Textile and Surface Design - MA
If you already have experience in textile or surface design this course will allow you to develop your portfolio to a professional standard and, if you choose, develop a range of products on which to found your own business. The choice of materials, processes and markets is up to you and you will have access to a wide range of workshop facilities....
Studying with us in 2021/22
It is possible that the 2021/22 academic year may be affected by the ongoing disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Any arrangements put in place by the University for the 2021/22 academic year will be in accordance with the latest government public health advice, pandemic-related/health and safety legislation, and the terms and conditions of the student contract.
- Level Postgraduate Taught
- Study mode Full Time
- Location City Centre
- Award MA
- Start date September 2021
- Fees View course fees
- School School of Fashion and Textiles
- Faculty Faculty of Arts, Design and Media
Course overview
If you already have experience in textile or surface design this course will allow you to develop your portfolio to a professional standard and, if you choose, develop a range of products on which to found your own business.
The choice of materials, processes and markets is up to you and you will have access to a wide range of workshop facilities. You will also have the opportunity to collaborate with other fashion and textile students. The course accepts students from other backgrounds too such as graphic design or fine art who want to reorientate their career.
What's covered in this course?
Your learning will be focused on studio and workshop practice, featuring personal programmes of study and joint lectures and seminars.
You’ll also enjoy specialist interpretations of art, craft and design supported by our highly experienced course team.
The course provides a forum to discuss and analyse the professional, commercial and cultural dimensions of textile and surface design in contemporary society.
Based at our city centre Parkside campus, you will have access to a wide range of conventional and CAD facilities available in constructed and printed textiles, 3D prototyping, ceramics and glass, as well as 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 textile and surface design field.
Why Choose Us?
- Study with a globally respected provider of education in fashion and textiles.
- Benefit from a unified programme and work alongside textile, fashion and surface designers.
- Access a wide range of facilities, including digital print and a Gerber fashion CAD suite.
- Network and collaborate with other fashion students, our wider postgraduate community and beyond.
- Enjoy a vast archive of fashion publications dating back to the 1930s.
Similar Courses
Entry Requirements
Essential Requirements
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A good degree in textile design or equivalent qualification. |
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A digital portfolio is a required as part of your application. This should evidence competency in those skills relevant to the area of practice you would like to focus on for your MA study, for example fashion design and garment construction. |
Fees & How to Apply
- UK students
- International students
Award: MA
Starting: Sep 2021
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 1 year
- £7,700 per year
Award: MA
Starting: Sep 2021
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 1 year
- £13,200 per year
If you're unable to use the online form for any reason, you can complete our PDF application form and equal opportunities PDF form instead.
Personal statement
Students are required to submit a personal statement as part of their application for this course.
Your postgraduate personal statement is going to shine a light on your personal experience, academic success, personal skills and any other factors that will support your application for further study.
Here are the key areas you’ll need to address:
Your passion and motivations
Studying a postgraduate course usually means you want to specialise in something. So what’s driving you?
Why this course?
Show that you’ve researched the course offering. What is it about this particular course that appeals to you? Is it the lecturers? The modules? Etc.
What makes you a good postgraduate candidate?
Tutors want to know that you can handle postgraduate study, so show them how your undergraduate experiences or work life has equipped you for a more advanced level of study. Key areas to address are research and group work but this can vary depending on your chosen course.
Relevant academic or work experience
Add anything relevant that relates back to your chosen course and shows how your skills will contribute towards your learning. What extra-curricular activities have you taken part in? What awards have you won? What employment or voluntary experience do you have that has helped you develop transferable skills? How do these specifically relate to the course you are applying for?
You should also mention your future plans and how a postgraduate qualification fits in. Try to look beyond your postgraduate study – do you plan to jump straight into a specific career or follow your studies with a research degree? Lastly, use plain, professional English and, where possible, utilise the language of your chosen industry.
Get more information on writing personal statements.
Course in Depth
Modules
In order to complete this course you must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 140 credits):
40 credits
20 credits
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.
20 credits
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.
60 credits
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.
40 credits
This PG Dip module encourages you to be proactive in the pursuit of gaining knowledge or seeking out professional views and opinions within your chosen discipline.
40 credits
The purpose of this PG Dip module is to build on your knowledge and experience from Portfolio 1, while introducing professionalism and employability into your work. This module aims to promote your creativity, aesthetic sensibility and an in-depth knowledge of a personally selected area of specialisation.
Core modules are guaranteed to run. Optional modules will vary from year to year and the published list is indicative only.
Your learning will be based around studio and workshop practice, with personal programmes of study and joint lecture and seminar programmes. Art, craft and design interpretations of the disciplines are all supported and our highly experienced course team recognise the importance of having a personal and distinctive approach to your work and study. There are also ample opportunities to collaborate, exchange ideas and broaden your perspective.
Situated within the School of Fashion and Textiles, there is a wide range of conventional and CAD facilities available including digital print, digital Jaquard and 3D printing and laser cutting workshops. There are also specialist facilities available in glass and ceramics.
You’ll develop creative and practical skills which are ideally suited to gaining a career in textile and surface design.
Learning through studio and workshop practice, you’ll also benefit from our close connections with manufacturers, and get to experiment with a wide range of materials to create new and innovative products and design ideas.
To support your learning you are encouraged to develop links appropriate to your studies, these have previously included DuPont, Emap, Sandersons and Ensell and Hall.
Assessment methods
Your programme will include a mixture of practical projects and written work. 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.
You are assessed using a mixture of tutorial reviews, project work submissions and oral exams.
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 textile and surface designer, 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
The annual MA Fashion show, Vision for the Future, marked its fourth anniversary this year at BCU, flexing the talents of our Fashion Masters courses.
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. Supporting Cancer Research UK, the show raised £430 for charity and gave students an experience of creative production on a live project.
Employability
Enhancing employability skills
You’ll enjoy excellent opportunities for work experience and live industry briefs, giving you practical, professional exposure and an awareness of the challenges and opportunities of the sector
Our programme is designed to ensure that upon graduating, you are:
- A better and more confident designer
- A reflective practitioner who has learnt how to keep developing as a designer
- 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 creative practice relative to the marketplace and the wider culture.
The successful completion of MA Textiles and Surface Design will deepen your practical and theoretical insights and techniques, giving you the confidence to build your own professional career as a designer. You will also develop your critical skills such that you can form, evaluate and communicate complex concepts that reflect your individuality and independent thought. You will develop your creativity, your aesthetic sensibility and an in-depth knowledge of a personally chosen area of specialisation, which will equip you with the necessary skills to gain meaningful employment.
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 textile and surface design.
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 Strategy module. The course team will also help you apply for, or prepare for, placements and work experiences.
OpportUNIty
OpportUNIty: Student Jobs on Campus ensures that our students are given a first opportunity to fill many part-time temporary positions within the University. This allows you to work while you study with us, fitting the job around your course commitments. By taking part in the scheme, you will gain valuable experiences and employability skills, enhancing your prospects in the job market.
It will also allow you to become more involved in University life by delivering, leading and supporting many aspects of the learning experience, from administration to research and mentoring roles.
International Students
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
Our course welcomes students from across the world. We have an excellent reputation globally, as well as over 20 years’ experience teaching international students.
Many of our textile and surface design students choose to develop projects directly linked to their home countries and conduct field research around the world.
We are proud of our extensive international graduate community, which has a particular focus in Asia.
Facilities and 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
Jasbir 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 JasbirAlison Rapsey
Course Director - BA (Hons) Fashion Business and Promotion
Alison has over 11 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 Dorothy Perkins and Burton stores in management roles and went on to the role of Ladieswear Manager in a newly opened Emporio Armani in 2000.
More about Alison