BA (Hons) Textile Design

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BA (Hons) Textile Design

Institution code: N39
Course 3 Year UCAS code: W231
Course 4 Year UCAS code: W235
Course length: 3 or 4 year options
Work-based learning opportunities: Creative Professional Development Year (Level 5 diploma) available between years 2 & 3

Experiment and explore the broad context and future of textile design at NUA as you develop your professional skills and personal style through commercial and creative briefs.

Our BA (Hons) Textile Design degree course will encourage you to try a range of techniques, from traditional processes to 21^st century technology; including:

Screen-printing
Weaving
Knit, stitch and material explorations
Digital design and making with industry-standard equipment.

Career inspiration for textile designers

As your skills evolve, you will gain insight into the industry through lectures and workshops with guests like Deborah Bowness, Karen Nicol and Margo Selby.

The breadth of design experiences throughout the course means that NUA is a source of talent ready for a variety of industries and careers, including:

Fashion
Interiors
Theatre
Conservation
Education
Manufacturing

Your work will gain a wider audience through opportunities for exposure at national and international showcases, competitions and events.

Our graduates are award-winners in the UK and beyond, including the 2018 winner of the SDC International Design Competition, and winners at the i-dott and Bradford Textile Society Awards.

Graduates work in a broad range of careers including

Textile Designer
Designer Maker
Pattern Designer
Product Designer
Buyer
Stylist Materials Producer

Interior Designer
Researcher
Stationery Designer
Branding Executive
Conservator
Trend Forecaster
Weaver

You’ll also get specialist creative careers advice from our team in the Ideas FactoryNUA to help support you as you plan your career.

All courses run as a blend of on-campus and digital teaching and learning, and follow current UK government safety advice. Applicants and students will be notified directly if any changes need to be made.

Course specifications
Three year degree
Four year degree
Course costs

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Course content

Year 1
Learn a variety of key skills, which may include screenprinting, weaving, hand and machine knitting and stitching, digital imaging and printing
Examine the history and theory of textiles, and associated aspects of design and culture
Develop your drawing, visual research and design development skills
Engage with the contemporary textile industry through lectures and seminars from a range of visiting lecturers, visits to trade shows and field trips.

Year 2
Broaden your understanding of traditional techniques and explore advanced applications of digital and CAD tools for design and manufacture
Examine contemporary textile design topics including ethical and sustainability issues
Collaborate with other students on projects exploring a variety of textile related contexts
Continue your engagement with the textile industry through placements, national competitions, visiting professionals and field trips.

Year 3
Undertake self-negotiated projects offering opportunities to showcase your design and technical skills
Develop a Research Report around a topic of your choice and underpinned by individual studio practice
Consolidate your professional portfolio of work and create promotional material targeted towards future employment and career opportunities.

Student work

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Entry requirements
Portfolio guidance
Fees & funding
Work-based Learning Opportunities
Four year degree

Typical UK offers

A / AS Levels – GCE
GCE A/AS Levels 3 A-level qualifications at grades BBB. Where candidates are not taking 3 A-levels, NUA will consider combinations of A-level/AS-level and other Level 3 qualifications.

BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF or RQF)
Distinction, Merit, Merit in an art, design or media related subject

UAL Extended Diploma
Merit

UAL Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design
Merit

UAL Level 4 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design
Pass

Foundation Diploma in Art and Design
Merit

Access to Higher Education Diploma (Art and Design)
Pass

International Baccalaureate Diploma
A minimum of 27 points

NUA welcomes applicants of all ages from all backgrounds. Your application will be primarily assessed through your portfolio, responses to questions asked and personal statement, so even if you have no formal qualifications or do not meet our typical offers it can still be worth applying.

If you are studying at the time of your application and your application is successful it is likely that you will receive a conditional offer.

If the qualification that you are studying is not shown, do not worry as we are able to accept other pre-entry qualifications as well as combinations of different qualifications. Please do contact our Student Recruitment Team if you have any queries.

International applications

We accept qualifications from all over the world. To find our entry requirements from a specific country, please check our dedicated international pages.

Most international students are required to hold an English language qualification. Applicants are required to have a minimum UKVI approved IELTS exam score of 6.0 overall, with a minimum of 5.5 in each section. Equivalent English language qualifications are acceptable such as, IB English language syllabus A or B/English Literature (Grade 4).

We also accept some alternative English qualifications. Learn more about our English entry requirements.

You can email us on international@nua.ac.uk if you’d like to discuss your application individually.

BA (Hons) Textile Design degree portfolio guidance

Your portfolio should be relevant to this course, but you can include a wide range of work that shows your creativity, technical competence and understanding of innovative design.

You may wish to include some of the following:

Projects that demonstrate working through a design process (outcomes may be for; textile designs, wallpaper, fashion garments or accessories, costume designs, installations, set interior designs, product or graphic design, jewellery or shoe design)
Examples of experimental uses of materials (stitch and print, knit and crochet, colour and surface manipulation, shape, collage, repeat pattern and mixed media)
Drawings, paintings and/or illustrations (design concepts, technical skill, observation, imagination)
Mood boards (concept/ design boards)
Photography both as visual research and documentation of outcomes
Work created using Adobe Creative Suite or other appropriate design software package

Further portfolio advice and tips

Get more advice on presentation formats, layouts and when to submit your portfolio in the application process.

2022/23 University fees for new entrants

NUA will assess students’ tuition fee status using the guidance provided by the UK Council for International Student Affairs

Students from the UK or Ireland and EU students with ‘Settled’ or ‘Pre-Settled’ status will be charged ‘Home’ fees if they meet the relevant residency requirements. They will usually be eligible for a tuition fee loan from the UK government, meaning that they won’t have to pay NUA’s tuition fees up front.

Students who do not meet the necessary residency requirements will usually be charged ‘Overseas’ fees and will not be eligible for the UK government tuition fee loan. Since 2021/22, this includes new entrants from the EU, EEA, and Switzerland who do not have ‘Settled’ or ‘Pre-Settled’ status, because the UK has now formally left the EU.

Fee status	Course	Fee
Home	Undergraduate degree (full-time three and four year degree)	£9,250
Overseas	Undergraduate degree (full-time three and four year degree)	£17,500

In subsequent years inflation may be applied to the fees of those who started in 2022/23, at no more than the Office for Students’ recommended measure based on forecast RPI-X.

Financial support for UK students in 2022

Tuition fee loans and loans for living costs are usually available to UK and some EU students, as well as non-repayable NUA bursaries based on family income. Find out more about applying for funding.

Creative Professional Development (1 year, Level 5 Diploma)

The Diploma in Creative Professional Development has been developed to offer undergraduate students the chance to spend a year, between the second and third year of their course, exploring their employability options through a structured programme of input sessions and work-based learning.

Not just an ‘industry sandwich year’ —

The Level 5 Diploma in Creative Professional Development is:

Designed around your needs as a creative student, particularly if your personal network does not currently reach creative industry.
Based on our award-winning Profile skills framework.
Co-delivered with industry partners who share our approach.
Supporting you with carefully planned interventions and activities before and after their placements, so that you are ready to undertake placement learning and then equipped to derive the maximum insight from the experience afterwards.
Opening a wide range of creative roles that you may not imagine you would be able to apply for after your study at NUA.

It has been designed for:

Students who want to work in creative industry but have not yet decided the sort of role they would like.
Students who do have a clear sense of career direction but need to develop a structured plan to achieve it.
Students who do not have relevant work experience, and want to graduate with a fuller CV.
Students who think that business start-up or freelancing may be their preferred option and want to explore it further.

Four year degree – BA (Hons) Textile Design

Four year degrees offer students a chance to build on their experience within their undergraduate course of choice.

Year 0 will help to build confidence and develop subject specific practical, creative and conceptual skills – making full use of University studios and workshops.

Typical UK offers and entry requirements for Year 0 entry

GCE A/AS Levels
2 A-level qualifications at grades CC or higher.

BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF or RQF)
Merit, Merit, Pass in an art, design or media related subject

BTEC Diploma (QCF or RQF)
Distinction, Merit in an art, design or media related subject

UAL Extended Diploma
An overall Pass

UAL Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design
An overall Pass

Foundation Diploma in Art and Design
Pass

Access to Higher Education Diploma (Art and Design)
Pass

International Baccalaureate Diploma
A minimum of 24 points

If you are studying at the time of your application and your application is successful it is likely that you will receive a conditional offer.

Find out more

Related Courses

Students

Portrait of a young person with short blonde hair and glasses looking into camera

Theo Lusty

"Textiles are a constant presence in our lives; cocooning, clothing, and comforting us from birth until death."

BA (Hons) Textile Design

Read Theo's blog about how textiles promote our primal wellbeing

Photograph of a young woman with long hair, standing in the Textile Design workshop in front of multicoloured yarn and thread

Emily Shires

"The advantage of Textile Design is that it can take you down so many different avenues that you never even knew previously existed."

BA (Hons) Textile Design

Stuck between Textile Design and Fashion? Read Emily's blog on how she chose between them.

Sarah Venn

"My work placement gave me a great appreciation of the creative control I have at university. While I believe it’s good to focus on your end result at university, you should appreciate that your time at university will be a unique and valuable time to play, and discover who you are as a designer or artist too."

BA (Hons) Textile Design

Sarah's work placement at Rob Ryan Studio

Brandon Tan

"Clocking-up hours in the workshops is absolutely essential. From the beginning of the first year, having hands-on workshop experience has been the best way for me to develop new skills but also make mistakes, learn from them and have fun."

BA (Hons) Textile Design

Ches Young

"Our workshops give you more confidence, insights and understanding of materials, colour theory and market audience – it’s prepared me for what to expect in industry."

BA (Hons) Textile Design

Michael Bartley

"Having supportive tutors on the course has enabled me to push my practice further and I’ve become much more confident with my drawing and Photoshop skills."

BA (Hons) Textile Design

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