Textiles at UCA

Learn how to design sustainably and make mindfully on our specialist BA (Hons) Textiles degree course at UCA Epsom.  

Our course is one of the few in the country to teach a combination of specialist textile subjects such as natural eco dyes and printing, sustainable material making, and 3D constructed techniques.

With a strong focus on sustainability, and with consumer interest in this area growing rapidly, you’ll graduate with the in-demand skills employers are seeking.

This course will inspire you to build on your drive to design and make sustainable textiles for art, architecture, fashion, interiors, lifestyle, and luxury. We look forward to working with you to develop your passion for designing, making, and experimenting with textiles and materials.

 

Course entry options

Select from the options below to find out more about the different study options available for this course:

What you'll study

What you'll
study

The content of the course may be subject to change. Curriculum content is provided as a guide.

UCA’s Integrated Foundation Year is designed to give you the skills you’ll need to start your degree in the best possible way – with confidence, solid knowledge of creative practice, study skills and more.

You’ll explore a range of creative techniques and develop your portfolio, with your chosen subject in mind. We’ll work with you throughout the year to ensure you’re on the right track and give you the tools to achieve your highest potential on your degree.

Find out more about the Integrated Foundation Year

For our students coming from a non-UK educational background, UCA has an Integrated International Foundation Year to bring students from around the world to one hub of creativity. 

This year of preparatory study is designed to give you the skills you’ll need to start your degree in the best possible way – with confidence, solid knowledge of creative practice, study skills and the English speaking and writing skills you’ll need to succeed.

You’ll explore a range of creative techniques and develop your portfolio, with your chosen subject in mind. We’ll work with you throughout the year to ensure you’re on the right track and give you the tools to achieve your highest potential on your degree.

Find out more about the Integrated International Foundation Year

Guest Speakers’ Series
You’ll join students across the School of Fashion & Textiles for our Industry Guest Speakers’ Series – you’ll hear from people with diverse backgrounds, skills and career paths representing the diversity of our student community, to inspire you to kick-start your thinking about your own career journey.

Textiles - Sustainable Fundamentals, Colour and Materials
You’ll be introduced to the core principles in sustainability and circularity, undertaking research and learning relevant historic and contemporary global contexts Colour will be a focus from a scientific starting point to trends and forecasting, students will learn about colour through practise through a full range of coloration techniques.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion - Creative Identities
You’ll develop your awareness and understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion, and promote progressive values and attitudes in creative practice. You’ll learn how our social identities (such as, gender, race/ethnicity, class, disability, sexual orientation, and religion) contribute to the inclusion and/or exclusion of individuals in creative spaces.

Textiles Discovery 1
You’ll be introduced to the act of making as a key skill and means of experimental research through the exploration of the three areas of textiles in material making - dye, print & surface and constructed textiles

Hackathon
In your first Opportunity Week, you’ll work with others on a high-intensity project. You’ll use a new piece of software or equipment to familiarise yourself with the technology that is becoming ubiquitous in the industry. For instance, you may be asked to design a website, an Instagram filter, an avatar, a virtual garment or digital prints.

Textiles Discovery 2
You’ll discover new skills that support development in design, aesthetics and technical confidence, and accomplish more individual responses through complex making processes and techniques in the three main textile pathways. You’ll cultivate an experimental understanding through making, and discover new practices and processes as you begin to realise their textile identity.

Industry connections
As you approach the end of your first academic year, you will learn how to curate a digital and physical portfolio, building on the presentation skills you’ve developed. The portfolio will allow you to reflect, review, update and present all your unit outcomes in one place to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding, technical and professional skills. You will position your portfolio within an industry context, and you will be expected to enhance your portfolio by engaging with industry through one live activity such as a competition, or a live project or trans-disciplinary collaboration or attend a live networking event where you promote/present your portfolio.

Business of Fashion
You’ll be introduced to the fundamental principles of fashion business and practices through a global lens. You’ll learn about how the macro environment affects the fashion industry sector and consumer groups and how it operates, introducing you to the various market levels and sectors, as well as industry structure, supply chain, distribution, marketing and commercialisation of products and services to end-users.

ATOM Activities
ATOM activities are small pieces of individual learning that facilitate interdisciplinary exposure across UCA, and offer a flexible, impactful learning experience. They expand your creative horizon by accessing learning topics that would not otherwise be scheduled on your course specific timetable.

PLE Digital Outcomes
The PLE Digital Outcome is a purposefully edited, self-directed record of your constructive, level 4 engagement with and presence on, digital media platforms across the year.

Career Week
You’ll start the second year with an intensive, interactive career preparation week. It prepares you for your work placement, through preparing your CV and cover letters, developing personal branding on professional social networks, networking and interview preparation.

Advanced textiles
The second year is an important developmental phase in which students can explore their subject more in-depth as well as experiment, speculate and take creative risks. This unit is about doing just that – generating concepts and combining practice in advanced specialist processes and techniques, with a developing personal narrative and story, interwoven through speculative experimentation. Risk-taking within creative practice will be encouraged, with no right or wrong way.

Reflective Practitioner
You’ll have the opportunity to explore global perspectives and influences on creative practice, drawing upon interactions with varied identities, cultures, politics, and histories. You’ll reflect on the development of their own creative influences, perspectives, practices, and sense of belonging as developing creative professionals in global and contemporary spaces.

Elective – Indigo
The focus of this unit is to enable students to immerse themselves in practice-based making, by reusing and transforming materials and products. Working under a sustainable framework students will be encouraged to creatively explore Indigo dyeing to develop ideas and concepts that have the potential to impact the sustainable market place, and influence positive social or environmental change.

The exploration of a multitude of creative techniques (dipping, binding, clamping etc) and considerations involved with practical indigo dye application aims to extend student knowledge of visual and tactile communication, material understanding, colour application, and develop further sustainable considerations through personal research.

Elective - Branding
In an industry based on visual communication, it is important to create your own visual communication style to set you apart from the crowd both as a graduate and prospective employee or independent brand/ freelancer. It is also important to explore and utilise the channels of communication available to you, particularly social media, in order to promote yourself/ brand either to sell your work or develop successful career networks.

Elective - Business Start-up
You’ll identify, develop and present a design, product, service or mini collection using your previous unit outcomes as a starting point for your start-up idea/ proof of concept. You will be required to research market trends, consider a more global perspective, and explore cultural, ethical and sustainable considerations. You will then explore how you could develop/refine and market your idea as a commercial product or “bestseller”.

Dragon's Den
Have you ever watched Dragon’s Den on the BBC? Have you ever dreamed of being one of the contestants? Have you got a business idea? Now is your chance to become the next big fashion and textiles entrepreneur. You’ll work in multi-disciplinary teams to prepare a short business plan, a prototype and pitch their ideas to a panel of industry judges.

Textiles industry focus
You’ll develop an understanding and awareness of sustainable culture through researching a sustainable company profile with a brand identity, in which you can position and market your textile product. You’ll pick your best concept or design from previous work and transform it into a sustainable textile product with scalability/commercial potential, fabricated through a specific pathway or multi-disciplinary combined pathway in tactile material making, dye, print and surface, constructed textiles. The outcome can be self-fabricated or fabricated through outsourced manufacturing, or presented as a PoC (proof of concept) with a professional prototype.

Sustainability, careers and industry
As we approach the end of your second academic year, you will curate and build a physical portfolio, building on the presentation skills you’ve developed. You will work individually and in small groups to share market intelligence and develop critiquing skills to debate your research findings in sustainability, circularity, social and ethical issues. You’ll need to position your portfolio within a textile industry and organising a work placement within a future workplace.

Placement
You’ll have the opportunity to undertake one of two options on this unit – a four-week minimum self-initiated work placement that’s relevant to your potential career direction or complete an industry case study which gives you the opportunity to study an aspect of the industry, that you identify as an area of interest, through the method of case study research. For both, you will record, critically analyse and evaluate your findings through a learning journal and present them in your learning journal and a professionally structured Placement or Case Study Report.

ATOM Activities and PLE Digital Outcome
These units are an extension of the Year 1 ATOM Activities and PLE Digital Outcome.

If you opt to complete a professional practice year, this will take place in year three. You will undertake a placement within the creative industries to further develop your skills and CV.

While on your Professional Practice Year, you will be required to pay a reduced tuition fee for that year. This fee will be determined using government funding regulations. Based on current regulations, we expect this to be a maximum of 20% of the tuition fee rate that you are charged for your second year of study. You will also incur additional travel and accommodation costs during this year. The University will provide you with further advice and guidance about this as you approach your Professional Practice Year.

Please note: If you are an international applicant, you will need to enrol onto the course ‘with Professional Practice Year’. It will not be possible to transfer onto the Professional Practice Year after enrolment

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 fine tune it before you start actively working on it as part of your last year at university.

Creative Innovation for Industry
Your final year is the chance to explore your creativity and apply your skillset to new creative opportunities. Using all you’ve learned you’ll create new textiles and materials for a substantial portfolio with industry purpose to an international audience. You will develop a directional creative portfolio which showcases your individual project, trough creative innovations for industry.

Brand, Career and Professional Development
In order to help you with your career post graduation or further study, this unit is all about getting you ready. You’ll start to build professional networks and explore social media as a mechanism and platform to communicate your work globally. Branding and promotion will be important elements in establishing and conveying your creative identity in the communication process. You’ll also be required to complete one or more professional development tasks, including entering international competitions or organising a public exhibition.

Graduate Career Fair
The Graduate Career Fair taking 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.

Directional Creative Portfolio
The aim of this final unit is to create a culture of life-long active learning, inspiring creative pursuit into past and present and looking forward to the future. You’ll develop and express your own creative vision, producing an individual body of work that is highly unique, innovative and inherently sustainable, ready to enter the world of work, or to progress onto the MA Textiles Innovation or alternative further study.

You’re also required to curate a bespoke, purposeful and future-facing portfolio reflecting your individual interest and position.

 

This course is designed to offer you (if eligible) the opportunity to study part of your degree aboard at a UCA partner university, while still earning credits towards your UCA degree.

For more information please visit the Study Abroad section

Industry placement
offer

Preparing graduates for successful careers underpins everything we do, and all students on this course may be offered support to identify and prepare for an industry placement according to their individual needs. We’ll draw on our wide range of contacts within the creative industries to help provide you with opportunities that align with your interests and future career aspirations.

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.

Fees & funding

Fees & financial support

Tuition fees - 2024/25 entry

  • Integrated Foundation Year: £9,250
  • BA course: £9,250

If you opt to study the Professional Practice Year, for 2024 you will be required to pay a reduced tuition fee of £1,850. You will also incur additional travel and accommodation costs during your Professional Practice year. The University will provide you with further advice and guidance about this.

Tuition fees - 2024/25 entry

  • Integrated International Foundation Year: £9,250 (see fee discount information)
  • BA course: £9,250 (see fee discount information)

If you opt to study the Professional Practice Year, for 2024 you will be required to pay a reduced tuition fee of £1,850. You will also incur additional travel and accommodation costs during your Professional Practice year. The University will provide you with further advice and guidance about this.

Tuition fees - 2024/25 entry

  • Integrated International Foundation Year: £16,950
  • BA course: £17,500

If you opt to study the Professional Practice Year, for 2024 you will be required to pay a reduced tuition fee of £3,390. You will also incur additional travel and accommodation costs during your Professional Practice year. The University will provide you with further advice and guidance about this.

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

As well as dedicated studio spaces we have - screen-printing tables, dye baths, large heat press, pattern cutting tables, sewing machine, computers and scanners, digital textile printer, dye sublimation printer, drying racks and well stocked cloth and yarn shops.

Textiles studios, UCA Epsom

Textiles studios, UCA Epsom

Textiles studios, UCA Farnham

Textiles studios, UCA Epsom

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Entry & portfolio requirements

Entry & portfolio
requirements

BA (Hons) course
BA (Hons) course with Professional Practice Year

The standard entry requirements* for these courses are one of the following:

  • 112 UCAS tariff points, see accepted qualifications
  • Pass at Foundation Diploma in Art & Design (Level 3 or 4)
  • Distinction, Merit, Merit at BTEC Extended Diploma / BTEC National Extended Diploma
  • Merit at UAL Extended Diploma
  • 112 UCAS tariff points from an accredited Access to Higher Education Diploma in appropriate subject
  • 27-30 total points in the International Baccalaureate Diploma with at least 15 IB points at Higher level, see more information about IB entry requirements.

And four GCSE passes at grade 9-4/A*-C including English (or Functional Skills English/Key Skills Communication Level 2).

Other relevant and equivalent Level 3 UK and international qualifications are considered on an individual basis, and we encourage students from diverse educational backgrounds to apply.  

Portfolio requirements

For these 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

 


BA (Hons) course with Integrated Foundation Year
BA (Hons) course with Integrated Foundation Year and Professional Practice Year

The standard entry requirements* for these courses are one of the following:

  • 32 UCAS tariff points, see accepted qualifications
  • Pass at Foundation Diploma in Art & Design (Level 3 or 4)
  • Pass, Pass, Pass at BTEC Extended Diploma / BTEC National Extended Diploma
  • Pass at UAL Extended Diploma
  • 32 UCAS tariff points from an accredited Access to Higher Education Diploma in appropriate subject
  • 24 points from the International Baccalaureate, see more information about IB entry requirements.

And four GCSE passes at grade 9-4/A*-C including English (or Functional Skills English/Key Skills Communication Level 2).

Other relevant and equivalent Level 3 UK and international qualifications are considered on an individual basis, and we encourage students from diverse educational backgrounds to apply. 

Portfolio requirements

For these 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
BA (Hons) course with Professional Practice Year

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

 


BA (Hons) course with Integrated International Foundation Year
BA (Hons) course with Integrated International Foundation Year and Professional Practice Year

For these courses you need to have completed 12 years of schooling (with good grades) and show strong evidence of your ability to successfully complete the programme and progress onto your chosen degree.

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

These courses don't require a portfolio.

 


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:

Don't meet the international entry requirements or English language requirements?

You may be able to enter the course through the following entry pathways:

Apply now

Please use the following fields to help select the right application link for you:

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