Master of Arts - Textile Design
- 1,5 years
- Duration
- 30,890 GBP
- Price
- September
- Start
- June
- Deadline
- Master
- Degree
- Campus
- Format
- London / United Kingdom
- Location
Program description
The MA Textile Design programme at Chelsea College of Arts encourages transformative, multi-disciplinary, and collaborative approaches grounded in socially responsible, ethical, and sustainable values. You will take a conceptual and speculative approach, redefining your existing practice in alignment with future career ambitions and key research fields like circular design, climate justice, and social equity.
The course aims to develop your design identity, equipping you to become a proactive, collaborative designer who can influence textile design futures. Your research and practice will be supported within key strands of enquiry focused on culture and community, emergent technologies, and radical materials, with extensive access to UAL's specialist library resources.
Program structure
- Unit 1: Exploration and contextualisation
This introductory unit familiarises you with the college, university, and textile workshops through technical inductions and hands-on sessions in 'smart textiles' and emergent technologies like sensors and AI. Through group and individual research briefs focused on climate, social, and racial justice, you will define your creative direction and begin developing an ambitious MA design project proposal, while starting to articulate your research and practice in writing.
- Unit 2: Position and ideation
In this unit, you will position yourself as a designer by refining your research, material knowledge, and textile design ideas through hands-on experimentation with smart textiles and emergent technologies. You will deepen your understanding of socially responsible design, finalise your project proposal, enhance your critical analysis through a research paper, and develop your communication and presentation skills.
- Unit 3: Realisation and communication
This unit focuses on the production of your final design project proposal, portfolio, and body of work, while extending your critical research paper. It provides support to enhance your communication and transferable skills, helping you position your practice within professional contexts and build your profile and networks for your career beyond the course.
Price
Tuition fee:
- 30,890 GBP per education*
*Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.
You may need to cover additional costs which are not included in your tuition fees, such as materials and equipment specific to your course.
Requirements for applicants
The standard minimum entry requirements for this course are:
- BA (Hons) degree or equivalent academic qualifications
- Alternative qualifications and experience will also be taken into consideration
- Personal statement
- Portfolio of work
Entry to this course will also be determined by the quality of your application, looking primarily at your portfolio of work and personal statement.
Applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered in exceptional cases.
The course team will consider each application that demonstrates additional strengths and alternative evidence. This might, for example, be demonstrated by:
- Related academic or work experience
- The quality of the personal statement
- A strong academic or other professional reference
- A combination of these factors
Each application will be considered on its own merit but we cannot guarantee an offer in each case.
English language requirements
-
IELTS level 6.5 or above, with at least 5.5 in reading, writing, listening and speaking
About the university
The University of the Arts London (UAL) produces and encourages the creativity essential for a better future. Its colleges have been at the forefront of innovative education since 1842, creating work with a lasting impact on people and the planet, driven by curiosity, imagination, and purpose.
London is fundamental to UAL's identity, providing a vital context where the university connects and exchanges ideas with individuals from all walks of life. Globally, its creative network influences education, culture, business, and society.
Through innovative research and creative instruction, UAL's faculty and staff bring fresh perspectives to education. The university enables students to build the careers they desire by working with them at every level - from pre-degree to postgraduate, and from short courses to online learning.
UAL's colleges
Ranked second in the world for art and design, UAL comprises six distinct colleges:
- Camberwell College of Arts
- Central Saint Martins
- Chelsea College of Arts
- London College of Communication
- London College of Fashion
- Wimbledon College of Arts
Together, they form a community of creatives, innovators, trailblazers, and storytellers, united in their mission to reimagine the future.
Courses in the visual arts, animation, screen, communication, fashion, media, and performance are available at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
