BA (Hons) Fashion Design Bachelor's degree at Sheffield Hallam University
BA (Hons) Fashion Design at SHU. You'll engage with core theory alongside applied practice, supported by research methods and specialist options that let you shape your own direction.
About this course
<p>Prepare for a successful career in the fashion industry with a course that offers hands-on experience with innovative technology and development of your unique aesthetic.</p> From the provider’s course page.
BA (Hons) Fashion Design is a Bachelor's degree (BA (Hons)) at SHU, based in City Campus. It is studied part-time; duration varies by route.
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Art & Design, see the sections below.
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
Year 1 2 modules
- Fashion Practice: Design Realisation & PortfolioCompulsory60 credits
Module details
This is the level 4 work experience module and will enable you to work on an Applied Project. This module will build on skills and knowledge gained in Fashion Practice: Research & Design Principles, while developing your understanding of fashion markets and the impact of ethical and commercial environment of the time. You will benefit from work experience through an applied project with practising designers, industry and other external stakeholders. You will adopt a research-oriented experimenta
Assessment: Coursework (100%)
- Fashion Practice: Research & Design PrinciplesCompulsory60 credits
Module details
This module will introduce you to the core skills needed to support the development of a fashion outcome, forming key principles of your creative practice. You will cultivate research-oriented skills and techniques to establish design narratives and concepts that will enable critical and divergent thinking. You will use a range of visual communication techniques that will aid design responses and help form your future design identity. Engagement with the fashion studio to develop industry-led pr
Assessment: Coursework (100%)
Year 2 4 modules
- Advanced Fashion Practice & ProductionCompulsory60 credits
Module details
This is the level 5 work experience module and will enable you to work on an enhanced Applied Project. This module challenges you to respond to an enhanced applied project brief. You will work within set parameters and restrictions to develop deeper understanding of advanced industrial practices. Using a research-led approach you will build your knowledge and understanding of consumer and commercial factors in developing appropriate designs and high-quality outcomes.
Assessment: Coursework (100%)
- Digital Fashion FuturesCompulsory40 credits
Module details
This module explores new digital design technology as a vehicle to aid the design process. You will be encouraged to work collaboratively with peers to push the boundaries of new digital fashion design systems, using research-led approaches to further explore virtual environments to create concepts that are highly imaginative and innovative. Responding to a professionally focused brief you will be challenged to work within parameters and restrictions to develop a deeper understanding of industri
Assessment: Coursework (100%)
- Future Now: Collaboration In ActionCompulsory20 credits
Module details
This project-based module will facilitate you to collaborate with others to tackle sustainable development challenges creatively. With the support of academics and external stakeholders, you will develop your collaborative, creative, communication, and presentation skills. Through multi-disciplinary project work, you will develop an informed and imaginative response to local and global sustainable development challenges.
Assessment: Coursework (100%)
- Study Abroad - Creative IndustriesElective60 credits
Module details
This module is for undergraduate students to study abroad in their second year, Semester 2 (only for courses that offer this option). With this module, you can spend a semester at one of the University's approved partner institutions worldwide – from Europe to the Americas, Asia Australia or Canada. Study Abroad plays an important role in the University's commitment to an engaging, challenging, and thriving learning culture.
Assessment: Coursework (100%)
Year 3 1 modules
- Undergraduate Sandwich Placement Applied Professional DiplomaCompulsory
Module details
The aim of this module is to enhance students' professional development through the completion of and reflection on meaningful work placement(s). A work placement will provide students with opportunities to experience the realities of professional employment and experience how their course can be applied within their chosen industry setting. In this module students undertake a sandwich placement (min 24 weeks / min 21 hours per week) which is integrated, assessed and aligned to their studies.
Final year 1 modules
- Independent Fashion Project: Graduate PortfolioCompulsory60 credits
Module details
Assessment: Coursework (100%)
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
This course offers hands-on experience with innovative technology and development of your unique aesthetic for a career in fashion. A course like this typically begins with visual studies and design principles, exploring colour, composition and form, alongside workshops in materials and processes, textiles, print, digital fabrication and beyond. As you progress, you'll usually move into sustained studio practice and live briefs that ground your work in real industry deadlines. In your final stage, you'll specialise in depth within fashion and textiles, developing a personal direction, whilst building your professional portfolio and exhibiting a self-directed major project. Throughout, contextual studies and emerging technologies, such as digital design tools, inform your practice.
Who it's for
You're drawn to fashion design and want serious studio time to test ideas and refine your visual language. You'll benefit from a course that treats technical skill and conceptual thinking as equally important. This suits you if you're self-directed enough for part-time study, engaged by both the theory behind design decisions and the practicality of bringing garments to life. You're looking to build a portfolio and professional foundation for work in the industry.
Careers & job market
Across Art & Design courses nationally, 87% of graduates are in work or further study within 15 months of finishing their degree. Of those working, 55% are in highly skilled roles or undertaking further study. National earnings data for Art & Design graduates shows starting salaries (at 15 months) typically fall between £22,000 and £27,000, rising to £20,825–£29,400 after five years. Your actual career path and earnings will depend on your specialism, location and the opportunities you pursue.
University & format
This BA (Hons) in Fashion Design is studied part-time at Sheffield Hallam University, a university based at City Campus. The course is taught in English. Sheffield Hallam is a recognised UK degree-awarding body; its degrees are nationally recognised. The university holds Gold for teaching quality in the Office for Students' TEF 2023. Part-time study allows you to balance learning with other commitments whilst developing practical skills in fashion design and related disciplines.
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
Provider-published requirement; check the linked course page before applying.
Part-time application dates vary by provider. UCAS dates
Placement year. Availability, selection and pay can vary.
See and book current events. Dates can fill or change.
Opened 2 July 2026; last choice 19 October 2026. Check vacancies now. A cached page never claims a place is still available.
Entry & how to get in
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Entry is set by the university and based on your offer. Use your predicted grades to see how you compare, then check the university's stated requirements.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course. One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by Apply directly to the provider
Part-time application dates vary by provider. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Provider fee page (England 2026/27 cap where not stated).
Check fees at SHU →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Art & Design graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in art & design · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Art & Design nationally
National figures for Art & Design graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
Job market & outlook
How Art & Design graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Art & Design graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Design studios & agencies
- In-house brand teams
- Games & media companies
- Freelance & self-employed
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Art & Design graduates.
Fine Art TechnicianFirst Choice StaffPharmacy Technician – Brand New State-of-the-Art HospitalCompass AssociatesArtificial Intelligence Engineering ManagerMBN SolutionsArtificial Intelligence EngineerExperis UKDelivery Driver (Part Time 24 hours) - AndoverOcado LogisticsCompliance Business PartnerNashrock Insurance RecruitmentWho studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
Sheffield Hallam University
Design, and creative and performing arts across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around City Campus
3,427 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Art & Design right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to SHU from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is £18,000 / year for this course (from the provider’s fee page). You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check SHU’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with SHU and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at SHU
Common questions
What are the entry requirements?
What do graduates earn?
What will it cost me?
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