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Fashion Textiles (Professional Placement Year) at Bath Spa University - UCAS

Bath Spa University

Degree level: Undergraduate

Fashion Textiles (Professional Placement Year)

Course options

Course summary

A fast-paced, exciting and ambitious course for determined and inventive individuals who want a career in fashion textiles.

  • Develop your skills in bespoke fashion design studios and benefit from access to one of the world’s leading fashion collections at the Fashion Museum Bath
  • A reputation for producing highly individual, award-winning designers and practitioners.
  • #5 in the UK and #1 in the South West for Graduate Prospects in Fashion and Textiles (Guardian University Guide 2025).
Fashion at Bath Spa University offers a comprehensive design education for students looking for careers in the fashion industry – the largest of the UK creative industries. The BA (Hons) Fashion Textiles degree enables you to develop a deeper understanding of how textiles shape fashion design. Our fashion textiles course is based at Locksbrook Campus where you’ll learn and develop in bespoke fashion design studios, preparing you for a career in this exciting industry. You’ll focus on how the ethical, environmental and social contexts of fashion guides the creative process. Fabric and textiles are essential elements of fashion design – influencing and often determining sustainability, structure and form, function and comfort, aesthetics, innovation and creativity. There’s an emphasis on ideas, creativity, traditional skills, and developing students’ own personal ethical and responsible design ethos, underpinned by strong 2D, 3D, digital and product development skills. You’ll also benefit from BSU’s position as member of the British Fashion Council Colleges Council, The Graduate Fashion Foundation, UKFT and Association of Fashion and Textile courses. More about the Professional Placement Year A Professional Placement Year (PPY), traditionally known as a sandwich year, is where you undertake a period of work with an external organisation for between 9-13 months. The placement occurs between your second and final years of undergraduate study. You can engage in multiple placements to make up the total time and are required to source the placement(s) yourself, with support from the Careers team.

Modules

Year one Year one covers the core fundamentals of fashion design disciplines including 2D and 3D practice; design, drawing, fashion illustration, CAD, construction, pattern cutting, ideas research and trend research as well as fabric sourcing and development; the relationship between fabric and design. You’ll develop two-dimensional presentation skills investigating ideas through drawing within a sketchbook to inform your three- dimensional work. Textiles for fashion design is introduced at this level for all students. Year two In your second year you’ll be encouraged to develop a more personal design style and to develop ideas through research, design development, and design translation using drape and modelling on the stand. You’ll develop your drawing and fashion illustration skills and learn to communicate your ideas and design process within a fashion portfolio. You’ll also undertake an external brief. In addition, you’ll continue to develop your knowledge and skills in textiles fabrication for fashion design. Year three Professional Placement Year. Year four In your fourth and final year you’ll develop a more strategic perspective and negotiate a body of work that reflects your personal practice as a fashion textiles designer, drawing together your academic experiences and personal interests to develop a highly professional contemporary fashion textiles collection. You’ll also have the opportunity to enter national design competitions, develop a strong fashion portfolio and self-promotional materials. You’ll also gain a greater understanding of the various roles within the fashion industry to help you develop your professional practice and employment strategy. You’ll have opportunities to showcase your work in Bath and at the Bath Spa University Undergraduate Degree Show. In addition, you’ll have the fantastic opportunity to have a presence at Graduate Fashion Week in London – an annual student showcase event attended by industry and press from across the UK and overseas.

Assessment method

The main approach to assessment used in Fashion Textiles is through submission of a portfolio of work. Fashion students learn through design projects, following the stages of the design process usually comprising research, development of ideas, analysis, reflection and outcome. This reflects professional fashion textile design practice. You’ll communicate your design ideas through your portfolio of work. There’ll be specific projects and design briefs that will require you to communicate your work to external audiences, such as clients or designers, but also to your lecturers and peers through informal reviews and presentations. There are no written exams.


How to apply

This course is not accepting applications at this time. Please contact the provider to find out more.

Application codes

Course code:
W242
Institution code:
B20
Campus name:
Main Site
Campus code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1
  • Year 2
  • Year 4

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

Additional entry requirements

Portfolio

In the portfolio we’re expecting to see evidence of a range of creative experience, specifically for Fashion, showing a good grasp of drawing, shape, colour, fabric and the ability to think around a subject brief and investigate less predictable avenues of research. We’re looking for individuality and evidence from the portfolio that you have critically engaged with your project briefs. Your ability to reflect extended research of ideas through your accompanying sketchbooks or visual diaries will form part of the evaluation. Garments you have made can also form part of this evaluation.


English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)6IELTS 6.0 - for visa nationals, with a minimum score of IELTS 5.5 in each element.

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students

There is no data available for this course. For further information visit the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

England £9535 Year 1
Northern Ireland £9535 Year 1
Scotland £9535 Year 1
Wales £9535 Year 1
Channel Islands £9535 Year 1
Republic of Ireland £9535 Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

No additional fees or cost information has been supplied for this course, please contact the provider directly.
Fashion Textiles (Professional Placement Year) at Bath Spa University - UCAS