Course overview
A catalyst for change, MA Textiles at UCA Epsom is a responsive and diverse creative programme of study.
What sets our course apart is the opportunity we provide for you to engage with a range of broad professional industry contexts as you develop and expand your practice through the course. You’ll graduate as a flexible specialist with confidence in sustainable practice that industry will want to invest in.
We’ve drawn together a rich and longstanding legacy of established academic excellence in research, knowledge and expertise in textiles practice and professional industry contexts. Along the way you will examine the intersections of textiles with other subjects, with a focus on the priorities of sustainable textiles in wider creative industries and creative communities.
And you’ll be a part of our vibrant, interdisciplinary and international postgraduate community of staff and students across textiles, fashion design, digital fashion, fashion photography, creative direction and global fashion cultures. This creative community will inspire you to develop your creative practice, share ideas and collaborate with practitioners from other disciplines while being supported all the way by your academic team.
What you'll
study
The content of the course may be subject to change. Curriculum content is provided as a guide.
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.
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.
Textiles Practice 1
Through defining or redefining your concepts in a creative context, you will consider a range of textile applications for fashion, interiors or other relevant industry and build from your existing skills. By the end of the unit, you will have developed innovative textile/material investigations, experimental and exploratory work and prototypes supported by research.
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.
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.
Textiles Practice 2
This unit allows you to explore expanded concepts for textiles for a wide range of sectors, contextualising your work in the world of fashion, the body, interiors/spaces and experience.
You will begin to interrogate your practice in far greater depth with a view towards constructing a specific body of work for an industry. Practice continues from a defined project proposal, and you will have the opportunity to collaborate with an external creative industry partner.
Collaborative Professional Practice
Within this unit you will be introduced to markets, industry connections, contexts and future facing professional development within your discipline, to complete a two-stage collaborative professional project. This can be either within your course remit or working with students from the Business School for the Creative Industries for a creative start-up.
Major Project
This final unit will require you to produce a significant body of work, which encapsulates the creative ideas, research methodologies, new insights, technical expertise, and professional contexts. Work should be executed to an appropriate standard for impactful positioning in a professional context.
Tuition fees - 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 - £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
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 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.
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.
Career
opportunities
As part of this course, you'll have access to well-established industry connections. These include:
- The Crafts Council
- Royal School of Needlework
- Farnham Maltings
- Selvedge Magazine
- Nuno Corporation
- The New Ashgate Gallery
- Melin Tregwynt Woollen Mill
Recent guest lecturers include:
- Rachel Kelly, wallpaper designer
- Yosi Anaya, textiles designer
- Dr Jane Harris, textiles designer
Our course will equip you with a host of valuable and transferable skills. Upon successful completion, you may decide to become self-employed, or forge a career within the craft and design industries. These offer a variety of career opportunities, including:
- Freelance design professionals
- Self-employed designer-makers
- Textile designers
- Public art practitioners
- Textile conservationists and curators
- Arts educators and teachers
- Textile stylists
- Fashion buyers and retailers
- Gallery directors.
Our course provides an excellent platform for you to connect with your subject, or to further your teaching career at an advanced level. It also helps prepare you for progression to an MPhil or PhD.
The International Textiles Research Centre (ITRC), based at UCA, offers an exciting staff and student research culture developing collaborative relationships with major cultural institutions, networks, galleries and museums around the world.
Our
Staff
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"The great thing about doing an MA is the artistic freedom you experience, which encourages you to take risks with your work and deeply question your decisions, from both a creative and theoretical perspective."
Chatto a student
Entry & portfolio
requirements
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.
MA course
The entry requirements 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
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:
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
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