Fashion Design, BA (Hons), with industry placement

This four-year fashion course, including a Professional Placement Year, is a fast-paced and demanding program designed for ambitious individuals seeking careers in the industry. It builds a reputation for nurturing innovative, award-winning designers through a comprehensive education that emphasizes creativity, personal design philosophy, and technical skills like pattern cutting and fabric development. As a member of the British Fashion Council Colleges Council and partner with the Fashion Museum, students access unparalleled resources to develop their unique style and professional portfolios.In the first year, fundamentals such as design, drawing, and tailoring are covered. The second year focuses on personal style through research and live projects, including potential internships. The Professional Placement Year involves 9-13 months of external work, supported by career services and bursaries. Final year students create contemporary collections, participate in competitions like Graduate Fashion Week, and complete a written thesis. Assessment is continuous, with no exams, emphasizing practical and critical studies.

Year 1 - This level covers the core fundamentals of fashion design disciplines including 2D and 3D practice; design, drawing, fashion illustration, CAD, construction, pattern cutting, ideas research and trend research as well as fabric sourcing and development; the relationship between fabric and design. You’ll develop two-dimensional presentation skills investigating ideas through drawing within a sketchbook to inform your three- dimensional work and may use the Fashion Museum as a key resource for research. Tailoring is also covered at this level. We’ll introduce you to fashion history and context. Year 2 - In your second year you’ll be encouraged to develop a more personal design style and to develop ideas through research, design development, and design translation using drape and modelling on the stand. You’ll develop your drawing and fashion illustration skills and learn to communicate your ideas and design process within a fashion portfolio, as well as participate in a live project brief offering the chance to be selected for a paid internship in San Francisco. You’ll also undertake an external brief. Year 3 - Professional Placement Year. Final Year - At this level you’ll develop a more strategic perspective and negotiate a body of work that reflects your personal practice as a designer, drawing together your academic experiences and personal interests to develop a highly professional contemporary fashion collection. You’ll work as a designer in industry working with external companies or collaborating with other disciplines as necessary. As part of professional contexts you’ll enter national design competitions, develop a strong fashion portfolio and self promotional materials, as well as greater knowledge of business and roles within fashion to help you develop an employment strategy. Students will have a presence at Graduate Fashion Week in London that is attended by industry and press from the UK and overseas, as well as showcasing work in Bath at the Bath School of Design degree show. At this level you’ll also undertake a written thesis.