MA, CSM
You are using an outdated browser. Most of this website should still work, but after upgrading your browser it will look and perform better.
- Home
- Undergraduate Courses
- BA (Hons) Fashion
BA (Hons) Fashion
This dynamic course gives you the skills needed for a career in the fast-moving world of 21st Century fashion.
Fashion course information
Our graduating Fashion students scooped seven awards at Graduate Fashion Week 2018 – including the Graduate Fashion Week Gold Award.
Our course responds quickly to changing demands and opportunities and we have a reputation for producing ‘industry-ready’ graduates.
From concept to realisation, on BA (Hons) Fashion at AUB, you’ll experiment, interrogate, and develop design practises appropriate to your individual design philosophy. You’ll creatively explore traditional and modern techniques, cutting edge digital fashion technology, craftsmanship, product development and presentation. You’ll investigate connections between concepts of dress, fashion and the body as a site for artistic expression.
The social and ethical climate of fashion is a critical force; it’s central to course debate and practice. How we understand fashion’s impact will inform creative solutions and help you to become effective change makers for a more sustainable and inclusive world.
AUB Fashion are award winners in innovation, with a portfolio of student successes which is internationally recognised through graduate destination, exciting industry collaboration and inspirational speakers integrated into the DNA of the course.
During your time at AUB you’ll construct a unique portfolio of skills to support your career launch. We celebrate your individuality and will help you to realise a tailored path within the fashion industry and community at this critical time in history.
You may choose to complete your degree in one of the following named awards:
- BA (Hons) Fashion (Design)
- BA (Hons) Fashion (Design Technology)
- BA (Hons) Fashion (Menswear)
- BA (Hons) Fashion (Product Design)
Level 4 (first year)
First year prioritises creative exploration and skill set submersion. It focusses on fundamental skills as an enriching foundation for your student journey.
It’s comprised of three skill-based units with intensive design development, pattern cutting, construction and fashion textiles sessions. It’s underpinned by contextual, social and ethical debates and an introduction to digital fashion software to support your sustainable practise.
As you immerse yourself in university life, you’ll be encouraged to explore your design individuality (DNA), develop confidence in technical problem-solving and identify strengths, interests, and areas of specialism.
With a strong sense of course and campus community, collaboration is encouraged. You’ll work with students from other year groups to expand your understanding and emerging practise. This allows you to engage with a broad range of experiences to support specialist decisions in the future.
Level 5 (second year)
Level 5 prioritises innovation, market awareness and industry practise. Building on your knowledge of fundamental rules from Level 4 you are now encouraged to challenge them, critique the status quo, and innovate solutions to problematics within fashion industry and culture.
The 3D Image and Innovation unit offers a first opportunity to explore creative pattern cutting, develop knowledge of digital fashion software and presentation. You continue to explore your design ‘identity’ which is foundational to your unique design philosophy.
This is followed by Fashion Engineering; a technical unit where you discover the intricacies of tailoring, technical drawing, working with archives, and preparation for communicating with industry professionals. You are encouraged to question existing practices and look for new solutions, exploring diversity and emotionally considerate design as practice.
Level 5 concludes with the Industry Practise unit, offering the opportunity of UK or international work experience or participation in a ‘Live Project’ collaborating and designing for a high-end brand or design company. Recent collaborations have included Vivienne Westwood, Cos and luxury British heritage brands.
If you opt for an industry placement, you’ll be assisted in finding an internship and supported throughout to meaningfully connect experience to university study. The course also offers international student exchange. Recent placements have included Paco Rabanne, Cos, Vivienne Westwood, Christopher Raeburn, Victoria Beckham, Florence and Fred, H&M, Coast and Clarkes.
This unit offers flexibility of choice and experience in preparation for ‘real world’ employment or to encounter a different cultural or educational environment if you wish.
Level 6 (third year)
Level 6 consolidates skills developed through previous levels in preparation for graduation and your career launch. It’s considered by graduates as the most challenging and exciting time of their university experience.
You’ll focus on a specialist area of study related to a named award. Your Final Major Project is a self-determined body of industry-ready work aligned to your career plan. This is underpinned by a Research Project interrogating a topic relevant to your practice.
The Personal Branding unit is an opportunity to prepare and present your portfolio of creative work and exhibit the exciting innovation you have mastered throughout your time at AUB. It helps you to cohesively communicate your ambition, innovation and understanding of content and context in a professional portfolio of practice to meet the challenges of employment or further study.
All students are registered for the award of BA (Hons). However, exit awards are available if you leave the course early, having successfully completed one or two levels. If you successfully complete a level of the course, you'll automatically be entitled to progress to the next level.
For the award of a Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE), you must have achieved a minimum of 120 credits at Level 4. This qualification may be awarded if you leave the University following successful completion of the first year of your course.
For the award of a Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE), you must have achieved a minimum of 240 credits of which a minimum of 120 must be at Level 5. This qualification may be awarded if you leave the University following successful completion of the second year of your course.
For the award of a BA (Hons) you must have achieved a minimum of 360 credits of which a minimum of 240 must be at Level 5 or above, of which a minimum of 120 credits must be at Level 6. This qualification will be awarded upon successful completion of your course.
A BA without Honours may be awarded if you have achieved 300 credits, at least 180 of which are at Level 5 or above, and at least 60 of which are at Level 6.
Course team
On the BA (Hons) Fashion course, you’ll benefit from the expert guidance of our experienced teaching staff. You can read more about their specialisms by exploring their profiles below.
MA, PGCE-FE, BA
BA(Hons), MA
MA, FHEA, PGCAP
MA, BA
Watch the course video
Course leader Elena Crehan explains more about what you can expect from studying BA (Hons) Fashion at AUB.
This content can't be displayed, please accept marketing cookies to view
Accept to viewHow to apply
Once you've found the perfect Undergraduate course, you can apply to study via UCAS, including direct entry applications to second and third year.
When applying through UCAS, use the institution code A66. All of our courses take place on one site, so we don't have a campus code. We'll then use your completed UCAS form to make decisions about your application. You can find out more on entry requirements in our apply section.
When you apply to one of our courses, it's important that you help us get a good picture of both you and your work – so you'll need a great personal statement. We want to know more about why you're interested in the course, your key influences, and what you hope to do after your studies.
If you're invited for an interview, many of our courses will ask to see a portfolio of your work so we can get more insight into your ideas and abilities. To help you, we've created guidelines outlining what we expect from your portfolio for each course.
Student Gallery
This content can't be displayed, please accept marketing, statistics cookies to view
Accept to view
This content can't be displayed, please accept marketing, statistics cookies to view
Accept to view
This content can't be displayed, please accept marketing, statistics cookies to view
Accept to view
This content can't be displayed, please accept marketing, statistics cookies to view
Accept to view
This content can't be displayed, please accept marketing, statistics cookies to view
Accept to view
This content can't be displayed, please accept marketing, statistics cookies to view
Accept to view
This content can't be displayed, please accept marketing, statistics cookies to view
Accept to view
This content can't be displayed, please accept marketing, statistics cookies to view
Accept to view
This content can't be displayed, please accept marketing, statistics cookies to view
Accept to viewPortfolio requirements
It's important that your portfolio includes a range of work that enables us to assess both your intellectual and innovative creative ability.
We want to see evidence of creativity and originality, along with a commitment to studying fashion.
Top tips on how to prepare your portfolio:
It's critical that as a next generation designer, you become a pioneer in innovation and change, and explore new and better ways of working, push creative boundaries, and blend modern technology, with traditional craftsmanship, and ethical practice.
The future of the industry is about making conscious decisions and generating innovative and sustainable fashion products that have a specific place in a current and contemporary market that consumers respect and aspire to own.
Studios and resources
Our dedicated studios are equipped with a range of state-of-the-art industry-standard specialist machinery.
You’ll have access to Lectra Modaris and CLO 3D technology, three digital studios and three working studios, plus a dedicated sewing room. You’ll also use a seminar and theory room for lectures and tutorials.
Fashion Studios
Students will have access to 3 digital studios, 3 working studios and a dedicated sewing room.
Lectra Modaris and CLO 3D
Students will have access to Lectra Modaris and CLO 3D technology.
MoDiP
MoDiP is the UK's leading resource for the study and interpretation of design in plastics and specialist research resource
The Library
The Library at AUB holds an excellent range of print and online collections
Teaching and learning
The course combines both independent learning and taught sessions throughout all levels.
Taught sessions are designed to support, underpin and inform independent learning and are delivered in a variety of styles including a diverse range of ongoing practical workshops, demonstrations, lectures, group and individual tutorials, seminars, critiques, unit briefings and optional study visits. These are delivered by the course team and supplemented by visiting practitioners from the fashion industry.
Teaching is directed at supporting individual engagement in learning, although there are opportunities to work in teams to enable you to learn the value of peer cooperation. As members of the cohort, you're all active participants in learning and teaching and through this the sharing of good practice is established. Peer learning is facilitated through group critiques and feedback sessions, collaborative projects and more informally within the studio environment.
The course team has developed a variety of learning and teaching methods which support different learning styles, inclusivity and access to learning. The main focus for the learning and teaching methods is through the assignment(s) undertaken for each unit, which reflect the level of study.
The course team has developed team teaching opportunities, both within the core team and in collaboration with Visiting Tutors and industry professionals, to enhance learning opportunities and to further your knowledge and awareness of industry practices and expectations. The team also regularly attend new and updated training, seminars and conferences in order to keep delivery current and in line with industry requirements.
The study time allocated to each unit in the course incorporates a balance of formal teaching, tutorial support and independent learning. The course is structured progressively to provide increased opportunities for independent learning as you reach the later stages of the course. The progressive promotion of independent learning and self-reflection encourages anticipated maturity and allows you to direct learning towards individual goals. Emphasis is placed upon reflective practice where you'll be expected to progressively take personal responsibility for your learning.
Contact hours include all scheduled teaching sessions, but also supervised time in the workshop or studio. In line with national guidance, we include in our calculation of contact hours all the time which is scheduled in the studio for independent study which is also supported by staff (either academic staff, or technicians).
The information provided below gives the proportion of your study time which constitutes contact hours. Where there are optional routes through the course, we've used the figures for the most popular option.
Assessment and feedback
Each unit is assessed separately, and the assessment forms part of the unit. Assessment both provides a measure of your achievement, and also gives you regular feedback on how your learning is developing.
For every unit of your course, we'll inform you of what you are expected to learn, what you have to submit, how your work will be assessed, and the deadline for presenting your work for assessment. This is made available through Unit Information, which is on your course blog.
You'll receive a final mark for each unit in the form of a percentage, which will be recorded on your formal record of achievement (transcript). Each component of assessment is graded using a notched marking scale, whereby only certain marks are used within each grade. The only marks available within any ten-point band are *2, *5 and *8 (e.g. 62, 65, 68). These marks correspond to a low, mid, and high level of achievement within each grade band.
All learning outcomes must be passed to successfully complete the unit.
On successful completion of your Honours degree course, you'll be awarded a degree classification based on your unit marks. The final classification is determined using all unit marks at Levels 5 and 6 using two different algorithms, which are detailed in the HE Student Regulations. If the two algorithms produce different results, you'll be awarded the higher class of degree.
If you've joined Level 6 through either the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) route or having completed a Foundation Degree (FdA), the final classification is determined using only your unit marks at Level 6.
For further information on assessment, progression, awards and classifications, please visit viewpoint.aub.ac.uk.
What our graduates are doing
Graduates from this course have gone on to work with UK and International brands such as Burberry, Ralph Lauren and Net-a-Porter.
Our graduates work as designers, pattern cutters, garment technologists, product developers, fashion buyers, merchandisers, promoters and more. Here are some examples of recent graduate career destinations:
- Stylists at White Room and Inca Productions, or working freelance
- Buyers/merchandisers at Arcadia Group, Miss Selfridge and Signet
- Working at Condé Nast
- Sales and Marketing roles at Free People, 3rd Rock, GP & Baker Eyewear
The unique nature of the BA (Hons) Fashion programme helps you learn skills and gain knowledge that is transferable to many different roles across the fashion industry.
Our fashion graduates secure jobs in fashion design, buying, merchandising and visual merchandising, as well as trend and fashion forecasting, fashion journalism and PR, freelance work or setting up their own business.
Sophie Whatling
My collection is inspired by illustration and artwork. A lot of it is based on mental health...
Daniel Rynne
My collection is based on the work of Dorothea Lange and the Farm Security Administration...
Our graduating Fashion students scooped seven awards at Graduate Fashion Week 2018 – including the Graduate Fashion Week Gold Award.
Trips and visits
As part of your course you may also get the opportunity to take part in course trips.
Previous trips have included:
- Beijing
- New York
- Paris
- London (Victoria & Albert Museum)
*These trips are optional and some may incur additional costs
