Textile Design BA(Hons) Degree

Course outline

Stage 1

• Process and Production
• Contextualising and Articulating Practice
• Design and Make

Stage 2

• Designing for a Specific Audience
• Historical, Social, Professional and Contextual Contexts
• External Engagement
• Theories and Methodologies
• Work Placement

Stage 3

• Professional Portfolio
• Dissertation

Tell me more about the BA(Hons) Textile Design course

At Falmouth you'll produce samples, fabric lengths and one-off pieces, learning to critically and aesthetically evaluate your work, aided by your study of social, environmental, ethical and economic issues and their influence on textile design. Embracing recent advancements in the industry, you'll also study the principles of dyeing, printing, weaving and mixed media textile design, and apply them from idea inception to final production.

The opportunity to work on live projects with established businesses will increase your understanding of the industry and provide professional contacts that will help your future career.

By choosing to study for a degree in Textile Design at Falmouth you will:

• Benefit from being taught by experienced and passionate staff who are experts in their respective fields.
• Develop a wide range of practical skills, engaging you with the complete design process from conception to final production.
• Join a course that has a reputation as a leading producer of outstanding talent, with our students winning numerous awards, including Texprint, Selvedge Prize for Embroidery at New Designers 2009 and success at the RSA Design Directions awards and the Hand and Lock international couture embroidery competition.
• Have the opportunity to show your work at UCF textile exhibitions and other events.
• Be based at our exciting Design Centre, which boasts an array of world-class facilities.

Links

• www.texprint.org.uk
• www.newdesigners.com
• www.handembroidery.com

How is the course taught?

The course is composed of a number of units. Assessment is via a combination of visual, verbal and written assignments, including project work, essays, seminar presentations and a dissertation and exhibition in your final year. You'll also be expected to develop both peer and self-evaluation skills, which will be used in critical, conceptual, productive and professional capacities.

The course operates on a basis of continuous assessment with no formal examinations, and your final degree classification is based entirely upon the third and final year of study.

Assessment

• Coursework and portfolio
• Dissertation or final year project

Facilities

Our high-specification Design Centre has traditional and digital equipment including:

• Specially imported hand looms
• Computer controlled Jacquard loom
• Industrial embroidery machine
• Manual and digital printing facilities
• Dedicated dyeing workshops

Live projects

Stage Two students are currently working on live projects for the following clients and competitions:

• Joules Clothing
• The London Printworks Trust
• The Natural Fibre Company
• Hand and Lock   
  

Answers and advice about the course

For further information about BA(Hons) Textile Design at University College Falmouth, please email admissions@falmouth.ac.uk or telephone Admissions on 01326 255763.

Our student mentors are now on Facebook. To chat to a mentor about the course, living in Cornwall, or what to expect at Falmouth, check out the Textile Design group. You need to join the group before you can post. Our student mentors have already done the first year of the course... so ask them anything you like!

Textile Design Facebook group

If you're not Facebook you can still speak to a student mentor. Email your name and the course you're starting to: studentmentorenquiries@falmouth.ac.uk and we will be in touch with you.

Open Design: UCF for design tutors

At our first Open Design event in February, Heads of Department and Pathway Leaders from Foundation level courses around the UK spent the day with design staff and students at University College Falmouth, learning more about our facilities and courses.

Click here for more information and to register for the next Open Design event

Career opportunities

Our graduates are highly employable. We are proud of them and the range of jobs they succeed in. Read on to find out just what some of them are up to:

• Freelance designer - Laura Tricker at Westcott Design
• In-house designer - Anna Glover at Circleline
• Interior designer - Caroline Fowler
• Design manager - Becca Adams at Lisa Stickley London
• Self employment - Emma West at Pogofandango
• Lecturer/design tutor - Elizabeth Hammond at Curtin University of Technology
  

Other career options include:

• Stylist
• Buyer
• Colourist
• Visual merchandiser
• Postgraduate study

Entry requirements

A minimum of 220 UCAS points, equivalent Level 3 qualifications or relevant experience. You may be required to submit some work to help us decide who to interview. Successful applicants are generally those with the strongest portfolios, demonstrating experimentation, technical ability and understanding of the art and design process.

Please see our How to Apply page for more information.

For further information about BA(Hons) Textile Design at University College Falmouth, please email admissions@falmouth.ac.uk or telephone Admissions on 01326 255763.

Interview and selection process

As application for places is competitive, applicants who are not studying a Foundation Diploma or National Diploma in Art & Design will be asked to complete a drawing project, to help us decide who to interview. The project brief will be emailed to you and the project needs to be completed within three weeks of receiving the brief.

Applicants will be interviewed in small groups with your portfolios and sketchbooks, by a panel that will normally consist of three academic members of staff and one student. Applicants who are invited to interview will be given more detailed information about the interview before the event so you can feel fully prepared. You will have an opportunity to tour the campus and studios and to talk to current students about their experiences. There will also be an opportunity for a question and answer session with the programme leader or another member of the academic team; parents and attendant friends are warmly welcomed to this part of the session. You should expect to be here for around three hours.

You will need to bring a portfolio of work, sketchbooks, a copy of an essay of several pages in length (which you will leave behind). Your portfolio and sketchbooks should demonstrate the ability to investigate and develop a range of ideas. Drawing and visual investigation are particularly important. Your use of a variety of media and investigation of production methods and skills - not necessarily exclusively textile based - is also encouraged. We do not recommend bringing large three dimensional pieces - we would prefer to see photographs of this kind of work if you have it, although lengths of fabric and similar pieces are welcome if they are not bulky.

In line with industry practice, we recommend that work in portfolios is mounted on cartridge paper or lightweight card, not on mounting board or foam board and definitely not shown between plastic sleeves.

Interviews will be held on 18 January, 20 January, 29 February and 2 March 2012 only. Morning sessions will begin at 9.30am and afternoon sessions at 1.30pm.

Location: Tremough Campus

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