Textile Design, BA (Hons)

This course offers you the unique opportunity to explore and develop skills in the creative areas of printing, embroidery, weaving and knitting. Supported by expert academic and technical staff, you will learn hand-crafted and digital techniques in our fantastic facilities, and have the chance to take part in live industry projects and overseas trips.

NTU has a rich heritage and long history of teaching Textile Design. This Chartered Society of Designers (CSD) accredited course covers design for both fashion and interiors, and allows you to explore the different disciplines: print, weave, knit and embroidery.

Why choose this course?

You will have the opportunity to:

• Learn hand-crafted techniques and work with industry standard digital machinery.
• Work in our extensive Textile Design facilities with support from our expert technical staff.
• Participate in industry competitions.
• Transfer on to related courses within the School of Art & Design.
• Collaborate with other NTU Art and Design students.
• Undertake work experience and internship opportunities.
• Gain an international perspective through overseas visits to Fashion and Textiles events.
• Exhibit your work in Year Three at our Degree Shows in Nottingham and New Designers in London.

The career possibilities for graduates from this course are extensive and range from design roles to product development, production management, buying, merchandising, stylists and trend prediction.

Textile Design student work gallery
Have a look at some of work our students have created, in our Textile Design gallery.

Open days
To get a real taste of this course, why not visit us on one of our open days?

Can't visit us? Talk to us online...
We know it's not always possible to come along to one of our open events, particularly if you don't live in the UK. Throughout the year we will be running a series of live chat sessions, where you can log on and talk to us remotely.

Find out more about live chats for this course on our live chat webpage.

Latest news
Find out what's going on in the School of Art & Design on our news pages and the Facebook page.

Any questions?
Email us
Telephone: +44 (0)115 941 8418
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How many places are available on this course?

There are 80 places available for Year One.

When does the course start?

This course starts in September. For more information take a look at our academic calendar for details of term start and end dates.

What will I study?

Year One

• Textile Design: Principles (100 credits)
• Design, Culture and Content (20 credits)

Year Two

• Textile Design: Directions (100 credits)
• Design, Culture and Context 2 (20 credits)

Year Three

• Negotiated Textile Design Portfolio and Research Project (120 credits)

Find out what you'll cover in each module of our Textile Design course in more detail.

Degree Shows
In your final year you will exhibit your work as part of our Degree Shows at the University. The Degree Shows include all final year students across NTU's Art and Design-based courses, and are a great platform for you to celebrate your studies and showcase your work to members of the creative industries.

Students on this course also get the opportunity to be selected to exhibit their work at New Designers in London. Along with other Art and Design graduates from across the UK, you will present your work to industry and be in with a chance of winning a prize or gaining employment.

How will I learn?

You will be taught through a variety of teaching and learning experiences which will include:

• lectures and briefings
• workshops
• seminars
• tutorials
• peer and self evaluations
• presentations
• teamwork
• live projects
• personal development planning
• visits.

You will also be involved in self-directed project work where you will have the support of NOW, our virtual learning environment.

In Years One and Two you will spend approximately 75% of your time in scheduled learning. This includes:

• lectures
• seminars
• tutorials
• project supervision
• demonstrations
• practical classes.

For the remaining time you will undertake self-directed independent study which may be spent researching or completing coursework, either at University or at home.

In Year Three you will have less scheduled learning (around 60%) as you will be working more independently on your final year coursework.

How will I be assessed?

Assessment for this course is 100% through coursework.

You will be assessed at the end of each module and awarded a grade band (First, 2.1, 2.2 etc). You will receive feedback throughout the module so you know what level you are working at.

Assessment for design modules may involve the presentation of research, design development and application. Assessment for Design, Culture and Context include essays (written and visual), presentations and a final individual research project.

To progress through the course you must achieve 120 credits each year. Your final degree mark will be based 100% on your final year work.

Is the course professionally accredited?

Our BA (Hons) Textile Design is one of only 10 courses in the UK accredited by the Chartered Society of Designers (CSD).

As a student on this course you will benefit from discounted CSD student membership. You will have access to CSD online careers advice, guidance and vacancies.

When you have successfully completed the course you will also be eligible for free, automatic entry to the CSD at Associate Member level and have continued access to discounted CSD student membership and its benefits, for one year.

Links with industry

This course continues to develop its strong links with industry through its alumni and the teaching staff's own contacts. Industry live projects, competitions and professional bodies are a key feature of this course, giving you the opportunity to be exposed to current practices within industry.

You will be actively encouraged and supported to undertake work experience placements, which usually take place during holiday times, outside of term time.

Learn from expert staff

Our Textile Design team is made up of expert academic and technical staff who have extensive experience in education and industry. These, together with visiting professionals, provide a rounded, up-to-date education, informed by current practice and industry developments.

Course Leader: Dr Amanda Briggs-Goode

What do the course fees cover?

Find out what is included in the course fees for our BA (Hons) Textile Design .

It's a flexible course

This course gives you the option to transfer to other related courses in Year Two and Year Three.

• Year Two: You will have the option to transfer to our BA (Hons) Fashion Knitwear Design and Knitted Textiles or BA (Hons) Fashion Accessory Design.
• Year Three: You will have the option to transfer to our BA (Hons) International Fashion Business.

Where will I study?

You will study this course on NTU's City site, based in Nottingham city centre.

Our Textile Design studios and workshops are based in the Bonington building, a dedicated Art and Design building. You may have some lectures in other buildings across the campus, including our recently renovated Newton building.

Trips and study visits

You will have the opportunity to go on a number of national and international trips during the course. In Year One you will visit a destination in the UK such as Manchester or London. In Year Two you will have the option to go an international trade fair such as Première Vision in Paris.

Exchange opportunities – study abroad

You will have the opportunity to apply for an exchange in Year Two, to study at another university in Europe through our Erasmus scheme.

View the full course specification
Please note that course specifications may be subject to change

Our Textile Design facilities are extensive and each area is supported by expert technical staff. Our studios and workshops are based in the Bonington building, a dedicated Art and Design building.

Access to facilities

The Bonington building is open during term-time from:

• 8 am – 8 pm (Monday – Thursday)
• 8 am – 7.30 pm (Fridays).

During these times you can access workshops and studios.

Technical support in workshops

Technical support in our workshops is available:

• 8.30 am - 5.30 pm (Monday - Thursday) (lunch break from 1 pm - 2 pm)
• 8.30 am - 5.30 pm (Friday) (lunch break from 1 pm - 2 pm).

You can use the workshop facilities outside of these times, but you won't be able to use any machinery or equipment that needs power.

Textile Design facilities

• Dye facility: a range of dye types are available as are bulk and sample dyeing for both fabric and yarn.
• Laser cutting: fabric laser cutting and engraving facilities.
• Print room: hand screen printing, transfer printing, collograph printing.
• Digital print facility: Mimaki TX2 digital fabric printers
• Embroidery room: domestic machines, industrial machines and a Barudan multi-head digital embroidery machine.
• Weave rooms: Dobby and George Lloyd looms, Tapestry loom, Dracup Digital Jacquard loom.
• Knit rooms: domestic and industrial flatbed hand knitting machines and fully fashioned Shima and Stoll V Bed digital machines.

Other Art and Design facilities

You will also have the opportunity to use resources from across the School of Art & Design and wider University, including fundamental manufacturing machinery and equipment such as:

• lock stitch machines
• ceramics
• laser cutters for acrylics and wood; and
• shared 3D resources in casting, moulding and woodworking.

Books and library resources

In our library you will have access to an extensive and diverse range of books and periodicals that focus on specialist areas within Textile Design.

There are also other resources which deal with textile fundamentals, products, colour, design, illustration, advanced technology and fibre and materials.

Bonington Art Shop

Our specialist in-house art shop is based in the Bonington building. Run by experience and friendly University staff, the shop stocks a wide variety of arts and crafts materials.

The shop responds to the requirements of our students, and the stock on offer grows each year to support the courses offered within the School of Art & Design.

Bonington Colour Bureau
Located in the Bonington building, our Colour Bureau provides a range of in-house printing for NTU students and staff.

Specialising in graphic arts printing, the Colour Bureau offers high quality prints on a non-standard range of media in any size up to B0. It also operates a drop-off service so you won't have to queue, and aims to offer A4/A3 prints for same-day collection where possible.

The Bonington Gallery
The Bonington gallery presents a number of exhibitions throughout the year as part of a comprehensive programme of visual arts and design events.

Exhibitors include national and international artists and designers, current students and staff from within the University and NTU alumni.

IT resources

Our IT resource rooms and PC clusters are distributed across the City site, with PCs providing access to Microsoft Office, email, web browsing, networked file storage and high-speed online printing services (with a free printing allowance for each student). Resource rooms are available 24 hours a day.

What our students say

"The facilities are extremely good with lots of digital technology and industrial machines, while the technicians for each specialist area are amazing and always happy to help."

Joanna Corney
BA Hons Textile Design