Design Innovation

Entry requirements

A typical applicant will have a degree or related experience in the field of Fashion, Textile, Costume Design or Fashion Communication. Students will be asked to submit an on-line portfolio of evidence to support their application and applications are welcome from candidates who do not hold formal higher qualifications but can show their prior experience through a portfolio and relevant industry experience.

Students will be required to work to a high level in both project development and design plus academic work. We welcome applicants from a range of backgrounds and experiences, including international applicants with an interest in design innovation within their sector.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?

With a history of delivery expert craft, art and design education for more than 130 years, Buckinghamshire New University is the perfect place to start your creative career.

Led by a dedicated and experienced course team, you’ll benefit from their industry knowledge and the industry links they bring to the course. You’ll get direct access to guest lectures, who are specialists in the sector, and can benefit from live project briefs, master classes, and networking opportunities.

We will make sure that you have all the skills you need to elevate your career. Using our specialist facilities and resources you will be able to explore your ideas and research to a high and professional outcome.

You’ll benefit from a close-knit community with your fellow students, working within a cross disciplinary cohort to explore interrelationships from global, national, and local perspectives. We’re also only 30 minutes by train into London, one of the world’s fashion capitals, where you can visit to find inspiration and see emerging trends.

Our fashion and textiles programmes are ranked 3rd best in the UK (The Guardian University Guide 2023) and we celebrated 95% overall student satisfaction in the 2022 National Student Survey.

What facilities can I use?

We’ve spent a lot of love and care making the Fashion and Textile Studios the perfect creative space and one of the best-equipped workshops in the country. We are extremely proud to be able to offer industry-standard studios, technical machines and high-quality equipment to our fashion and textile-based courses.

You will master materials, both through traditional methods and using digital software. This includes an in-house fabric and yarn store, screen printing facilities, a dye laboratory and sewing and garment production facilities.

In our professional-working studio you’ll have you own workspace which you’ll be able to turn into your own personal area, where you can bring your designs to life and surround yourself with inspiration.

What will I study?

This degree aims to advance your knowledge in design industry practices. On this course we put a clear emphasis on producing professionals who can challenge current processes and drive mechanisms for positive change in the fashion and textile sector.

During your time with us you’ll become an independent thinker and a creative problem solver who can identify, lead, and extend innovation in your sector.

The modules within this course are aimed at providing professional designers and graduates across the fashion, textile, and fashion communication sector the opportunity to enhance your research knowledge and practice in parallel.

Whilst working to your individual strengths, interests, and future aspirations, you will initially complete rigorous investigation and experimentation across 3 key areas: Digital Futures, Entrepreneurship and Sustainability.

This course offers you the opportunity to identify and develop new products, processes, or ways of working to become a confident, creative, and motivated innovator of design. You’ll gain a broader awareness of global challenges from entrepreneurial, ethical, sustainable, or economic perspectives, to extend your intellectual, technical, and professional skills, with input from industry professionals.

Your individual topic of research will extend one of the themes into your practical capstone project which aligns to your final research dissertation and your career aspirations.

Fees and funding

For any questions about fees please visit our coursepage.