Design courses

About MA Textile Design in University of the Arts London

MA Textile Design at Chelsea is focussed on sustainable and socially responsible design. It aims to inspire you to be architects of future design practice. The content and structure of the course supports you to explore, contextualise and deeply embed creative approaches to sustainable design into your research and practice. You will place yourself at the heart of debates around environmental and societal issues and the changing roles and responsibilities of the designer in relation to these.

The course offers you an opportunity to explore a broad range of textile design contexts and possibilities in relation to your future ambition. You will look at how you can make a positive impact and help to shape the future of the industry through research and textile design practice.

You will explore key strands of textiles such as:

• Circular design systems and product lifecycles
• Environmental processes and impacts of sourcing
• Production and use of materials
• Technical and scientific innovations
• Patterns of consumption and behavioural change
• New approaches to user-centred design
• Social impacts and ethical labour
• Community engagement and environmental issues
• Designer as activist

What to expect

• A research-led and practice-based course, underpinned by critical design thinking, where the textile studio is the creative heart of the course’s design community, a forum for discussion, study and collaboration and presentation
• A range of learning opportunities that are informed by current and emerging debates and professional practice in the field of sustainable design futures
• Online teaching activities which include seminars, workshops, group and individual tutorials as well as peer presentations and briefings
• On campus self-directed learning time and teaching including workshops, community building activities
• A course which places an emphasis on each student’s Major Project Proposal, which underpins your learning journey and spans the whole course. You will write your own project brief during the first term of the course, through a process of examination and exploration of your research and design interests
• The Centre for Circular Design (CCD) is a research unit based at Chelsea whose focus investigates materials, models and mindsets for a circular economy and the role designers play in sustainable futures. CCD principles are firmly embedded within the course ethos
• Smaller projects and opportunities which entail collaborative peer-learning.
• Opportunities to engage in national and international competitions each year
• A learning context that offers you the opportunity  to develop the skills you need to become a confident, agile designer who can embrace and embed sustainable and responsible design thinking  into your creative practice
• To advance your knowledge and understanding of current and emergent textile design issues and debates taking account of local and global contexts
• Opportunities for the development of transferable and professional skills relevant to employment and further study
• Design research methodologies

Entry requirements

• A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in a required subject or equivalent.

English language requirements

• IELTS: An IELTS score (or equivalent) of 6.0, or above, with 5.5 in each of the components. Certain courses require higher IELTS scores of 6.5, 7.0 or 7.5. .
• TOEFL iBT: 80 - 100 overall.
• PTE Academic: 51 - 65 (with no less than 51 in each component).

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