MA Textile Design

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MA Textile Design

Course length: Full-time 1 year, Part-time 2 years

Combining creativity, craft skills and technological innovation, our MA Textile Design Master’s degree course will develop and refine your expert knowledge of textile design.

You’ll work at the forefront of the discipline, embracing the latest digital and technological advancements while developing a clear understanding of the market and the commercial potential of your work.

Hone your textile design skills

You’ll be encouraged to push your imagination and stretch the boundaries of the discipline through creative use of materials, processes and concepts.

Course tutors and workshop technicians teaching on this postgraduate course are also practitioners, with extensive and diverse experience in areas including digital textile production, CAD for repeat design, laser cutting, illustration, dye and weave. The breadth and depth of their knowledge will benefit you as you experiment and develop your practice through exhibitions and national competitions.

Debate current issues and hear from industry experts

Tutorials and practice-based projects are designed to encourage debate and reflection on the environmental, ethical and social impact of textile design.

Guest speakers from industry will support your professional development and give you greater understanding of the range of pathways for practising designers in a rapidly evolving sector.

MA Showcase

Discover the work of some of our our postgraduate students in their MA Showcase at Norwich University of the Arts.

Graduates work in a broad range of careers including

Textile Designer
Textile for Fashion Design
Interior Design
Print Design
Illustration
Conservation

Product Design
Styling
Branding/Marketing
Materials Production
Further/Higher Education
PhD Study

All courses run as a blend of on-campus and digital teaching and learning, and follow current UK government safety advice. Applicants and students will be notified directly if any changes need to be made.

Course specification

Book an open day

Order a prospectus

Student work

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Marina Bijelic - Repeating pink and violet pattern with mushrooms overlapping and tesselating

Marina Bijelic - Repeating pattern with bats

Mark Mann - Text reads 'acts of gross indecency' and is overlaid on a background of dark green with floral vine embellishments and classical style sculptures, busts, and pottery

Mark Mann - Text reads 'acts of gross indecency' and is overlaid on a background of light burgundy with brass ornamental designs

Mark Mann - Text reads 'acts of gross indecency' and is overlaid on a background of dark green with floral vines and exotic birds

Marina Bijelic - Repeating pattern of blue butterflies

Lucie Summers - MA Textile Design work made up of lots of small rectangular pieces of fabric in pale pinks, creams, blues and greys

Lizzie Kimbley - Long rectangular textiles piece hanging on a white wall, made of woven squares in cream and blue

Maria Clarke-Wilson - Close up of MA Textile Design work showing a pale grey fabric background with pale gold leaf pattern

Ian Brownlie - MA Textile Design work showing a multicoloured circle on a white wall made of coloured twigs, surrounded by other natural twigs crossing over each other

Lucie Summers - Square artwork in blues, yellows, oranges and creams made up of different sized square and rectangular pieces of fabric

Naomi Povey - MA Textile Design work of a highly patterned wall with a wooden female figure in front wearing clothes in the same patterns

Daisy Gyapong - Printed textile design in pink, purple and black showing strips of colour with fish swimming along in a repeat pattern

Naomi Povey - White background with two small round figures with stick arms and legs and patchwork eyes

Naomi Povey - Black background with pink figures in a linear pattern across the rectangle

Lizzie Kimbley - Close up of a woven textiles piece hanging on a white wall and made up of grey and pale rust squares on a cream background

Daisy Gyapong - Close up of a printed piece of silk showing a Japanese tiered building surrounded by green leaves and pink flowers

Victoria Paulley - A grey table with individual terrazzo pieces in pink, red, coral and grey in different shapes placed apart from each other

Visit the Degree Show website

Entry requirements
Portfolio guidance
Fees & funding
How to apply

Entry requirements

Entrants should normally have achieved a BA (Hons) / BSc Degree of 2:1 or above (or its equivalent), in a subject related to your proposed course of study.

Applicants who hold a Degree from another discipline may also be considered for entry, subject to the submission of a satisfactory portfolio of art, design or media-related work in support of their application.

The offer of entry onto a Masters Degree (MA) is based on an expectation that you have the potential to fulfil the aims of the course of study and achieve the standard required to successfully complete the award.

Portfolio guidance

Show us your best stuff. Tell us what you still want to achieve. Your portfolio is your chance to paint a picture of where an MA at NUA could take you.

You should aim to bring about six pieces of work that demonstrate your learning, progress and creativity. The interview panel will be interested in seeing sketchbooks, notebooks, publications, catalogues, blogs or websites that relate to your practice.

We know that for some people an MA application is a change in direction and some work may only be in a developmental stage. We also know that for those in the final year of undergraduate study completed Major Projects may be unavailable or unfinished, in which case we welcome representative images of work in progress.

You can choose to bring original work with you or show a digital portfolio using your own device and on a USB drive, DVD, social media platform or through website platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, Prezi, Behance, Dropbox, personal websites or blogs. If you choose to present your portfolio digitally please notify us in advance of your interview. If you wish to submit a digital portfolio ahead of your interview we can only accept PDF documents or website links by email.

Tips on preparing your portfolio:

Your portfolio should be presented in a logical and ordered manner
It’s important to include a range of creative work that demonstrates your compatibility with the MA course you have applied for
The interview panel will be interested in seeing sketchbooks and notebooks as well as finished work
Physical examples of practice (printed matter, objects, painting, sculpture etc.) are acceptable at interview, but larger pieces of work should be shown as photographs or digital submission
Film, video and animation work should be 2-5 minutes long
Include any links to relevant websites or blogs that contain your work
Your application includes a 500 word written statement, but you might wish to include other examples of your written work (for example an undergraduate essay or a research report) that relates to your chosen subject
International applicants interviewing by Skype should submit a digital portfolio (see above) in advance and/or supply URLs to digital portfolios or online blogs that showcase your practice.

2023/24 University fees for new entrants

Norwich University of the Arts will assess students’ tuition fee status using the guidance provided by the UK Council for International Student Affairs

Students from the UK or Ireland and EU students with ‘Settled’ or ‘Pre-Settled’ status will be charged ‘Home’ fees if they meet the relevant residency requirements. They will usually be eligible for a postgraduate loan from the UK government.

Students who do not meet the necessary residency requirements will usually be charged ‘Overseas’ fees and will not be eligible for the UK government postgraduate loan. Since 2021/22, this includes new entrants from the EU, EEA, and Switzerland who do not have ‘Settled’ or ‘Pre-Settled’ status, because the UK has now formally left the EU.

Fee status	Course	Annual fee
Home	Postgraduate degree (full-time)	£9,000
Home	Postgraduate degree (part-time, over 2 years)	£5,625 per year
Home	MArch Architecture (full-time, over 2 years)	£9,250 per year
Home	MArch Architecture (part-time, over 3 years)	£6,167 per year
Overseas	Postgraduate degree (full-time)	£18,000
Overseas	MArch Architecture (full-time, over 2 years)	£18,000 per year

For Home and overseas postgraduate degree students starting in 2023, fees will remain the same for each year of your course.

Financial support for UK students in 2023

Postgraduate Masters Loan

For 2023, UK nationals and EU nationals who have ‘Settled’ or ‘Pre-Settled’ status may be eligible for a government loan towards course fees or living costs. Both full and part-time Masters degree students can apply for the Masters loan.

NUA alumni, staff and feeder staff discount

Home NUA alumni are eligible for a £1,000 discount on NUA postgraduate degree fees. For the purposes of this discount, alumni are those who have completed a course with us at undergraduate or postgraduate level, but excluding short courses.

All NUA staff and art teachers at high schools or sixth form colleges are eligible for a £1,000 discount on NUA postgraduate degree fees. As long as this status applies at the time that they start the course, we will honour the discount for the duration of the course, even if the person subsequently leaves their employment.

How to apply

Applications to our postgraduate courses should be made directly to Norwich University of the Arts using a Postgraduate Application Form.

Postgraduate Application form 2023-24 – Word format

Applications should be returned to admissions@nua.ac.uk

Terms and conditions

When should I apply for an MA course?

There is no official deadline for applying for a postgraduate course. We would recommend you apply by 25 August (at the very latest) of the autumn you wish to start. This will allow time for your interview to take place and the necessary paperwork to be processed if you are successful in achieving a place. International students requiring a visa should apply as soon as possible in the year they wish to start. Email our International Team for more information.

Find out more about applying.