Fashion Design MA
1 Year Full-Time | September Start
Option for Placement Year
Option for Study Abroad
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Option for Placement Year
Option for Study Abroad
The MA Fashion Design programme is one of five distinctive and creative full-time, research-driven, practice-based Fashion Masters programmes at Northumbria University that explore innovative, global challenges integral to the advancement of knowledge in the fashion discipline. Choosing from one of these programmes will enable you to graduate with a dedicated Masters qualification within your chosen specialism.
MA Fashion Design(Performancewear)
MA Fashion Design(Sustainable and Ethical)
The MA Fashion Design programme at Northumbria is suited to students from a range of creative backgrounds, providing you with the freedom to develop your creative-practice by exploring a self-initiated area of fashion research that is reflective of your expertise and future career aspirations.
MA Fashion Design considers contemporary topics of the wider field of fashion and aims to equip you with the knowledge and expertise necessary to challenge accepted Fashion norms. By crossing traditional boundaries and thinking and responding to new dialogues in design; through exploring innovative materials, techniques and technologies that are shaping our evolving world, this postgraduate taught programme will enable you to develop greater impact through your professional practice.
Northumbria School of Design has been delivering Fashion education for over 65 years. As a discipline, the Fashion team, alongside their students, work with a variety of high-profile companies spanning the breadth of the market, from high street to key designer brands. Our collaborative work with industry partners creates a space for future thinking with knowledge exchange that enhances the curriculum and enables students to graduate into high profile employment both in the UK and internationally. Throughout the duration of their studies, our students develop a critical awareness of contemporary issues that inform practices across fashion design disciplines. Our graduates leave their studies with an advanced understanding of designing products that have increased purposeful performance across different areas in the industry, where fashion responds to future human and planet well-being.
Ranked 11th in the UK for Design and Craft by the Guardian University Guide, we are renowned for our pioneering and innovative course frameworks which meet the demands of industry and produce graduates who are ready to step straight into employment or further their post-graduate education.
Level of Study
Postgraduate
Mode of Study
1 year
Department
Northumbria School of Design
Location
City Campus, Northumbria University
City
Newcastle
Start
September 2024
Fees
Fee Information
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Take a look at the work of our design students, exhibited at Graduate Fashion Week 2018 then browse some of our digital content for further insight into studying fashion at Northumbria.
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Approximately two-thirds of your taught sessions will be studio-based, following a ‘learn, explore further and apply’ structure, encouraging you to take risks and to cross traditional boundaries. The modules have been designed to reflect the realities of the design industry and working environments you will encounter on graduation.
During this programme you will undertake two 30-credit core modules in the postgraduate design framework. Design Thinking (DE7001) and Design Process (DE7002) will provide you with new ways of thinking and approaching global design challenges in the context of your practice. In addition to this, you will also engage in two 30-credit modules within your subject specialism Fashion Design Proposal (DE7008) and Fashion Exploration in Materials and Processes (DE7009), which will be your opportunity to really master your area of investigation and inspire you to push subject norms and discipline boundaries. To conclude the programme, you will undertake a 60-credit module (Project/Thesis – DE7003) which will act as a consolidation of your learning and give you the opportunity to explore a particular research question of your choosing.
On top of this you will have access to extensive digital learning resources, including recorded lectures and seminars, assessment feedback, and opportunities to engage in online discussions with your tutors and peers.
One key feature of that runs throughout the Masters is Personal Development Planning (PDP), which you will craft in close collaboration with your tutors. You’ll use your PDP to record what you’ve done and to plan what you want to achieve, enabling you to recognise your development needs and progress towards your unique goals. You will also develop your skills in reflective practice and collaboration, both of which are key to making an impact in the professional world.
You will produce sophisticated fashion products or single fashion items as proof of concept or may work in collaboration with industrial partners.
Take a look at portfolios of current students.
Take a look at what Northumbria has to offer and discover what studying with us can do for you.
Our staff have extensive industry experience and engage in world-renowned research to ensure their practice remains contemporary and innovative. You will work with a variety of both academic and technical members of staff here at Northumbria, all of who will help guide you through this journey, ensuring an enjoyable, inspiring and productive experience. The Programme Leader and Modules Tutors will all be accessible and ready to help you reach your full potential.
You will also learn from our collaborative partners including; Barbour, H&M, Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch and Pentland. Designers are lining up to work on collaborative projects with students on this course, which we’ve developed in close collaboration with industry.
Our collaborative work with industry partners creates a space for future thinking, which enhances the curriculum and enables students to graduate into high profile employment both in the UK and internationally.
Take a look at what Northumbria has to offer and discover what studying with us can do for you.
As a postgraduate student you will have access to all our state-of-the-art fashion technology. You will work in dedicated studio space where you can take inspiration from postgraduates across all design disciplines.
The MA at Northumbria’s Fashion Laboratory aims to create world-class designers and communicators in fashion, who have a global understanding of technological developments in materials and processes and how these will energise the next phase of Future Fashion Synergies.
Responsible design in either practice or commercial processes evidences a growing need to act in a restorative, regenerative manner beyond the ideology of sustainability. On the course you will have access to a specialist design laboratory to experiment with new processes and understandings for future fashion paradigms. This will support you to understand and reflect on ‘how’ and ‘why’ you design, enabling you to develop greater impact through your professional practice.
Take a look at what Northumbria has to offer and discover what studying with us can do for you.
You will develop research-informed methods of understanding the complexity inherent in real-world situations, to enable you to make better decisions, advance your practice, and add to new knowledge in your field.
You will be inspired by ongoing staff research and industry experience, and you will be aligned to the tutor with the most relevant expertise to support you through your major project.
Your specialism will be underpinned by the generic research-led contextual modules. These will provide you with a grounding in research methods, creative thinking, cross-cultural communication, contemporary influences on design, reflective practice, innovation and entrepreneurship, all through multidisciplinary and team-based collaboration.
Discover more about the research currently taking place within Design, and across the University within our multidisciplinary research themes. Feeling inspired? Join us to make a remarkable impact on tomorrow.
Take a look at what Northumbria has to offer and discover what studying with us can do for you.
Contemporary design practice is evolving due to new technologies and changing contexts of design innovation. This means there are more opportunities for graduates with advanced masterly understanding of how fashion and industrial design can collaborate in order to respond to future human and planet well-being.
You will hold a critical awareness of current issues, an analytical knowledge of relevant craft skills, processes and technologies, and the entrepreneurial skills to evaluate and commercialise creative opportunities.
You will have the opportunity to collaborate with organisations from across the fashion and creative industries through your project work, allowing you to build your professional skills, your portfolio, and your network of contacts. You will exhibit your work locally and in London at the end of your course, a remarkable opportunity to showcase your talents to a global audience.
Throughout the year you will have the opportunity to engage in a range of events such as conferences and guest lectures to help further your knowledge and build networks towards your future career aspirations. In addition to working on your personal design projects, you will also have the chance to work on industry-led, collaborative projects within cross-disciplinary teams, reflecting the nature of your future work in the fashion industry.
As well as supporting those seeking to develop independent fashion labels, this course will prepare you for a wide range of career opportunities within the fashion and creative industries and in roles as diverse as:
Meet some of the inspirational alumni who are making an impact after graduating from Fashion courses at Northumbria.
Take a look at what Northumbria has to offer and discover what studying with us can do for you.
Applicants should normally have:
A minimum of a 2:2 honours degree in a relevant discipline. Applicants with appropriate work experience and/or a relevant professional qualification will be considered.
Applicants are required to submit an online portfolio with their application.
International qualifications:
If you have studied a non UK qualification, you can see how your qualifications compare to the standard entry criteria, by selecting the country that you received the qualification in, from our country pages. Visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry
English language requirements:
International applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 with 5.5 in each component (or approved equivalent*).
*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades you will need in our English Language section. Visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/englishqualifications
For further admissions guidance and requirements, please visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/admissionsguidance Please review this information before submitting your application.
Full UK Fee: £9,250
Full EU Fee: £18,250
Full International Fee: £18,250
Scholarships and Discounts
ADDITIONAL COSTS
All costs are mandatory: General programme - Design Tools, Media, A3 Sketchbooks, Materials relevant to student line of research . To be purchased annually Module specific DE7008 and DE7009 - Toile and pattern construction tools relevant to Student individual project needs. To be purchased once DE7003 - Relevant student material needs to complete specific project. To be purchased once
* At Northumbria we are strongly committed to protecting the privacy of personal data. To view the University’s Privacy Notice please click here
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