About Fashion BA (hons) in University of Northampton

Our undergraduate Fashion degree will develop you with all of the design skills and technical knowledge you need to be successful in the fashion industry. The course provides a rigorous depth of knowledge and industry-relevant skills.

At each level of the programme and through extra curricular activities you will be able to explore and advance your theoretical understanding and apply it to real industry issues and live projects.

Whatever your ambitions, we’re here to help you to achieve them. We’ll support you to identify the skills you’re learning during your course, find your strengths and secure practical experience so that when it comes to applying for jobs or further study you’ll feel confident in standing out from the crowd. We’ve created the Northampton Employment Promise because we are so confident that if you focus on your studies and complete one of our awards you’ll be highly employable by the time you graduate. Putting you in a great position to secure employment or continue your studies.

Course Details

Our Fashion course offers you a stimulating environment where we will encourage you to develop your own individual aesthetic signature. We will place an emphasis on technical finesse, balanced by creative exploration and material investigation. The design management and marketing elements of the course will also include guest lectures from notable industry specialists.

With our strong industry links, guest speakers, live projects, work experience and internships, all an integral part of the course, you will have access to everything you need to develop a major collection at a professional catwalk standard in your final year. You will also develop professional and entrepreneurial skills to help you find your way through the creative industries.

Over the first two years you will produce a portfolio of work before you specialise for your final year in either fashion, textiles or leather. Your final year encompasses the final major project, which is the design and production of a capsule collection, supported by academic research.

Study Trips

London, one of the world capitals of fashion is only 1 hour away by train and the course utilises this close proximity to enrich your experience with field trips and study visits to put theory into context. There is typically one field trip/study visit per year of study and the cost to you would not exceed £25 per trip (which is the cost of travel).

Held in London, Graduate Fashion Week is an opportunity for students to network with big names from the Fashion industry – from potential employers to scouts who are looking for the next big talent in Design.

See our students latest collections on the catwalk at Graduate Fashion Week 2019 below…

There are also a number of prestigious awards during the event, and our students are regularly recognised – either as nominees or overall winners.

That’s not all – our students have also seen their collections displayed at Asian Pacific Leather Fair in Hong Kong, Ningbo Fashion Week in China and The Wing at Silverstone Racecourse right here in Northampton.

Work Experience

During your second year you might want to choose to do a co-ordinated work experience placement and there will be other opportunities for placements throughout your course. We encourage you to make the most of these opportunities.

The Degree Show

Final year students display their work at the annual Degree Show at Waterside campus. Our Fashion students deliver some stunning designs. You can browse many of their fashion creations on our Flikr account.

Methods of Learning

We take a range of approaches to teaching, to help you learn in the best way for you. There will be classroom teaching, group and individual sessions, specialist workshops with industry partners and tutorials. You will get feedback throughout the year, verbally, written and online.

Assessments

Theory is assessed through essay writing, assignments, presentations and a dissertation. Practical work is judged through studio presentations and exhibitions.

Entry Requirements

Standard entry requirements apply to this course. A typical offer is around BCC at A Level or DMM at BTEC.

For more more information on how to make an application, please visit our How to Apply page.

If you are an International student and would like information on making an application, please see our How to Apply page.

Foundation Study Framework Entry Requirements

Admission to this foundation course is normally DEE at A Level or MPP at BTEC. However, we would also like to hear from you if you have professional or industry experience instead, a range of other qualifications or self-developed subject knowledge that relates to the course you wish to study.

English Language Requirements

All International and EU students applying for a course with us must meet the following minimum English language requirements:

• IELTS 6.0 (or equivalent) with a minimum of 5.5 in all bands
  for study at undergraduate level

For information regarding English language requirements at the University, please see our IELTS page.

University of Northampton Highlights

University of Northampton Average Tuition Fees And Other Expenses

For all the prospective candidates for the institute, an estimated cost of living in the UK is as cpmipield below.

University of Northampton Tuition Fee

The tuition fee varies from one course to another. Following are some of the popular courses along with the tuition cost:

University of Northampton Undergraduate Courses 

University of Northampton Graduate Courses 

University of Northampton Cost of Attendance

Basic list of expenses apart from tuition fee are as follows:

University of Northampton Application Process

Basic Admission Requirements

1. Certified transcripts of high school/college/university
2. One reference required
3. Statement of Purpose depicting the interest of the applicant in the chosen course
4. MBA applicants must also have a proof of work experience
5. Arts and design applicant must also submit their portfolio 

The outcomes of the English proficiency tests taken by all of the international applicants. IELTS, TOEFL iBT, and Pearson PTE are acceptable tests. The minimal IELTS scores needed to get admitted are as follows:

Additional Requirements

1. An overseas student who has been accepted must pay the GBP 5,000 deposit fee before the university would issue them a CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies).
2. Other documents for the visa application process are:

• Passport
• UK visa history form
• Proof of financial support