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Textile Design BA (Hons)

UCAS code: W221

Start year

Information for 2025

About this course

Textiles are all around us. They facilitate the practical, make our lives comfortable and provide a means for expression. Textile design goes far beyond fashion and clothing – from our furniture, vehicles and homeware to art and virtual reality, textile designers’ influence is everywhere, and their mediums are limitless.

This textile design degree is for the creative, the experimental and the environmentally conscious. It’s for designers and artists alike, giving you the flexibility to trial all types of media and master traditional crafts side by side with the latest digital technologies. Many of our students go on to become industry trailblazers, prestigious award-winners and respected designers; study BA Textile Design at NTU, and you could join them.

With 92 million tonnes of textiles waste produced every year and the apparel industry’s global emissions set to increase by 50% by 2030, sustainable textile design has never been more important. On this course, conscious creativity comes first. You’ll become an agent of change, advocating for responsible design and future-proofing the industry.

  • Build your industry reputation as you enter exclusive NTU and internationally-renowned competitions.
  • A CSD-accredited degree – the only UK textiles course with Chartered Society of Designers accreditation.
  • Try out new techniques and equipment before you specialise, with industry-standard facilities and classes.
  • Work on live briefs for companies like Liberty London, Next and ROMO.

Accreditation

  • Chartered Society of Designers logo
Top
20
In the UK for Art and Design in Complete University Guide 2025

What you’ll study

BA Textile Design at NTU is distinct because it allows you to explore the breadth of the textiles industry in Year One, before specialising in your preferred areas from Year Two onwards with a vast choice of optional modules.

Textile design is an endlessly diverse field, and you’ll cover print, embroidery, knit, weave and unconventional materials. You’ll work on projects ranging from fashion and art to interiors and automotives; tackle live briefs set by our industry partners; and have the creative freedom to direct your work and refine your technical skills, guided by experienced professionals.

Sustainable practice is fully embedded into every aspect of our textiles degree, with strong emphasis on creating emotional durability, designing for circularity, and reducing consumption and waste.

Study highlights on this textiles degree include:

  • Network with big textiles industry players like Sainsbury’s, Ashley Wilde and Burton as you complete live briefs for them.
  • Attend workshops and masterclasses in a whole host of skills and crafts, from making and using natural dyes to ceramics, bio-materials, 3D printing & generative AI.
  • Get inspired on trips across the UK and abroad, with opportunities to visit galleries and exhibitions in cities like Oxford, London and Paris.
  • Make the most of industry-standard facilities across the School of Art and Design, with the same equipment and technologies used by major brands.
  • Exhibit your work to potential employers and fellow designers across the UK at prominent graduate exhibitions and showcase events.
  • Enjoy an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, lots of workshop materials, out-of-hours access to our facilities and guidance from expert technicians, and much more included in your course fees.
  • Expand your industry network with free classes led by external textile artists and practitioners, and the opportunity to exhibit your graduate collection at New Designers showcase.

Here’s a full breakdown of your textile design modules:

Curiosity: Creative Exploration and Research

(40 credit points, full year)

Working with students from fashion, textiles and knitwear, explore core design components such as concept, drawing, materials, colour and future thinkingQuestion how fundamental aspects of design practice can be used as both research tools and a means to develop your design philosophy or identity in a creative, playful and hands-on way. Begin to see the future as something you can shape, rather than something that just happens.

Curiosity: Creative Development and Application for Textile Design

(80 credit points, full year)

Develop your creative design ideas and apply fundamentals of textile design practice including, pattern, repeat and composition, through a series of workshop rotations in print, weave, knit, embroidery and multimedia. A pathways project at the end of the year will consolidate your strengths and choice of textile specialism for Year Two. There is the option to transfer to Fashion Knitwear Design and Knitted Textiles for those that love knit.

Directions: Industry and Context for Textile Design

(40 credit points, first half of the year)

Develop awareness of the practice of design within the international textile industry. Advance creative design and technical skills in your specialised area of print, weave, embroidery or multimedia. Deepen your research skills and knowledge of emerging cultural issues including responsible design practice, trends, markets and professional communication, and engage with industry through live projects, work experience and an optional overseas trip to an international trade fair.

Directions: Innovation and Transition for Textile Design

(40 credit points, second half of the year)

This module supports your transition to your final year, enhancing your ability to develop individual research proposals that reflect personal design interests and building on theory and practice. You will extend and test innovative approaches to your specialist textile area, working beyond discipline boundaries where appropriate.

Co Lab: Research, Exploration and Risk-taking

(20 credit points, second half of the year)

Through active participation with team-based problem solving, you will work together in mixed teams on a project where you will use your creative ideas to generate solutions to a challenge or brief. Your project will allow you to explore how creativity can make an impact in society, as you choose a theme of sustainability, social justice, enterprise and innovation or community. This collaborative learning experience will expose you to a range of new processes and approaches that will develop your creative thinking.

Optional module

You will also choose one 20-credit module from:

  • Slow Making and Craftmanship
  • 3D Materials and Exploration
  • Trend Forecasting
  • Buying, Merchandising and Product Fundamentals
  • Creative Entrepreneurship
  • Drawing & Exploring with Natural Materials
  • Ecological Futures: A Creative Response
  • Fashion Styling

Optional Placement Year (Sandwich)*

We have an option for all of our students to undertake a placement year (Sandwich) and allow you to decide whether this is right for you once you have completed years 1 and 2 of your course. This time spent working in industry provides our students with crucial work experience, which is highly prized and much sought after by employers upon graduation. If you are successful in securing a placement you will have the chance to gain an additional Certificate or Diploma in Professional Practice, dependent on duration.

The additional placement year incurs a fee.  For international students considering the transfer to the 4-yr SW route it’s important to seek advice from the International Student Support team and the Home Office regarding any potential visa implications and costs. For UK students, advice should also be sought regarding SLC eligibility, if applicable.

* If you choose to take the sandwich route option, you will still need to apply for this course with the full-time UCAS code: W221

Resolutions: Culture and Context

(20 / 40 credit points, full year)

Develop an individual research concept established at the end of second year that advances your knowledge of contextual issues, cultural theories and debates. You will present this as a dissertation or in the alternative format of a visual product. Students choosing the 40-credit option will complete an extended body of research work for exhibition or publication.

Resolutions: Practice and Context for Textile Design

(100 / 80 credit points, full year)

Write your own design brief that enables you to produce an extensive body of work, relating to your career aspirations and reflecting responsible design practices. You will be encouraged to use theories explored in your individual research project to inform your final design collections. You will have opportunities to engage with live projects, competitions and professional bodies to broaden your portfolio and strategically enhance career directions. Students choosing the 80-credit option will produce a smaller design portfolio to reflect the balance of work suitable for alternative career directions.

We regularly review and update our course content based on student and employer feedback, ensuring that all of our courses remain current and relevant. This may result in changes to module content or module availability in future years.

Don’t just take our word for it, hear from our students themselves

Student Profiles

Textile Design - Lucy Knights

The equipment in the weave department is fantastic, I feel really lucky to have been able to work on a large variety of looms and develop my experience with industrial equipment.

Anna Myson

The purpose of my trip was to experience another culture whilst acquiring essential design skills to take forward in my career in textile design.

Yuxi Shen

My tutors have great patience and give me useful advice every time. The technical staff are also very friendly and always help me solve my technical problems.”

Sophie Clifford

I would recommend Textile Design to others because it is a lively and exciting course that has a real sense of community with everyone making you feel welcome.

Anna Hull

NTU is in a lovely city with a good sense of community among students.

Mollie French

Whilst in Shanghai, I helped set up the show and worked on both the Harvest Gold and NTU alumni stands. It was an amazing feeling to exhibit my own work to designers who had come from all over the world.

Liam Clair

As a student here you’re very lucky to have access to industry-standard of facilities. This course really prepares you for a career in industry.

Mikey Womack

You have the opportunity to work in a lovely environment with course staff that are extremely loving and caring. The staff here truly nurture you and you’re listened to as a student which I don’t think is something you find everywhere.

Textile Design, BA - Anna Hague

This course offers you all of the ingredients to become a professional designer. I came out of university with a fantastic portfolio or work, a positive attitude to gaining a career in design and an ambitious mind.

Video Gallery

 

How you're taught

How will I learn?

As a BA Textile Design student, you’ll be taught through a mix of:

  • briefings and seminars, during which you’ll receive project briefs (set by both tutors and industry partners) and collaborate with your coursemates
  • workshops, studio sessions and CAD training, for focusing on practical work and digital skills
  • lectures covering key topics and contemporary issues in textiles
  • textile demonstrations and masterclasses, where you can learn an extensive variety of technical skills like ceramics, laser cutting, natural dyeing, 3D printing, painting and more
  • one-to-ones and small-group tutorials, for discussing ongoing projects with your tutors and coursemates
  • Co Lab, a pioneering School-wide module which connects you with NTU students from other disciplines to work together on live briefs and community projects
  • study visits to exhibitions, galleries, shows and events across the UK and abroad.

Your textiles degree will combine individual and group projects, giving you plenty of opportunities to bond with your coursemates and take full advantage of the diversity of ideas and specialities within your new community of textile designers.

You’ll also get to go on UK trips to destinations such as Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, and London for events like Decorex – the costs of which are covered by your course fees. There will also be an opportunity to go on a subsidised trip abroad, usually to Paris.

How you're assessed

Much of your assessed work will be in the form of portfolios, in which you’ll present your creative processes from start to finish and showcase your practical skills. There is also a very small amount of written work involved, in the form of a short essay and reflective passages.

The course culminates in the curation of your own graduate collection, which will align with your career aspirations. You’ll also complete a theoretical assignment in final year, for which you can choose to produce either a written dissertation or a visual product.

Staff Profiles

Tina Downes - Deputy Head of Department

Nottingham School of Art & Design

Tina Downes is the Deputy Head of Department for Fashion, Textiles and Knitwear Design. A key focus of her role, is to work with academic teams to design and operationalise…

Amy Twigger Holroyd - Associate Professor

Nottingham School of Art & Design

Dr Amy Twigger Holroyd is Associate Professor of Fashion and Sustainability in Nottingham School of Art & Design. Through design-led participatory research, she explores plural possibilities for post-growth fashion systems:

Fiona Hamblin - Senior Lecturer

Nottingham School of Art & Design

Fiona Hamblin

Angharad McLaren - Senior Lecturer

Nottingham School of Art & Design

Angharad McLaren

Georgie Worker - Senior Lecturer

Nottingham School of Art & Design

Georgie Worker is a lecturer on BA (Hons) Textile Design within the School of Art & Design. She is a printed textile / surface design specialist.

Klaire Elton - Senior Lecturer

Nottingham School of Art & Design

Klaire Elton is a lecturer on BA (Hons) Textile Design and MA Textiles Innovation within the School of Art & Design

Kandy Diamond - Senior Lecturer

Nottingham School of Art & Design

Kandy Diamond is a Senior Lecturer in Fashion knitwear and knitted textiles.

Debbie Gonet - Senior Lecturer

Nottingham School of Art & Design

Debbie is the Course leader for MA Textiles and a senior lecturer in the BA (Hons) Textile Design course .

Theodora Prassa - Technical Specialist

Nottingham School of Art & Design

Dora is a technician in printed textiles and paper printing.

Suzi Williams - Senior Lecturer

Nottingham School of Art & Design

I teach on the BA (Hons) Textile Design course. I specialise in printed textiles and surface pattern design. I am currently a first year Module Leader.

Ian McInnes - Principal Lecturer

Nottingham School of Art & Design

Ian McInnes is a Principal Lecturer in Fashion Knitwear Design and Knitted Textiles, School of Art and Design, Department of Fashion, Textiles, Knitwear.

Rachael Wickenden - Senior Lecturer

Nottingham School of Art & Design

Dr Rachael Wickenden teaches across the BA Textile Design, MA Textile Design Innovation and BSc Product Design courses. She is a specialist in smart and functional textiles, woven textile design,

Careers and employability

Over our 180-year history of teaching textile design – a course whose heritage lies in Nottingham’s famous lace industry – hundreds of our graduates have gone on to shape the textiles community and industry worldwide. By studying at NTU, you can continue this legacy.

The diverse nature of this textiles degree lends itself to a broad range of career paths and industries, like fashion, interiors, automotive and trend prediction. You could become one of the designers, makers and artists behind the textiles that surround us every day; you could go into buying, styling, merchandising and product development; or you could explore textiles research, develop sustainable solutions, or educate others. As you progress through the course, you’ll get a taste of all these things and discover where your interests, strengths and ambitions lie.

With a guaranteed minimum of 240 hours of work-like experience under your belt and countless networking opportunities, you’ll graduate from NTU with the skills and confidence to make an impact wherever you go.

Our recent graduates have gone on to become:

  • Print Designers at ASOS, Habitat, Ashley Wilde and 304 Clothing
  • Embroidery Designers at Burberry and Hermione De Paula
  • Woven Textile Designers at Sage Automotive Interiors and Edward Thomas Interiors
  • Assistant and Trainee Buyers at Next, Dunelm and Boohoo
  • Marketing Executive at Aston Martin
  • Design Assistants at Emilia Wickstead and Holmes Interiors
  • Materials Graduate at Gymshark

Every NTU student can access tailored support from our award-winning Employability team for three years after you graduate, as well as our comprehensive online career resources for life. You can also benefit from our Graduate Employment Promise, which guarantees you a paid internship if you’re not in skilled work 12 months after graduation.

Placements

Between Year Two and your final year, you’ll have the opportunity to complete a year-long placement to boost your employability and gain real work experience.

The live projects you’ll complete during your textiles degree will put you in direct contact with big industry names, and these new contacts often offer placements to stand-out students. These are sometimes paid, and usually offer free accommodation. One of our industry partners recently offered 10 expenses-paid placements to second years, while other students completed placements abroad in Amsterdam, Ghana and Copenhagen.

The UK Fashion and Textiles Association (UKFT) also offer placements and financial assistance to textile design students, thanks to NTU’s UKFT membership.

Showcase and competitions

As well as entering a wide range of competitions internally and externally, you will exhibit your work to members of the creative industries at NTU’s showcase events, as well as on our online showcase site, which has attracted over 500,000 visitors since its launch in 2020. Both are excellent ways to reach potential employers and future collaborators, and many textile design students secure opportunities and job roles as a direct result of these connections.

Take a look at our ‘We Are Creatives’ showcase.

Campus and facilities

As a textile design student, you’ll be based in our contemporary Bonington building, which is home to its very own art gallery with an exciting calendar of exhibitions. You’ll also have access to a broad range of specialist, industry-standard facilities across the School of Art and Design. Just a handful of these include:

  • Embroidery, knit and weave workshops with industrial and domestic machines, and several types of weaving looms.
  • Print rooms with digital fabric printers, large flatbed printers for wallpaper printing, plus additional facilities for 3D printing.
  • Computer-aided design (CAD) suites, fully equipped with high-spec computers and Adobe Creative Cloud, Wilcom Embroidery and Pointcarre Weave software ready to use.
  • Natural dye and biomaterial labs for experimenting with natural and sustainable materials and methods.
  • Photography suites with professional cameras and equipment.
  • Resin, ceramics, casting, wood and further specialist workshops which you can choose to branch out into.

Find out more about our textile design facilities.

Our City Campus has everything you’ll need to keep occupied between lectures. As well as the Boots Library and its beautiful roof garden, there’s a 100-station gym; a whole host of cafés, bars and restaurants catering to every taste; our Students’ Union and popular Global Lounge; plenty of relaxed spaces to tackle your assignments or catch up with friends; and much, much more!

If that’s not enough, just take a few steps off campus, and you’ll find yourself in the beating heart of Nottingham: one of Britain’s top 10 student cities, and a hub of creative activity. Get inspired by famed vintage fashion outlets such as Cow and Braderie, quirky independent businesses, and vibrant cultural hotspots like Nottingham Contemporary and Broadway Cinema.

Entry requirements

UK students

  • Standard offer: 112 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications
  • Contextual offer: 104 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications

Other requirements

To find out what qualifications have tariff points, please use our tariff calculator.

International students

  • 112 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications

We accept equivalent qualifications from all over the world. Please check your international entry requirements by country.

Other requirements

English language requirements: See our English language requirements page for requirements for your subject and information on alternative tests and Pre-sessional English.

Policies

We strive to make our admissions procedures as fair and clear as possible. To find out more about how we make offers, visit our admissions policies page.

Fees and funding

UK students

- see the fees for this course, as well as information about funding and support.

£9,535 per year

If you choose to do a placement year, you'll pay a reduced fee for that year of £1,850.

Find out about the extra support we may be able to provide to help pay for uni, including NTU bursaries and scholarships.

The School will cover the costs of any mandatory study trips.

In Final Year, the Nottingham School of Art & Design will provide infrastructure costs for your Showcase.

If you’re selected to exhibit your work at a graduate show in London, the School will cover the cost of transporting your work, the exhibition stand and event set-up.

Material costs: Depending on the materials you choose to work with, you should budget a minimum of £500 (Year One), £800 (Year Two), and £1000 (Final Year) to cover the production costs associated to your course, including things like your final year project.

Student feedback suggest final year costs range from £650-£1800 depending on your collection. There are opportunities for material sponsorship with some projects.

You will need to pay tuition fees for each year that you are at university. The tuition fees, including the placement year and study abroad options are subject to government policy and may change in future years of study.

Preparing for the financial side of student life is important, but we don’t want you to feel anxious or confused about it. Visit our fees and funding pages if you have any concerns.

International students

- see the fees for this course, as well as payment advice and scholarships.
  • £18,250 per year
  • If you choose to do a placement year, you'll pay a reduced fee for that year of £1,850

The School will cover the costs of any mandatory study trips.

In Final Year, the Nottingham School of Art & Design will provide infrastructure costs for your Showcase.

If you’re selected to exhibit your work at a graduate show in London, the School will cover the cost of transporting your work, the exhibition stand and event set-up.

Material costs: Depending on the materials you choose to work with, you should budget a minimum of £500 (Year One), £800 (Year Two), and £1000 (Final Year) to cover the production costs associated to your course, including things like your final year project.

Student feedback suggest final year costs range from £650-£1800 depending on your collection. There are opportunities for material sponsorship with some projects.

You will need to pay tuition fees for each year that you are at university. The tuition fees might increase from the second year of your undergraduate course, in line with inflation and as specified by the UK government.

Scholarships

We offer international scholarships of up to 50% of your tuition fee. You can apply for a scholarship when you have an offer to study at NTU.

Living costs

See our advice on managing your money and the cost of living as an international student in Nottingham.

Paying fees

As an international student, you'll need to make an advance payment of £6,000 when you've accepted your offer to study at NTU. You'll then need to pay your tuition fees in full, or have an agreement to pay in two further instalments, before the start date of your course.

Find out how and when to pay your fees, including information about advance payments, instalment dates and how to make payments securely to the University.

Enquiries

If you have any queries relating to advance payments or arrangements to pay, please contact our friendly and experienced international enquiries team.

Additional costs

Your course fees cover the cost of studies and include loads of great benefits, such as the use of our library, support from our expert Employability team and free use of the IT equipment across our campuses. There are just a few additional things you may need to budget for:

Textbooks and library books

Most modules will recommend one or more core textbooks, which most students choose to purchase. Book costs vary and further information is available in the University’s bookshop. Our libraries provide a good supply of essential textbooks, journals and materials (many of which you can access online) - meaning you may not need to purchase as many books as you might think! There may also be a supply of second-hand books available for purchase from previous year students.

Printing and photocopying costs

The University allocates an annual printing and copying allowance of £20 depending on the course you are studying. For more details about costs for additional print and copying required over and above the annual allowance please see the printing and photocopying information on the Library website.

Placements

If you're undertaking a placement year, you'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst on placement. Many of our placement students do earn a salary whilst on placement which can help to cover these living costs.

Field trips

All essential field trip costs will be included in your course fees. There may be the opportunity to take part in optional field trips, which do incur additional costs.

Fees and funding advice

For more advice and guidance, you can email our Student Money Team or phone us on +44 (0)115 848 2494.

Cost of living information and support

Managing your money can help you make the most of life at NTU. Here's how we can support you, and now you can make your funding go further.

How to apply

Apply through UCAS.

We will ask you to provide a digital portfolio. Visit our webpage which has some advice on what to include to help make your portfolio stand out. After you have submitted your portfolio, we may also invite you to an online interview to help us make our final decision.

Optional Placement Year (Sandwich)*

Please be aware that all enrolments onto the Course will initially be for the full time 3-year route. There is however an opportunity for you to internally transfer to the 4-year SW route if you secure a placement. The placement would need to be confirmed and transfer agreed during your 2nd year to enable you to commence the placement in year 3. It is important that you seek advice regarding any funding and financial implications before making any changes to your course structure.

You can apply for this course through UCAS. If you are not applying to any other UK universities, you can apply directly to us on our NTU applicant portal.

Application advice

Apply early so that you have enough time to prepare – processing times for Student visas can vary, for example.  After you've applied, we'll be sending you important emails throughout the application process – so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.

Writing your personal statement

Be honest, thorough, and persuasive – we can only make a decision about your application based on what you tell us:

Your portfolio 

If your initial application is successful, you may be asked to upload a portfolio of your work and you may also be asked to attend an interview.

Portfolio advice

Would you like some advice on your study plans? 

Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.

Optional Placement Year (Sandwich)*

Please be aware that you will need to apply for the three-year full-time course. There is however an opportunity for you to internally transfer to the 4-year SW route if you secure a placement. The placement would need to be confirmed and transfer agreed during your 2nd year to enable you to commence the placement in year 3. It is critical to consult with the NTU International Student Support Team and the Home Office for updated visa regulations and requirements before making any changes to your course structure.

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