Studio Practice (Fashion Design) (top-up) at UCA
Our new Studio Practice top-up course in Fashion Design at UCA Epsom will give you a fantastic fast-paced introduction to university education, and prepare you for a postgraduate fashion course.
Ideal for international students and also suitable to UK students looking to build upon existing qualifications, this course is aligned with the final year of BA (Hons) Fashion Design, so you can progress to a Master's in a streamlined way, and provides the perfect opportunity for you to realise your 2D design sketches into 3D creations that show you at your best.
You'll get right into the action from the start, undertaking research and practical projects, working on collaborative activities, building your portfolio skills, knowledge and confidence.
Please note: applications are now closed for 2024 entry. If you are interested in applying for 2025 entry you can register your interest today.
What you'll
study
The content of the course may be subject to change. Curriculum content is provided as a guide.
As you join the course, you'll work alongside final year students, meaning you'll jump straight into the action with practical and research-based projects. You'll complete these units:
Project Pitch
Your final year begins with a project pitch week. This is your opportunity to share ideas that you will have developed over the summer about your degree project, receive feedback and finetune it before you start actively working on it as part of your last year at university.
Portfolio & Career
The Portfolio & Career unit consolidates all the design communication, presentation and professional skills learned throughout the course. The vehicle for you to showcase your design expertise and career aspirations is the final Portfolio. You will be encouraged to develop an individual approach to the development of your portfolio both to demonstrate your strengths and to allow you to focus it toward your career direction.
Pre-Collection
You’ll concentrate on market analysis, concept research and development and the design and toiling process in preparation for your final collection in this unit. As well as market and concept research, you’ll need to undertake an in-depth exploration and experimentation with silhouette, textiles, cutting, colour, design, detail, and finish are required to achieve innovative design solutions.
Graduate Career Fair
The Graduate Career Fair takes place during the first week of your second term to help your job search as you prepare for life after graduation. Companies that are actively hiring in your sector will be present to give you information about them, the kind of candidates they are looking for and their hiring process.
Collection & Portfolio
The Collection & Portfolio unit focuses on producing an innovative, resolved and accomplished design collection and an accompanying professional portfolio. For the Collection, you are required to review, evaluate, and apply the research, design and development work conducted in the Pre-Collection unit to achieve a resolved design package. For the Portfolio, you are required to review the design projects and the approach taken in term 1 to create a focused and innovative final portfolio presentation that encapsulates your individual design aesthetic
Course specifications
Please note, syllabus content indicated is provided as a guide. The content of the course may be subject to change in line with our Student Terms and Conditions for example, as required by external professional bodies or to improve the quality of the course.
Explore our gradshows
Each year, we’re privileged to be able to share our graduates’ incredible work with the world. And now’s your chance to take a look.
Visit the online showcaseFees & financial support
Tuition fees - 2024/25 entry
- BA (top-up) course: £9,250
Tuition fees - 2024/25 entry
- BA (top-up) course: £9,250 (see fee discount information)
Tuition fees - 2024/25 entry
- BA (top-up) course: £16,950
Please note: The fees listed on this webpage are correct for the stated academic year only, for details of previous years please see the full fee schedules.
UCA scholarships and fee discounts
At UCA we have a number of scholarships and fee discounts available to assist you with the cost of your studies.
Financial support
There are lots of ways you can access additional financial support to help you fund your studies - both from UCA and from external sources. Discover what support you might qualify for please see our financial support information.
Additional course costs
In addition to the tuition fees there may be other costs for your course. The things that you are likely to need to budget for to get the most out of a creative arts education will include books, printing costs, occasional or optional study trips and/or project materials.
These costs will vary according to the nature of your project work and the individual choices that you make. Please see the Additional Course Costs section of your Course Information for details of the costs you may incur.
Facilities
This course has extensive fashion studios with sewing facilities where you will be supported by our dedicated technical staff. There are also campus screen printing facilities and photographic studios with professional quality lighting rigs.
View 360 virtual tourFashion sewing workshop, UCA Epsom
Fashion store, UCA Epsom
Photography studios, UCA Epsom
Fashion studios, UCA Epsom
What’s it like being a student at UCA?
That’s a big question. Get some answers from people who are studying right here, right now.
Entry & portfolio
requirements
BA (Hons) course (top-up)
The standard entry requirements* for this course are:
- 240 credits from a relevant degree (120 credits at level 4 and 120 credits at level 5), with a minimum of 55% overall
- Foundation Degree in a relevant subject
- Higher National Diploma in a relevant subject
And/or Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL)
In recognition that you may already have a relevant professional qualification, or appropriate working experience in the relevant industries, APEL may be accepted for entry on to the course. This will be based on the partnership articulations and will be assessed on a case by case basis.
Other relevant and equivalent UK and international qualifications are considered on an individual basis, and we encourage students from diverse educational backgrounds to apply.
Portfolio requirements
For this courses, we’ll need to see your portfolio for review. We’ll invite you to attend an Applicant Day so you can have your portfolio review in person, meet the course team and learn more about your course. Further information will be provided once you have applied. View more portfolio advice
*We occasionally make offers which are lower than the standard entry criteria, to students who have faced difficulties that have affected their performance and who were expected to achieve higher results. We consider the strength of our applicants’ portfolios, as well as their grades - in these cases, a strong portfolio is especially important.
BA (Hons) course (top-up)
The entry requirements for these courses will depend on the country your qualifications are from, please check the equivalent qualifications for your country:
Any additional entry requirements listed in the UK requirements section, e.g., subject requirements, work experience or professional qualifications, also apply to international applicants applying with equivalent qualifications.
Portfolio requirements
You will be required to submit a portfolio for review. Further information on specific portfolio requirements and how to submit your portfolio will be sent to you after we have reviewed your application. View more portfolio advice
English language requirements
To study at UCA, you'll need to have a certain level of English language skill. And so, to make sure you meet the requirements of your course, we ask for evidence of your English language ability, please check the level of English language required: