University Centre

Courses for Adults

York School of Art

BA (Hons) Fashion Design & Garment Technology*

Curriculum Area

Art & Design

Start Date

September 2027

Study Mode

Full-time

Duration

3 Years (3 days per week)

Level

Level 6

Fee

Fees for the 2027/28 academic year are currently under review. As an indication, annual fees are expected to be in the region of £7,500 - £9,000.

Entry Requirements

You need 32 UCAS Tariff points, along with a Level 3 qualification in a relevant subject or A Levels. Significant relevant prior learning and experience is also considered, so a strong background in making or industry can support an application that does not tick every formal box. You will be asked to submit a portfolio.

Validating partner

The Open University

The fashion industry needs people who can design a garment and then make it work in production. This degree trains you to do both.

Part of York School of Art, our BA (Hons) Fashion Design & Garment Technology covers the design and technical skills the fashion design and technology sectors rely on. You build knowledge of 2D and 3D technology alongside the research and design skills behind a finished fashion product.

Train on the technology the industry actually uses

Our specialist facilities simulate an industrial working environment, and our fully equipped CAD suite runs the latest software.

You become proficient with cutting-edge pattern cutting technology from Gerber, which means you leave fluent in both digital and traditional pattern cutting. Those are the technical skills our industry is short of, and they are what make a graduate employable from day one.

Think about the industry you are entering

Fashion faces serious global, economic, environmental and social questions.

You will explore those themes throughout the course and work out where you stand, so you graduate ready to contribute to a better fashion industry rather than simply joining the existing one.

Collaborate with industry and across disciplines

Collaborative projects with industry partners let you experience a range of roles first hand, rather than reading job descriptions.

You also build working links with our other creative degrees, which opens up cross-disciplinary partnerships and access to specialist resources across jewellery, graphics, media make-up, photography and media.

Get out of the studio

Our enrichment programme is rich and varied:

External visits to exhibitions and galleries
Visits to suppliers and manufacturers
A residential trip to source materials for your final collection
Attendance at global industry trade events

UCAS Code: 2A5T

UCAS Institution Code: Y70

*Subject to revalidation
Our Open University-validated courses are subject to the University’s regular re-validation process, which takes place every five years. This ensures our programmes remain current and continue to reflect the latest employer and industry needs. As part of this process, modules may be updated and, in some cases, course titles may change. While this course is shown as ‘subject to re-validation’, the programmes listed have been successfully delivered for many years and it is intended to continue for 2027 and beyond. We will keep applicants informed of any changes arising from the revalidation process, and the information published on our website will always reflect the latest information available.

Please visit our Higher Education Policies and Procedures page for comprehensive guidance on all higher education policies and procedures, including those of the Open University.

Modules

Level 4	Level 5	Level 6
Fashion Presentation	Commercial Viability	Design Research Proposal
Fashion Translation	Product Innovation	Professional Practice
Creative Fashion Fundamentals	Technical Development	Product Development
Design Collaboration	Preparing for Industry	Major Design Project

You need 32 UCAS Tariff points, along with a Level 3 qualification in a relevant subject or A Levels.

Significant relevant prior learning and experience is also considered, so a strong background in making or industry can support an application that does not tick every formal box.

Your portfolio

We will ask you for a portfolio that shows your ideas and abilities creatively. Work from school or college is welcome, and so are projects you have developed independently.

Assessment mirrors how the fashion industry works, so the methods vary across the course:

Presentations to clients
Garment realisation
Written modules including Design Research Proposal and Negotiated Study

The written modules follow the academic conventions expected at this level of study. You need to pass each module in order to progress to the next stage.

By the end of the degree, you will be capable across both halves of the job title:

Fashion design and manufacturing
Traditional and digital pattern cutting
3D garment simulation
Garment tech packs, covering costings, size charts, layplans, technical drawings and method of construction
Communication and problem solving in a commercial setting
Understanding of the social, cultural and environmental contexts shaping fashion
Entrepreneurial skills for self-employment or starting a small business

Teaching draws on a wide range of strategies rather than one format.

Tutor-led demonstrations take place in our studio and workshop spaces, group work builds your ability to collaborate, and seminars give you room to discuss and debate ideas. You also receive one-to-one feedback within timetabled studio sessions, so guidance on your own work is regular and specific.

Studio design practice runs in parallel with workshop activity throughout, and independent learning is encouraged across all three levels.

Some costs are covered and some are yours to plan for.

Books are available through our Learning & Research Centre, though you may want personal copies of certain titles. Materials for group projects are provided, but you buy the fabrics for your major projects, and that spend depends on the collection you design.

You should also plan for off-site trips, including the residential to Paris and day trips to London.

The following equipment is recommended rather than essential:

Pattern Master
Fabric scissors
Measuring tape
Tailor's chalk
Dressmaker pins

Graduates of this degree work as:

Garment Technologist
Fashion Designer
Product Developer
Pattern Technologist
Creative Pattern Cutter
Digital Pattern Cutter

Others move into visual merchandising, retail management or teaching, continue to postgraduate study, or set up on their own through self-employment and small business ventures.

Our careers advice and guidance team can help you work out which route suits you.

"Studying this degree has taught me how to create different types of garments and teaches a lot about the fashion industry. I’ve also learned how to deal with tight deadlines like I would when dealing with companies and clients in the future.

I chose York College University Centre as I wanted a smaller environment with lots of tutor contact, and so the smaller group sizes here are great. It also seemed like a good option after being out of education for many years."

Zara

BA (Hons) Fashion Design & Garment Technology

Course leaders and tutors:

Award Leader: Lynn Wood

Lynn is a dedicated fashion educator and industry professional with 20 years’ experience in design, garment manufacturing, product development, and supply chain management, both in the UK and internationally. Lynn holds a First Class BA (Hons) Degree in Fashion from the University of Leeds, and a Masters Degree in Digital Fashion from Leeds Arts University.

Lynn began teaching in Higher Education alongside her industry work in 2021 and has taught across Masters, BA Degree, and Applied General Extended Diploma courses, completing their PGCE in 2024. Lynn’s expertise spans ladieswear, menswear, and childrenswear, with a strong focus on garment construction, digital innovation, and industry-relevant practices. Passionate about education, Lynn is committed to nurturing students’ creativity, helping them develop their fashion design, garment technical and academic skills to prepare for successful careers in the industry.

Course Tutor: Sian King

Sian King graduated with a First-Class Honours degree in Fashion Design and Product Innovation and began a career as a designer within the British police and security sector. Building on this experience, Sian went on to work as a self-employed product developer, specialising in innovative design solutions. After completing a PGCE, Sian joined York College as a tutor on the Fashion programme, bringing both industry expertise and a passion for supporting emerging talent.

FAQs

Plenty of students arrive with sewing experience, and plenty arrive without it, and the course teaches construction from the ground up.

What helps far more is curiosity about how a garment is put together and a willingness to unpick something and start again.

Design is the idea. Garment technology is everything that makes the idea manufacturable: the pattern, the fit, the specification, the costings, the construction method.

Most fashion courses lean heavily towards one or the other. This one deliberately teaches both, which is why graduates can move into technical roles as well as design roles.

You work in our fully equipped CAD suite and learn Gerber pattern cutting technology, which is used across the industry.

Alongside the digital side, you learn traditional pattern cutting by hand, plus 3D garment simulation. Our facilities are set up to simulate an industrial working environment rather than a classroom.

It carries both, and the balance shifts as you progress. Early modules build your creative and presentation skills, while later ones bring in commercial viability, product development and preparation for industry.

If your instinct pulls towards one side, your Negotiated Study and Major Design Project give you room to follow it.

Garment technologist, fashion designer, product developer, pattern technologist and creative or digital pattern cutter are the most direct routes.

The degree also opens doors in visual merchandising, retail management and teaching, and a number of graduates start their own label or small business.

The enrichment programme runs alongside your modules and includes gallery and exhibition visits, supplier and manufacturer tours, and the residential trip where you source materials for your final collection and attend global trade events. Off-site trips carry costs, so factor them into your planning.