Textile Design - BA (Hons) Degree

Year One

Subject: Fundamentals - 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: Application & Context - 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.

Research Basics - 20 credits*
This module aims to develop students' core academic research skills including locating sources, evaluating credibility, and analysing information. It will provide the foundations from which students will cultivate their confidence to engage in theoretical discourse and idea-driven dialogues which will be required throughout their undergraduate studies.

Interdisciplinary Understanding - 40 credits
This module aims to introduce you to the principles of Interdisciplinary working: collaborative working, critical thinking and reflection. Projects within the module will challenge you to work with another discipline to explore a societal and cultural theme or challenge.

Year Two

Subject: Textile Horizons - 40 credits
Take risks and experiment with the potential of Textile Design: break the rules and explore material and surface innovation.

21st Century Challenges - 40 credits
The 21st Century Challenges module builds upon the introduction to Interdisciplinary problem-solving developed at level 4 to continue to refine, and begin to apply, your skillsets through real-world projects and live briefs. Projects will tackle 21st Century Challenges to develop your leadership, collaboration, future literacy/critical thinking skillsets.

Real-World Contexts - 20 credits
The Real-World Contexts module challenges you to apply the situated awareness and future-thinking skills to deploy your own practice in the creation or promotion of value for a variety of external stakeholders and communities.

Research Proposal - 20 credits*
The Research Proposal offers you an opportunity to strengthen your research skills, consolidate your research experience and orientate your level 6 contribution around an enquiry of your choosing that is inspired by your learning across all modules at level 4 and 5. This research proposal will be used to continue your personal and professional development at level 6 where you will identify a route for your own enquiry

Year Three

Subject: Consolidate - 60 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.

Positioning in Practice - 20 credits
The module aims to support your readiness in developing your unique professional career. It will embed attributes reflective of the requirements of real-world practice aligned to your specialist discipline. You will have the opportunity to reflect upon how your experiences over the last 3 years have allowed you to position yourself as a professional in preparation for graduate level work, continued study, research, and entrepreneurial ventures.

Contribution - 40 credits*
Your practice is underpinned by your knowledge. Demonstrate your research and analysis skills in your final research submission, where you explore ideas in both written and practical forms​.

*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.

Students take a significant lead in their studies, develop their own research focus and expertise base and actively engage with the process of assessment and the manner in which their individual expertise is expressed and tested.

Students will be supported as they work autonomously such that they are able to generate significant and unique learning through rigorous, self-directed and collaborative practice.

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.

Our industry contacts mean that we can provide you with the chance to take on live client briefs and internship opportunities, preparing you for your future career. Recent clients include Aston Martin, Daniel Heath Studio and Transport for Wales. You will also have the chance to take part in graduate exhibitions such as New Designers, exposing you to the industry at large.​

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 Advanced Skills Baccalaureate 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 portfolio review. For more information please read our Advice for Applicants page.

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.

What’s included?

We offer a wide range of specialist facilities for our creative programmes, with dedicated studios, purpose-built workshops, and extensive technical equipment. You will have access to these workshops following successful inductions, and will be supported by a highly skilled technical team.

You will not be charged a studio fee and will be provided with all the essential materials that you need to learn the processes that your course requires.

Cardiff Met is an Adobe® Creative Campus, and CSAD students have access to the full Adobe® Creative Cloud at no additional cost.

We pride ourselves on leading the way in sustainable studio and workshop practices. Whether that’s carbon literacy, re-use, waste reduction and material science, you will be encouraged to use materials consciously as you develop your own way of working. You will also get:

• Dedicated studios for independent work or group study
• UK-based study trips that are core to your learning experience
• Creative digital facilities tailored to your course, such as specific software, print facilities or digital visualisation tools
• IT and library facilities, which include an extensive range of artists’ books, publications, journals, magazines, and digital resources to support your learning and research

What is an additional cost?

When developing individual projects, you will select and provide your own materials, many of which can be purchased at cost price on campus. We will support you in sourcing additional materials depending on your creative ambitions and budget, and in keeping with our sustainable and safe practices.

You may require course-specific equipment and tools, but this will vary depending on your practice. A joining pack will be sent to you before you start, containing detailed information about any recommended equipment including laptop specification advice. We recommend that you don’t make major purchases before receiving the joining pack or speaking with a member of staff.

Some examples of additional costs:

• Students will find a laptop or tablet helpful and will need to allow for the purchase of apps and software
• Optional UK or overseas study trips and exchange programmes
• Placements and associated costs such as travel and accommodation
• Optional access to Cardiff FabLab which is subject to charges for equipment use and materials
• Material costs when opting to use specialist equipment independently, such as digital fabric printing, 3D printing and laser cutting
• Other costs such as printing, copying, and the purchase of textbooks

For up-to-date information on tuition fees and financial support that may be available whilst at Cardiff Met, please visit www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/fees.

If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact us.

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

For course specific enquiries, please contact Admissions Tutor, Laura Edmunds:

• Email: textiledesign@cardiffmet.ac.uk