, keep a daily diary of your work experience. Also obtain a few informal color photographs of you working at various internship activities that you can describe in terms of what, where, when and with whom.
  • The following fall semester, register for FSAD 4020 for 1 S/U credit on a Special Studies form. You will need your advisor’s signature on this form.
  • You will participate in an open panel at which you and other summer internship students describe experiences to other students. The undergraduate internship seminar will be arranged by the director of undergraduate studies during October or November.
  • Before the last day of fall term classes, you will submit your letter proving your employment, your diary, 3-4 photos (.jpg) with descriptions, and a 6-page paper to your faculty advisor, reflecting on the internship and its relationship to your field of study and career goals, so that your advisor can submit the appropriate S or U grade.
  • Students may repeat the 1 S/U credit FSAD 4020 study for three separate fall semesters, for a total of 3 credits.  No more than 1 S/U credit will be given for each internship-related FSAD 4020 independent study.

Faculty you will work with

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
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
portrait of a woman in a light blue shirt sitting in a red chair
Fran Kozen
Senior Lecturer, Director of Undergraduate Studies for FSAD Majors
Focus areas Natural dyes, Environment/sustainability in fashion + textiles industries, Textile durability, testing and laundering
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

Honors Program

The Fiber Science and Apparel Design (FSAD) Honors Program is designed to allow a small number of talented undergraduates the opportunity to pursue independent creative scholarship/research under the supervision of a member of the FSAD faculty. The Honors Program is a rigorous and rewarding endeavor. Though the application process begins in your junior year, in order to be successful, it is important that you begin to plan for honors research carefully, even as a first-year student and sophomore.

In order to graduate with honors, students must be in residence for eight semesters (students can still study abroad, because these programs require registration as a Cornell student). Transfer students are eligible for the Honors Program as long as they remain in residence for all semesters after they transfer. 

Students must achieve and maintain a GPA of at least 3.4 to be eligible for the Honors Program, and the 3.4 GPA must be maintained even after being admitted into the Honors Program. Students whose GPA drops below 3.4 will be dropped from the Honors Program (though these students can register for special studies in order to complete their research).

Students should apply to the Honors Program during the first semester of their junior year (the beginning of the second semester of junior year is the latest possible period for application and registration). 

Students should contact the fsad-dus [at] cornell.edu (undergraduate program coordinator) to request the Honors Program application. To complete the form, students must identify and obtain the signature of an HCD faculty member who consents to serve as their academic mentor for the duration of the Honors Program. The academic mentor must approve the student's proposed topic for creative scholarship/thesis. 

The student will be notified within two weeks of submitting the Honors Program application whether they have been accepted into the program.

The major component of the Honors Program is the documentation of the creative scholarship/research (thesis). Each student is required to conduct original scholarship on a topic chosen by the student. Credit is given, so this work is part of the student's course load each semester. During the junior year, the student usually does preliminary scholarship/research under FSAD 4010, supervised by the faculty mentor. FSAD 4990 Honors Seminar is the official course for Honors Program creative scholarship/research. Students may register for up to 6 credits in FSAD 4990 over their last three semesters and must take FSAD 4990 for at least the two semesters of their senior year.

The scholarship must be documented in a formal manner appropriate for the specific research or creative work that may also include studio work or exhibition. The final written document/thesis must be submitted by April 1 of the senior year. The scholarly document/thesis will be evaluated during an oral scholarly defense by the student's Honors committee, which must meet no later than April 15. This committee consists of the Honors Program director, the academic mentor and an additional faculty representative who is assigned by the Honors Program director. The academic mentor and faculty representative may request revisions, which must be incorporated into the final version of the written documentation/thesis.

Students must complete all of the following requirements to successfully complete the Honors Program. For the most part, these requirements are designed to aid in the research process.

  1. Identify and obtain the consent of an HCD faculty member to act as faculty academic mentor. This should be done when applying for the Honors Program.
  2. Register for FSAD 4010 in the junior year and conduct preliminary research under the guidance of the academic mentor.
  3. Register for FSAD 4990 for both semesters of senior year.
  4. Meet with the academic mentor at the beginning of the fall semester senior year to set out written expectations regarding progress on the scholarship/thesis during the fall semester.
  5. Attend four professional departmental seminars during the senior year (decided with the academic mentor).
  6. Submit a complete draft of the documentation of scholarship/thesis to each member of your honors committee (Honors Program director and additional faculty assigned by the director), after receiving approval from the academic mentor, by April 1.
  7. Schedule oral defense of the scholarship/thesis for no later than April 15.
  8. Complete and present a poster of scholarship at a College of Human Ecology poster session organized to recognize undergraduate independent scholarship between April 15 and the last day of classes in the spring semester.
  9. Submit a copy of the honors scholarship/thesis to the fsad-dus [at] cornell.edu (undergraduate program coordinator).

Honors degree

Students who successfully complete the program will graduate in Honors in FSAD, a designation that is recorded on the student’s diploma and the official Cornell University academic record.

If you have additional questions please contact the fsad-dus [at] cornell.edu (undergraduate program coordinator).

We are trailblazers

Students examining nanofibers in lab
Ethan Drake sitting in a circular chair
Ashley Liaw sitting on chair constructed out of Nike shoe boxes