Fashion Styling - MA
Currently viewing course to start in 2024/25 Entry.
Our Fashion Styling course focuses on your ability to develop a personal creative style, entrepreneurial abilities and a professional approach. The course is primarily vocational and practical, and caters for those with career interests in contemporary fashion styling, visualisation and communications.
- Level Postgraduate Taught
- Study mode Full Time
- Location City Centre
- Award MA
- Start date September 2024
- Fees View course fees
- School School of Fashion and Textiles
- Faculty Faculty of Arts, Design and Media
This course is:
Available with Professional Placement year
Open to International Students
Overview
Our Fashion Styling course focuses on your ability to develop a personal creative style, entrepreneurial abilities and a professional approach.
The course is primarily vocational and practical, and caters for those with career interests in contemporary fashion styling, visualisation and communications.
What's covered in this course?
Throughout the course, you’ll explore and use different research methods to investigate how styling is used to promote fashion through marketing, advertising, events management, publicity or public relations. You’ll learn the skills and knowledge needed for a professional career in fashion styling, with opportunities to collaborate with other fashion students and work on live projects with industry.
Based at our city centre Parkside campus, you will have access to relevant software and computer equipment, and have the opportunity to collaborate with a faculty full of creative students.
Your learning environment will encourage you to become an adaptable, flexible and knowledgeable graduate, equipped to pursue a career in the fashion industry.
Why Choose Us?
- We are a significant provider of fashion and textile education and have an extensive portfolio of programmes and specialisations.
- You’ll be given the opportunity to network and collaborate with other fashion students, our wider postgraduate community and beyond
- We can help you develop your career goals in fashion, branding and promotion with opportunities for internships
- Ideas and projects can be developed relating to your home town or country, comparing the European fashion sector with the rest of the world
- From the start you’ll be able to work on live projects with business and industry
OPEN DAY
Join us for an on-campus Open Day where you'll be able to meet us in person. Booking for the next event isn’t open yet. Register your interest below and we’ll email you as soon as booking goes live.
Next Event: 29 June 2024
Entry Requirements
Essential Requirements
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Either a degree in a relevant subject such as fashion design, fashion communication, photography or media practice or equivalent qualifications and experience. |
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Applicants will also need to submit a good portfolio. |
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IELTS 6.0 overall with 5.5 minimum in all bands. |
Fees & How to Apply
UK students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Award: MA
Starting: Sep 2024
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 1 year
- £9,710 in 2024/25
- Full Time
- 18 months (including Professional Placement - see below*)
- £10,685 in 2024/25
International students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Award: MA
Starting: Sep 2024
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 1 year
- £17,710 in 2024/25
- Full Time
- 18 months (including Professional Placement - see below*)
- £19,485 in 2024/25
*Professional Placement option
The Professional Placement version of the course is optional and is offered as an alternative to the standard version of the course.
This will allow you to complete a credit bearing, 20 week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree. The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market. Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace.
You will be responsible for finding and securing your own placement. The University, however, will draw on its extensive network of local, regional and national employers to support you in finding a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study. You will also benefit from support sessions delivered by Careers+ as well as advice and guidance from your School.
Placements will only be confirmed following a competitive, employer-led selection process, therefore the University will not be able to guarantee placements for students who have registered for the ‘with Professional Placement’ course. All students who do not find a suitable placement or do not pass the competitive selection process will be automatically transferred back to the standard, non-placement version of the course.
Portfolio guidance
If you receive an offer to study this course, you will be required to submit a portfolio. We ask that this is submitted within four weeks of receiving your offer.
Please see our portfolio guidance page for tips on putting your portfolio together.
Portfolio guidance
If you receive an offer to study this course, you will be required to submit a portfolio. We ask that this is submitted within four weeks of receiving your offer.
Please see our portfolio guidance page for tips on putting your portfolio together.
Personal statement
You’ll need to submit a personal statement as part of your application for this course. This will need to highlight your passion for postgraduate study – and your chosen course – as well as your personal skills and experience, academic success, and any other factors that will support your application for further study.
Not sure what to include? We’re here to help – take a look at our top tips for writing personal statements and download our free postgraduate personal statement guide for further advice and examples from real students.
Course in Depth
Modules
In order to complete this course you must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 140 credits):
The main portfolio module at PGCert stage focuses on the relationship between you and your work. The purpose of this module is to enable you to critically and creatively explore a broad area of practical and theoretical dimensions surrounding your personal Programme of Study, creating focus which will inform your development to Diploma stage.
This PG Cert module aims to broaden your understanding and knowledge appropriate to the subjects and practices in the course. The purpose of this module is to gain a deeper understanding of your Programme of Study and how it relates to the wider context within the world of fashion and textiles. This is supported by a range of tutorials, seminars, lectures and progress reviews.
The aim of this PG Dip module is to encourage you to engage in the strategic planning and project management of work activities and studies relating to your Programme of Study, personal development and career objectives.
The purpose of the module is to enable you to undertake a sustained, in-depth and theoretically informed research project exploring an area that is of personal interest to you. It is important that we can support you appropriately, so you will be guided towards choosing a research topic which is relevant to your discipline and in which your lecturers have expertise. The outcome may take the form of a written dissertation or a practical outcome with accompanying reflective, critical and contextual material. The main consideration when choosing your topic is that it must be relevant to your programme and you should consider the relevance of this topic to your future academic or professional development.
In order to complete this course you must successfully complete at least 40 credits from the following indicative list of OPTIONAL modules.
The purpose of this PG Dip module is to enable you to identify and frame your research relative to the context of your Programme of Study. The module brings to fruition your developments from the Certificate stage, exploring an area that is of personal interest to you. The module aims to improve your powers of reflection, critical and contextual evaluation and to help you develop applied scholarship in relation to an area of professional practice defined within your programme of study.
The purpose of this PG Dip module is to identify and perceive the nature of professionalism relative to the context of your Programme of Study.
Core modules are guaranteed to run. Optional modules will vary from year to year and the published list is indicative only.
Download course specification
Download nowOur course will equip you with the latest knowledge, skills and resources to help you investigate areas of personal and work-based interest.
You’ll develop your studies around your personal career ambitions and enjoy visits to leading fashion events. You can additionally arrange interviews with industry professionals working in fashion promotion in the UK or globally.
As a graduate you’ll be able to apply your knowledge and practical skills to fashion styling.
Assessment methods
You will be assessed through a mixture of practical projects and written work i.e. tutorial reviews, project work submissions and oral exams.
You will develop a portfolio of work that showcases your abilities and ideas and is executed and managed in a professional manner. At each stage you will also write reports that encourage you to develop a critical and contextual framework within which to understand your practice and future career choices.
Classroom projects
You will be given opportunities to work alongside your peers in the wider Postgraduate Fashion and Textile community in order to create a fashion show. This annual ‘Vision for the Future’ fashion show is used as a fundraiser for charity. It is a collaborative project that relies entirely on student initiative within the course and beyond, and promotes peer tutoring and mentoring.
In addition to our focus upon you as fashion communicator, there are also opportunities for you to network with the professional world, and engage in external activities such as collaborating on projects that enhance the student experience and provide ‘real life’ experience.
Postgraduate Fashion Finale Raises Money for Charity
Students from MA Fashion Design, MA Fashion Management, MA Fashion Promotion and MA Fashion Styling collaborated to organise an end of year MA Fashion Show for charity.
21 MA Fashion Design students showcased their collections, while MA Fashion Management, MA Fashion Promotion and MA Fashion Styling students took key roles in organising the spectacular event, fuelled by student man power and talent, against the challenge of no event budget.
The fashion show is key in giving students an experience of creative production on a live project which they can take away as a show reel as part of their portfolio. Supporting Cancer Research UK, the show raised £430 for charity.
Employability
Enhancing your employability skills
You’ll experience excellent opportunities for work experience and live industry briefs, giving you practical, professional exposure and an awareness of the challenges and opportunities in the fashion styling sector.
In addition to our expert staff, you will meet a wide range of visitors from industry who will offer insight into current business practices and issues.
Your research and experience of presenting your work in a professional manner makes you highly aware of current trends, cultural matters and industry practise.
You’ll also learn about working in teams and benefit from collaborating with other students across our extensive postgraduate fashion community.
The course is designed to ensure that upon graduating, you are:
- A better and more confident fashion communicator
- A reflective individual who has learnt how to keep developing as a fashion media professional
- An independent thinker and researcher able to initiate your own creative projects individually and/or collaboratively
- Able to conceptualise and discuss the nature of your work both orally and in writing
- Critically aware of the context of your professional practice relative to the marketplace and the wider culture
Placements
Live collaborations, internships and work experience can form part of your projects and studies, and you’ll benefit from the networking opportunities this provides.
You are encouraged, particularly during the PgDip and MA stages of the course, to seek external experiences and feedback from professionals and companies active in fashion styling.
Often students can arrange placements to begin immediately after they have finished the course. You are able to identify companies or places for work experience through the Research Skills module. The course team will also help you apply for, or prepare for, placements and work experiences.
International
Birmingham City University is a vibrant and multicultural university in the heart of a modern and diverse city. We welcome many international students every year – there are currently students from more than 80 countries among our student community.
The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.
Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:
- Explore some of the good reasons why you should study here.
- Find out how to improve your language skills before starting your studies.
- Find all the information relevant to applicants from your country.
- Learn where to find financial support for your studies.
Our international students
Many of our students choose to develop projects directly linked to their home countries and conduct field research around the world.
Our course welcomes students from across the world. We have an excellent reputation globally, as well as over 20 years’ experience teaching international students.
We are proud of our extensive international graduate community, which has a particular focus in Asia.
Facilities & Staff
Our Facilities
You'll be based in our School of Fashion and Textiles, within The Parkside Building. The Parkside Building is part of our new multi-million pound City Centre Campus development in the heart of Birmingham's Eastside development.
Our staff
Alison Rapsey
Course Director BA (Hons) Fashion Business and Promotion
Alison has over 17 years of teaching experience joining Birmingham City University as a lecturer in Fashion Retail Management in 2006. Following her years of dedication to the department, in 2012 she became Course Director for BA(Hons) Fashion Business and Promotion. Alison began her work in the fashion industry by working for Arcadia, across...
More about AlisonJasbir Kaur
Jasbir is Deputy Director of Postgraduate Programmes in Fashion and Textiles and has extensive experience in commercial textile design and magazine production. Her work is published internationally and she has specific research interests in South Asian fashion.
More about Jasbir