Program Overview

---

Fashion Design BA Honours

Overview

Our Fashion Design BA has an exceptional reputation for being aligned with the international fashion industry and enabling you to have outstanding opportunities to engage with the industry throughout your course.

We specialise in helping you to become a highly original and individual creative designer, capable of working at the highest levels of the international fashion industry.

Course Structure

We use several different teaching and learning methods to enable students to develop an imaginative and creative approach to their discipline, based on increasing knowledge of practice and transferable skills.

Learning takes place through a combination of face-to-face teaching and independent study, including lectures, seminars and practical workshops.

Year 1

This level covers the core fundamentals of the fashion design discipline, including 2D and 3D design practice, CAD and CLO 3D, construction, design, illustration, pattern cutting, print, research, and sustainability for fashion design.

The first year of the Fashion Design BA at Westminster concentrates on introducing the student to a variety of skills and techniques related to all areas of 2D and 3D fashion practice. Design, research, illustration, cut, construction, print, and CAD are all covered.

Research is fostered through a variety of methods including visits to London Fashion Week, fashion shows, exhibitions, sketchbooks, and industry visits.

There are lessons in life drawing and illustration so that students understand proportion in 2D as well as 3D. Students undertake a range of design work spanning both conceptual and commercial briefs.

Subjects of study include:

• Construction
• Portfolio 1
• Skills
• Sustainability
• Transformation

Credit Level 4

Year 2

The second year of the Fashion Design BA Honours course focuses on understanding and addressing the demands and needs of the fashion design industry through assignments which develop students' creative 2D, 3D and digital design skills.

The Surface project focuses on fabrication, print and surface embellishment in garment design.

The Sustainable and Responsible Cutting and Draping project allows you to build on the skills gained in the first year and develop experimental cutting techniques aimed at waste reduction for sustainability.

The Identity project allows students to explore and draw on their own cultural identity and how this might inspire their design work.

There is a Preparation for Industry module to prepare students taking the year out in Industry, and a period of internship takes place over 5 weeks whereby Level 5 students assist Level 6 students in the studio in the approach to the Graduate Showcase in June.

Subjects of study include:

• Identity
• Portfolio 2
• Preparation for Industry
• Surface
• Sustainable and Responsible Cutting and Draping

Credit Level 5

Placement Year

The Fashion Design BA Honours course has exceptional industry connections and an excellent track record of successful internships that have benefited both the students and the fashion companies alike. Students gain an enormous amount of specific and transferable knowledge during this period of study.

The four-year option with Extended Fashion Internship is for applicants who feel they would particularly benefit from an opportunity for more professional development within the fashion industry – spending one placement year in between their second and final years at Westminster working with one or more companies in the international fashion industry, either in London or abroad. The optional placement year is subject to an annual University administration fee.

Find out more about the costs involved in taking a placement year.

Year 3

At this level, you are expected to develop a more strategic perspective and draw together your academic and work experience. You’ll study subjects that further develop your design skills, and you’ll also have the opportunity to specialise in areas of particular interest. You’ll develop a pre collection and a runway collection, alongside a portfolio of design work to enable you to apply for design positions on graduation.

The Fashion Design BA Honours course at Westminster was the first undergraduate course to be invited to show a selection of its students on the official London Fashion Week schedule in 2018.

Subjects of study include:

• Collection
• Portfolio 3
• Pre-Collection
• Thesis

Credit Level 6

Entry Requirements

• Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design – Pass
• International Baccalaureate – 128 UCAS Tariff points from the IB, to include HL 6 in Visual Arts
• BTEC Extended Diploma – DDM in Art & Design or arts related subject
• UAL Extended Diploma – Merit
• Access – 128 UCAS Tariff points from the Access course in an Art & Design or arts related subject
• First year of a university degree in an art and design subject
• GCSE English Language grade 4/C – IB grade 4 Higher level, GCSE Maths pass – IB pass

If your first language is not English, you will need an IELTS of 6.0 overall with 6.0 writing and speaking.

Selected applicants will be invited to present a portfolio of their work. We do not consider applications for year 2 or above. We do not offer deferred entry.

Portfolio Guidance

To be able to gain an understanding of you as a practitioner and your current breadth and depth of fashion related knowledge, we would like to see an edited sample portfolio of recent work.

What Should I Include in My Portfolio Submission?

• A minimum of three pages of fashion related research. Use your own photographs, sketches, notes, and gathered inspirational images, etc.
• At least three pages of design development from your initial related research. These can be a mix of hand-drawn, collage and computer work. This development work can also include sewn samples, knit, print etc.
• At least two pages of your outcome developed from, and in response to, your research and design development above. Demonstrated through photographs of the work, in close-up etc.
• At least one page that demonstrates either your skills in drawing (for example a fashion illustration) or demonstrates your personal inspirations/skills (outside of your Foundation or BTech project work).
• One page of fashion illustration that shows your skills in drawing while also showing your awareness of contemporary fashion and fashion illustration.

How Should I Structure My Portfolio?

Please prepare a portfolio and save it on a free website such as Flickr, Dropbox, Behance, Issuu, Google or any other portfolio platform. We would like you to copy and paste the portfolio web-link onto a Word document and upload that document to the Applicant Portal, as per instructions on the cover email. Please ensure that we can view the portfolio publicly by simply clicking on the link and that there are no passwords or expiry dates. Please type your full name and reference number on each page. Do not upload the portfolio as a PDF – links only please! Please note that we will not accept portfolios sent by email.

How Will My Portfolio Be Evaluated?

Your portfolio will be reviewed by a member of the academic team and some applicants will be invited for interview. We are keen that you use this process to help us to understand you as an individual, including your skills, your inspirations and current expertise. We are keen to see a broad range of your work within the limits of an edited online portfolio.

What Happens Next?

If you upload your work by the deadline, it will be reviewed by the course tutors, and a decision will be made. Selected applicants will be invited to either an in-person or online 15 minute interview where you can show a full portfolio of your recent work. They will let the admission team know and they will contact you directly.

Top Tip from Our Course Team

Check out the Westminster fashion Instagram to see images of current students work and to see recent graduates work.

Fees and Funding

• UK tuition fee: £9,535 (Price per academic year)
• International tuition fee: £17,000 (Price per academic year)

Please note that if you defer your place, the first year’s tuition fees will be those of the academic year in which you enrol, which may be higher than the fee shown for this year.

Fees are subject to UK Government Parliamentary procedure.

Find out how we set our tuition fees.

Additional Costs

Whilst some basics are provided by the course, students will be required to purchase their own pattern cutting equipment and materials.

See what you may need to pay for separately and what your tuition fees cover.

Teaching and Assessment

Below you will find how learning time and assessment types are distributed on this course. The graphs below give an indication of what you can expect through approximate percentages, taken either from the experience of previous cohorts, or based on the standard module diet where historic course data is unavailable. Changes to the division of learning time and assessment may be made in response to feedback and in accordance with our terms and conditions.

How You'll Be Taught

Teaching methods across all our undergraduate courses focus on active student learning through lectures, seminars, workshops, problem-based and blended learning, and where appropriate practical application. Learning typically falls into three broad categories:

• Scheduled hours: examples include lectures, seminars, practical classes, workshops, supervised time in a studio
• Placement: placement hours normally include placement opportunities, but may also include live projects or virtual activity involving employers
• Independent study: non-scheduled time in which students are expected to study independently. This may include preparation for scheduled sessions, follow-up work, wider reading or practice, completion of assessment tasks, or revision

Year

Year

1

32% Scheduled hours 68% Independent study 0% Placement

Year

2

53% Scheduled hours 32% Independent study 15% Placement

Year

P

4% Scheduled hours 31% Independent study 65% Placement

Year

3

55% Scheduled hours 45% Independent study 0% Placement

Scheduled hours Independent study Placement

How You'll Be Assessed

Our undergraduate courses include a wide variety of assessments.

Assessments typically fall into two broad categories:

• Practical: examples include presentations, videos, podcasts, lab work, creating artefacts
• Coursework: examples include essays, reports, in-class tests, portfolios, dissertation

Year

Year

1

16% Practical 84% Coursework

Year

2

7% Practical 93% Coursework

Year

P

0% Practical 100% Coursework

Year

3

0% Practical 100% Coursework

Practical Coursework

Data from the academic year 2024/25

Supporting You

Our Student Hub is where you’ll find out about the services and support we offer, helping you get the best out of your time with us.

• Study support – workshops, 1-2-1 support and online resources to help improve your academic and research skills
• Personal tutors – support you in fulfilling your academic and personal potential
• Student advice team – provide specialist advice on a range of issues including funding, benefits and visas
• Extra-curricular activities – volunteering opportunities, sports and fitness activities, student events and more

Visit our student hub

Course Location

Harrow is our creative and cultural hub, home to most of our arts, media and digital courses. It houses state-of-the-art facilities for every discipline, including project and gallery spaces, film studios, creative labs, collaborative learning spaces, and the Westminster Enterprise Network.

Harrow Campus is based in north-west London, just 20 minutes from the city centre by train.

For more details, visit our Harrow Campus page.

Related Courses

• Fashion Marketing and Promotion BA Honours
• Fashion Business Management with Professional Experience BA Honours