Textile Design - BA (Hons) Degree

Year One

Subject: Process Matters - 40 credits

Explore the fundamentals of Textiles through structured and decorated materials such as fabric manipulation, stitch, screen printing, dye and fashion and/or interiors markets.

Subject: Design Matters - 20 credits

Learn essential professional design processes and technologies used in industry, such as trend forecasting, mood-boards, colour theory, designing collections, and look-books.

Field One: Collaborate - 20 credits*

Work with students from other disciplines to discover new techniques that enrich your subject.

Constellation: Concept - 40 credits

Explore the theories and histories that underpin your creative practice. Learn how to develop your academic research skills and critical thinking.

Year Two

Subject: Innovation - 40 credits

Take risks and experiment with the potential of Textile Design: break the rules and explore material and surface innovation.

Field Two: Explore - 40 credits*

Explore outside of your immediate discipline to discover new thinking and ideas that relate back to your subject. Work collaboratively to discover real-world scenarios and understand where you fit into the bigger picture. Projects include live briefs, work placements, or starting your own business, for example.

Constellation: Critique - 40 credits

Critique literature, journals and exhibitions, and hone your ability to put your design practice into context. You’ll also have opportunities to interact with students and staff and research deeper into your areas of interest.

Year Three

Subject: Consolidate - 40 credits

Consolidate your learning with the production of a highly considered and professional body of work, by applying an effective and individual design methodology to your outcome.

Field Three: Exposure - 40 credits

Direct your own final major project resulting in an exhibition of your work. Launch your future career within the textile industry.

Constellation: Contribution - 40 credits

Research and complete your final theoretical project. Choose from a dissertation; artefact and critical text; creative enterprise research proposal; technical research report; or conference paper assignment.

*modules available through the medium of Welsh

Our curriculum is delivered by expert academic and technical staff who are engaged in research or professional designers and artists.

You will gain hands-on experience in practical studio sessions and specialist workshops where you will learn traditional skills as well as the latest digital processes. You will discover fundamental textile themes and ideas through key-note lectures and seminars.

Visiting lecturers and field trips expose you to the variety of real-world practices in Textile Design.

You will gain feedback and insights into your work through formal and informal crits and tutorials.

Our studio is an interactive, modern, and inspiring space with specialist areas to support your skills development, styling, and research.

Throughout the duration of your studies, you will be evaluated on three main criteria, which underpin all of the disciplines being taught at CSAD:

SKILLS: The practical, technical and conceptual skills you acquire during your course.

CONTEXT: Your understanding and knowledge of broader intellectual context within which your discipline and work is located. This includes historical, environmental and ethical issues and will often be explored in your 'Theory and Context' modules.

IDEAS: Your understanding of intellectual and creative ideas from within and beyond your discipline; plus your ability to acquire new concepts and form new ideas. Ideas will be explored in your written work, as well as being evident in your practical progress.

Each of these criteria is given equal weighting during the assessment process. That is to say that they are seen as equally important and critical to your development; an emphasis which is designed, for example, to enable a more well-rounded skill set from a student who may be skilled technically, but weak in generating ideas, or a student with much creative flair who may struggle to hone a broad concept into a strong, individual design.

We provide a number of ways for you to track your progress en route to submitting your work for marking. Understanding that the emphases will revolve around the core areas of skills, context and ideas, you will also become familiar with the structured assessment form used by your tutors and learn to relate to your work back to the intended learning outcomes of each brief.

The main types of formative assessment are; academic (feedback from your tutors); peer (from your course-mates or project partners); and self-assessment (which is your own critique, in light of other forms of feedback). You won't just be receiving feedback at the end of a brief, however – your tutors will often assess your progress as your work develops, providing formative feedback at crucial moments where it is hoped to encourage you to take risks, maintain your motivation or shape-up your ideas ahead of deadline.

Cardiff Met Textile Design graduates have gone on to work in a wide range of roles including:

• Textile Designers for fashion and interiors – Premier Textiles, Ian Snow, Peacocks, Rapture & Wright, Elan Bach
• Print Designers for fashion or interiors – Wilkos, Sainsburys, B&M
• Surface Pattern Designers for stationery – Hallmark, Design Group, Ling Design, Clinton Cards, UK Greetings
• Textiles Manufacturing - Goose & Gander
• Textiles Journalism – Selvedge Magazine
• Freelance and Self Employed – Freya Snow Textiles, Rachel Snelling, Lydia Southgate
• Trend Forecasting - WGSN
• Postgraduate Internships - AVA CADCAM, Fashion Formula, UK Greetings
• Visual Merchandising - John Lewis, IKEA
• Interior and prop stylists - BBC
  
  

Some students also choose to progress to further study and education including:

• MAs and PhDs
• PGCEs with a view to becoming art/textiles teachers or lecturers
  
  

Typical Offers

• Tariff points: 96-120
  
• Contextual offer: See our contextual offers page.
  
• GCSE: Preferably five GCSEs at Grade C / 4 or above to include English Language / Welsh First Language, Mathematics / Mathematics – Numeracy.
  
• English Language Requirement: Academic IELTS 6.0 overall with at least 5.5 in all elements, or equivalent.
  
• A level: Minimum three A levels. No specific subjects required. Welsh Baccalaureate – Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate considered as a third subject.
  
• BTEC National / Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma: MMM-DDM
  
• T Level: No specific subjects required.
  
• Access to Higher Education Diploma: No specific subjects required.
  
• International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma: 24 points. No specific subjects required.
  
• Irish Leaving Certificate: No specific subjects required. Higher level subjects only considered with a minimum grade H4.
  
• Scottish Advanced Highers: No specific subjects required.
  
• Other requirements: Successful interview and portfolio review. Applicants will be required to submit a digital portfolio.
  

Combinations of the above qualifications are accepted if they meet our minimum requirements. If your qualifications aren’t listed, please contact Admissions or refer to the UCAS Course Search.

Further information on Overseas qualifications can be found here.

If you are a mature applicant, have relevant experience or RPL that you would like us to consider, please contact Admissions.

How to Apply

Further information on how to apply can be found here.

For up to date information on tuition fees and the financial support that may be available whilst at university, please refer to www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/fees. 

Undergraduate costs of study in CSAD 

Materials 

CSAD provides a variety of basic materials. These enable students to develop their competence in a range of skills and demonstrate their technical ability. Materials needed in unusual quantities, or those that are specialised, expensive or unusual are at the student’s expense. Advice will be given about how ‘unusual’ is defined, which materials are deemed to be ‘expensive’, and examples given of what is viewed to be ‘unusual’. CSAD students often elect to spend on materials they prefer to work with, including sketchbooks and pens, as well as specialist equipment of their own choosing. 

In the main, no charges are made for the use of equipment, with the exception of some specialist high end equipment such as the Mimaki and 3D printers. Access to Cardiff FabLab is subject to student membership; it offers reduced fees for student use. 

For further information about additional course costs, including fees, equipment requirements and other charges for each undergraduate programme, please visit www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/additionalcosts.

Field trips and visits 

Field trips that are part of core learning will be paid for by the School. Additional visits are occasionally arranged which are optional and where the students may be asked to share the costs. The costs of study abroad, including exchanges, placements and projects are the responsibility of the individual student.

For general enquiries please contact the Admissions Team on 029 2041 6044 or email askadmissions@cardiffmet.ac.uk.

For course specific enquiries, please contact BA (Hons) Textile Design Admissions Tutor, Laura Edmunds:

Email: LEdmunds2@cardiffmet.ac.uk