Fashion Design MA

Course overview

Become a fashion designer with a brand identity, a full collection and a commercial business strategy - plus all the tools to promote yourself in the international market - on our MA Fashion Design course.

Focusing on a collection you’ve already created, or starting a new one from scratch – you’ll develop your signature style and transform your fashion line to match. You’ll gain business insight and explore ways to externalise your practice, all within a creative and supportive environment.

As you study, you'll work in course-specific fashion studios, sewing and textile print workshops, as well as making use of campus-wide facilities such as digital printing and photography studios.

You’ll also benefit from our close connections within the fashion industry, with opportunities to hear from exciting guest lecturers and access individual help and guidance from professional mentors.

Your studies will culminate in the creation and launch of your brand – the springboard to your career in the fashion industry.

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.

Integrated International Pre-Masters (if undertaken)

For our students coming from a non-UK educational background, UCA has launched an Integrated International Pre-Masters year.

On this course you’ll prepare for postgraduate study with a mix of online and face-to-face learning that will give you the study skills required to complete a Master’s, and you’ll also improve your English for academic study.

Term one

Launch
Launch week is a cross-school event bringing together postgraduate students across all disciplines within the School of Fashion and Textiles to get to know each other and form an international, cross-functional, dynamic postgraduate community.

Brand Evolution and Development
You’ll identify a clear direction for your studies and personal development, through analysis and reflection of your most recent fashion collection, (e.g. your undergraduate collection) or creative portfolio, in order to create a unique brand identity and innovative design proposal. This will incorporate an introduction to business planning including brand positioning, consumer segmentation and competitor analysis.

Critical thinking for Creative Practice
Within this unit you will be introduced to historical and contemporary debates that underpin your creative practice. You will be given the opportunity to expand your historical and contextual knowledge, examine ethical frameworks, and be introduced to social and cultural approaches to fashion and textiles.

Term two

Opportunity Week
Opportunity Week is cross-school event bringing together all postgraduate students across all disciplines within fashion and textiles to formally present their work in progress and major project proposal to their postgraduate community. Students will be encouraged to give formative feedback and identify shared interest and potential collaboration opportunities.

Collection Development and Consolidation
You’ll progress with garment production, utilising an external manufacturing resource to produce a statement outfit, or create a virtual collection using 3D fashion design software and Gerber pattern technology. Both options require you to create the technical specifications and patterns to support physical or digital outcomes.

Research and Professional Context
It is key for designers and for a designer fashion business to develop an understanding of creating products that deliver and recognise the importance of a business strategy and the role that costs, pricing, planning and marketing play in supporting product development.

In this unit you’ll be required to develop the second stage of your business plan, which includes a detailed analysis of their collection, range planning and financial analysis including startup costs, manufacturing, sales forecasts and cash flow.

Term three

Final Project Resolution and Collection Launch
The final unit is a culmination of the your studies and work completed in the previous units. You’ll realise and launch your brand through the introduction of a marketing strategy, outsourced product manufacture or a digital catwalk collection, which demonstrates key skills in product realisation, business planning and digital marketing.

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 & financial support

Fees &
financial support

Fees

Tuition fees - Jan and May 2024 entry

UK students:

MA course - £10,500

EU students:

MA course - £10,500 (see fee discount information)

International students:

Integrated International Pre-Masters course (30 weeks) - £17,500
Integrated International Pre-Masters course (15 weeks) - £8,750
MA course - £17,500

Tuition fees - Sept 2024, Jan and May 2025 entry

UK students:

MA course - £10,500

EU students:

MA course - £10,500 (see fee discount information)

International students:

Integrated International Pre-Masters course (30 weeks) - £17,500
Integrated International Pre-Masters course (15 weeks) - £8,750
MA course - £18,000

Further information
The fees listed here are correct for the stated academic year only. For more detailed information about our course fees and any financial support you may be entitled to please see our fees and finance pages.

Financial support & scholarships

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

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.

You'll find everything you need to know for your level of study on our scholarships page.

Additional costs

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.

Jiachen Di, MA Fashion Design, UCA Rochester

Wenxin Tu, MA Fashion Design, UCA Rochester

Tanmaya Jain, MA Fashion Design, UCA Rocheste

JiYoon Kyung, MA Fashion Design, UCA Rochester

Suyi Chen, MA Fashion Design, UCA Rochester

Chloe Newman, MA Fashion Design, UCA Rochester

Yu Sun, MA Fashion Design, UCA Rochester

Xuehua Ma, MA Fashion Design, UCA Rochester

Yige Yang, MA Fashion Design, UCA Rochester

Yu Cao, MA Fashion Design, UCA Rochester

Yi-Sian Lee, MA Fashion Design, UCA Rochester

Molly Roy, MA Fashion Design, UCA Rochester

Facilities

Our campus has a range of facilities to support you. On the course you’ll make use of our fashion studios, sewing workshops, textile print studios and study areas with technical support. There’s also a modern library with a wealth of books, journals, special collections and online resources. The campus has additional facilities to support you including digital printing, photography studios and a media store for hiring digital and photography equipment.

View 360 virtual tour

Fashion studios, UCA Epsom

Photography studios, UCA Epsom

Library, UCA Epsom

Career opportunities

Career
opportunities

Industry links

Taught by lecturers and sessional staff with direct experience in the fashion industry, our course has a number of high profile industry links, including:

Avery Dennison RBIS (UK): Global Retail Branding and Information Services
Twine-s (Israel): Technology company offering a revolutionary digital on-demand thread dyeing system and a digital dye-to-match colour application
Tasker Apparel (UK): Leading ethical garment manufacturer supplying independent fashion designers and brands
Fashion Scout: the UK's largest independent showcase for emerging and established design talent during London Fashion Week. Fashion Scout is renowned for championing, nurturing and showcasing creative design talent from around the globe

Careers

Our fashion design MA will prepare students, with a fantastic support system from our industry staff, for clear and exciting career options upon graduating:

Fashion designer
Fashion buyer
Tailor
Fashion brand up-start
Colourist
Fashion illustrator
Fashion predictor
Fashion stylist
Pattern cutter/grader

Further study

You may also like to consider continuing your studies at MPhil or PhD level with us at UCA

Explore our Gradshow

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 showcase

Riddhi Masrani

"I find that my tutors are extremely helpful and supportive. Being part of a creative university, there is a lot great work that is exchanged on campus and this keeps me up-to-date with what is happening in all the different areas, which is really important to me."

Entry & portfolio requirements

Entry & portfolio
requirements

UK

MA course

A good honours degree or equivalent qualification in a related discipline

and/or

Relevant work experience, demonstrating your ability to study at postgraduate level.

Consideration will also be given to applicants who can make a strong case for admission in relation to a particular project and can demonstrate their potential to satisfactorily complete the course.

Portfolio requirements

For this course we will 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.

International and EU

MA course

The entry requirements for this course will depend on the country your qualifications are from, please check the equivalent qualifications for your country:

Non-UK equivalent qualifications

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

For this course we will 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.

MA course with Integrated International Pre-Masters course

A recognised bachelor degree or 3 year diploma with a strong portfolio in a relevant subject.

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

For this course we will 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.

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 chcek the level of English language required: