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Textile Design with Integrated Foundation Year

Entry requirements


We welcome A Levels in a wide range of subjects, especially in those relevant to the course for which you apply.

We may consider a standalone AS in a relevant subject, if it is taken along with other A Levels and if an A Level has not been taken in the same subject. However, you will not be disadvantaged if you do not have a standalone AS subject as we will not ordinarily use them in our offers.

60 credits (with a minimum of 45 credits achieved at level 3) in a relevant subject.

A typical offer is between 80 and 120 UCAS points

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

24

A typical offer is between 80 and 120 UCAS points

A typical offer is between 80 and 120 UCAS points

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications

A typical offer is between 80 and 120 UCAS points

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications

A typical offer is between 80 and 120 UCAS points

A typical offer is between 80 and 120 UCAS points

T Level

P-M

P (Pass) grade must be C or above, not D or E

UCAS Tariff

80-120

A typical offer is between 80 and 120 UCAS points, primarily from Level 3 equivalent qualifications, such as A levels, a BTEC Extended Diploma or a Foundation Diploma, or current, relevant experience. Grade 4 (or C) or above in GCSE English Language, or equivalent, is a minimum language requirement for all applicants. Due to the creative nature of our courses, you will be considered on your own individual merit and potential to succeed on your chosen course. Please contact the Applicant Services team for advice if you are predicted UCAS points below this range, or if you have questions about the qualifications or experience you have.

a minimum of 40 UCAS tariff points, when combined with a minimum of 64 UCAS tariff points from the Supporting Qualifications

You may also need to…

Attend an interview

Present a portfolio

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Textile design

If you’re interested in taking on a new subject that you’ve not had the opportunity to study in depth before, or have been out of education for a while, then our Integrated Foundation Year courses might be for you. These four-year courses include an introductory year to help you build the core skills needed for specialist degree-level study.

This is a chance for you to let your imagination run wild and explore your creativity, expand your professional skills and develop enhanced subject knowledge in the domain you want to study. We’ll help nurture your expertise in problem solving, risk-taking, designing and making as you develop your abilities through five core modules.

After your foundation year, you’ll have a deeper knowledge of your subject, a clear understanding of your strengths, a developed practical and technical skill set and the confidence to excel in your chosen degree subject when you join other students for the rest of your course.

Create sustainable textiles using innovative and traditional techniques.

Through this Textile Design course, you’ll develop and explore your creative potential - cultivating insightful design thinking in an industry-linked studio environment, using both artisanal processes and the latest mechanical and digital textile production techniques.

Supported by a team of professional designers and makers, you’ll develop confidence, global awareness, technical expertise, critical judgement and self reliance, evidenced through your original and environmentally conscious textile designs.

You will:
Develop technical, design thinking and production skills in your chosen specialism
Learn teamwork, leadership and project management skills through a variety of learning environments
Develop critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills through the development of unique and innovative projects
Complete your chosen degree over a four-year period
Learn essential skills for woven, printed and mixed-media textiles, with sustainability embedded throughout
Work in fantastic facilities, using industry-standard kit such as industrial sewing machines, screen printing workshops, digital embroidery machines and weaving looms
Have opportunities to collaborate with degree students in areas such as fashion design, fashion marketing and interior design, across a range of projects
Take on live briefs set by companies such as The Natural Fibre Company, to boost your professional portfolio
Embrace artisanal, traditional craft methods – such as hand-dyeing using plants from our Dye Garden – alongside the latest mechanical and digital production techniques mirroring industry practice
Study at one of only six universities supported by the Worshipful Company of Weavers, which offers individual scholarships and educational grants
Have the chance to travel to events such as Première Vision, the international textile and trend forecasting show in Paris

Modules

Through this career-focused Textile Design degree, you’ll learn about technical process and production alongside environmental and sustainability issues surrounding the textile industry. You’ll learn how to design and make woven, printed and mixed media textiles for a broad range of outcomes, including fashion, interiors and one-off artefacts. Preparing for your career, you’ll also learn how to innovate and take creative risks, communicate professionally, network and approach potential employers.

Foundation Year:
You'll study five core modules in your Foundation year. These are all designed to help you explore the foundational elements of your subject. You'll gain relevant technical skills, learn to experiment and take risks, develop an understanding of professional practice, have opportunities to work across disciplines and collaborate with other students on live project briefs.

After the Foundation year, you progress into Year One of the full three-year degree, equipped with a deeper knowledge of your subject, a clear understanding of your strengths, and develop a practical and technical skillset and the confidence to excel in your chosen subject.

Modules:
Explore
Technique
Apply
Industry
Launch

Year one:
The first year supports you to develop individual creative skills and a voice within textile design. The modules are designed to help you to become adept at deploying a range of textile production methods with consideration for responsible, environmentally sustainable design. In studio based practical projects, you'll be supported through tutorials and workshops with design development and technical textile processes.

You'll learn to use professionally equipped studios to create constructed and surface design textiles. 

Modules
Colour and Pattern
Belonging
Responsible Material and Design
Histories

Year two:
During your second year, you'll gain an understanding of the range of markets and audiences available to you, and learn to communicate your creative vision, concepts, and design narratives externally.

You'll be encouraged to take creative risks, working with a range of techniques and share the development of your practice in regular group tutorials.  Advanced workshop processes are delivered in areas such as jacquard design, digital embroidery, and complex repeat design.

The year is characterised by communication, collaboration and professional practice by working on live briefs and entering competitions.

Modules
Process
Connection
Responsible Production
Collaboration
Theories

Year three:
Alongside writing your dissertation, you’ll create your own studio briefs in order to design and produce original textiles. This usually (but not exclusively) takes the form of collections of samples.

You’ll also start creating your professional portfolio and other self-promotional materials, and have the chance to take part in the New Designers exhibition in London.

Modules
Futures
Investigations
Innovate
Identity

The modules above are those being studied by our students, or proposed new ones. Programme structures and modules can change as part of our curriculum enhancement and review processes. If a certain module is important to you, please discuss it with the Course Leader.

Assessment methods

Foundation Year:
Foundation year assessments are 100% coursework based
Assessment will take place at the end of each module, and you'll get feedback and evaluation throughout the year. You'll be assessed through visual, verbal and written assignments, including your portfolio and a reflective journal. In your foundation year all assessments are pass/fail to encourage students to take risks and engage with the feedback provided.

Progressing in your specialism
Students studying on courses with an Integrated Foundation Year must successfully complete and pass all foundation modules before they can progress to the next stage of their course.

Your specialism:
There is formative and summative feedback given throughout your studies to help you progress your skills. This Textile Design course is also assessed via portfolio, journals, reports and written assignments:

Portfolio assignments include research, development, and production of textiles. Portfolios often consist of a sketchbook, technical files and textile outcomes presented on sheets or in an appropriate manner
Journals are formal ways of documenting the technical development and outcomes of projects
Reports are used to describe your process and contribution on collaborative assignments
Written assignments are assessed essays, for your cultural studies modules. There is a one written assignment per year
Dissertation or final-year project
Foundation year assessments are 100% coursework based

The Uni


Course location:

Penryn Campus

Department:

The Fashion and Textiles Institute

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

78%
Textile design

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Design studies

Teaching and learning

84%
Staff make the subject interesting
88%
Staff are good at explaining things
83%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
82%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

72%
Library resources
89%
IT resources
81%
Course specific equipment and facilities
63%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

99%
UK students
1%
International students
5%
Male students
95%
Female students
87%
2:1 or above
0%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A
B

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Design studies

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£18,000
med
Average annual salary
99%
high
Employed or in further education
62%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

45%
Design occupations
20%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
7%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Design studies

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£14k

£14k

£19k

£19k

£20k

£20k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

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