Textiles at UCA

A catalyst for change, MA Textiles at UCA Epsom is a responsive and diverse creative programme of study. 

What sets our course apart is the opportunity we provide for you to engage with a range of broad professional industry contexts as you develop and expand your practice through the course. You’ll graduate as a flexible specialist with confidence in sustainable practice that industry will want to invest in.

We’ve drawn together a rich and longstanding legacy of established academic excellence in research, knowledge and expertise in textiles practice and professional industry contexts. Along the way you will examine the intersections of textiles with other subjects, with a focus on the priorities of sustainable textiles in wider creative industries and creative communities. 

And you’ll be a part of our vibrant, interdisciplinary and international postgraduate community of staff and students across textiles, fashion design, digital fashion, fashion photography, creative direction and global fashion cultures. This creative community will inspire you to develop your creative practice, share ideas and collaborate with practitioners from other disciplines while being supported all the way by your academic team.

 

Course entry options

Select from the following options to find out more about the different study options available for this course:

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Textiles
MA

A one-year course of advanced study for furthering your research skills and specialising within your discipline.

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Campus
UCA Epsom
Start date(s)
September 2025
Duration
1 year full-time
Entry requirements

Honours degree (or equivalent qualification) in the subject/related discipline
and/or
Relevant work experience

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Textiles
MA with Integrated Pre-Masters

This course includes a year-long preparatory course of study to ready you for your Masters course, developing your specialist knowledge, research skills and confidence in working alone.

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Campus
UCA Epsom
Start date(s)
September 2025
Duration
2 years full-time
Entry requirements

A recognised bachelor degree or 3 year diploma with a strong portfolio in a relevant subject

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Textiles

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Campus
Start date(s)
Duration
Entry requirements
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Textiles

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Campus
Start date(s)
Duration
Entry requirements
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Textiles

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Campus
Start date(s)
Duration
Entry requirements
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Textiles

Apply now Submit an enquiry
Campus
Start date(s)
Duration
Entry requirements
Sarah McAlister, MA Textiles, UCA Epsom Zhixuan Lin, MA Textiles, UCA Epsom Geraldine Lewis, MA Textiles Oluwaseun Mabel Okuta, MA Textiles, UCA Epsom Masoom Grover, MA Textiles Monika Redman, MA Textiles Sarah McAlister, MA Textiles, UCA Epsom Hardi Anam, MA Textiles, UCA Epsom Janet Pullen, MA Textiles Jennifer Sutton, MA Textiles Sarah Duncan-Brunt, MA Textiles Balwant Singh, MA Textiles, UCA Epsom
What you'll study

What you'll
study

The content of the course may be subject to change. Curriculum content is provided as a guide.

On this course you’ll prepare for postgraduate study with a mix of online and face-to-face learning that will give you the study skills required to complete a Masters course. 

Launch
Launch week is a cross-school event bringing together postgraduate students across all disciplines within the School of Fashion and Textiles to get to know each other and form an international, cross-functional, dynamic postgraduate community.

Textiles Practice 1
Through defining or redefining your concepts in a creative context, you will consider a range of textile applications for fashion, interiors or other relevant industry and build from your existing skills. By the end of the unit, you will have developed innovative textile/material investigations, experimental and exploratory work and prototypes supported by research.

Critical thinking for Creative Practice
Within this unit you will be introduced to historical and contemporary debates that underpin your creative practice. You will be given the opportunity to expand your historical and contextual knowledge, examine ethical frameworks, and be introduced to social and cultural approaches to fashion and textiles.

Opportunity Week
Opportunity Week is cross-school event bringing together all postgraduate students across all disciplines within fashion and textiles to formally present their work in progress and major project proposal to their postgraduate community. Students will be encouraged to give formative feedback and identify shared interest and potential collaboration opportunities.

Textiles Practice 2
This unit allows you to explore expanded concepts for textiles for a wide range of sectors, contextualising your work in the world of fashion, the body, interiors/spaces and experience.

You will begin to interrogate your practice in far greater depth with a view towards constructing a specific body of work for an industry. Practice continues from a defined project proposal, and you will have the opportunity to collaborate with an external creative industry partner.

Collaborative Professional Practice
Within this unit you will be introduced to markets, industry connections, contexts and future facing professional development within your discipline, in order to complete a two-stage collaborative professional project covering your planning and implementation.

Major Project
This final unit will require you to produce a significant body of work, which encapsulates the creative ideas, research methodologies, new insights, technical expertise, and professional contexts. Work should be executed to an appropriate standard for impactful positioning in a professional context.

Course specifications

Please note, syllabus content indicated is provided as a guide. The content of the course may be subject to change in line with our Student Terms and Conditions for example, as required by external professional bodies or to improve the quality of the course.

Fees & funding

Fees & financial support

Tuition fees

  • 2025/26: £10,500

Tuition fees

Tuition fees

  • 2025/26 (MA): £18,000
  • 2025/26 (Integrated International Pre-Masters course - 30 weeks): £17,500
  • 2025/26 (Integrated International Pre-Masters course - 15 weeks): £8,750

Please note: the fees listed here are correct for the stated academic year only. For more detailed information about our course fees please see our fees and finance pages. 

UCA scholarships and fee discounts

At UCA we have a number of financial support information available to assist you with the cost of your studies.

Current UCA students and alumni may be eligible for a tuition fee discount.

Financial support

There are lots of ways you can access additional financial support to help you fund your studies - both from UCA and from external sources. Discover what support you might qualify for please see our scholarships and fee discounts.

Additional course costs

In addition to the tuition fees there may be other costs for your course. The things that you are likely to need to budget for to get the most out of a creative arts education will include books, printing costs, occasional or optional study trips and/or project materials.

These costs will vary according to the nature of your project work and the individual choices that you make. Please see the Additional Course Costs section of the Course Information Document for more details of the costs you may incur.

Explore our gradshow

Each year, we’re privileged to be able to share our graduates’ incredible work with the world. And now’s your chance to take a look.

Visit the online showcase

Facilities

As well as dedicated studio spaces we have - screen-printing tables, dye baths, large heat press, pattern cutting tables, sewing machine, computers and scanners, digital textile printer, dye sublimation printer, drying racks and well stocked cloth and yarn shops.

View 360 virtual tour
Textiles Studios, UCA Epsom

Textiles studios, UCA Epsom

Textiles Studios, UCA Epsom

Textiles studios, UCA Epsom

Photography Studios, UCA Epsom

Photography studios, UCA Epsom

Student in UCA Epsom library

Library, UCA Epsom

Career opportunities

As part of this course, you'll have access to well-established industry connections. These include:

  • The Crafts Council
  • Royal School of Needlework
  • Farnham Maltings
  • Selvedge Magazine
  • Nuno Corporation
  • The New Ashgate Gallery
  • Melin Tregwynt Woollen Mill

Recent guest lecturers include:

  • Rachel Kelly, wallpaper designer
  • Yosi Anaya, textiles designer
  • Dr Jane Harris, textiles designer

Our course will equip you with a host of valuable and transferable skills. Upon successful completion, you may decide to become self-employed, or forge a career within the craft and design industries. These offer a variety of career opportunities, including:

  • Freelance design professionals
  • Self-employed designer-makers
  • Textile designers
  • Public art practitioners
  • Textile conservationists and curators
  • Arts educators and teachers
  • Textile stylists
  • Fashion buyers and retailers
  • Gallery directors.

Our course provides an excellent platform for you to connect with your subject, or to further your teaching career at an advanced level.

It also helps prepare you for further study or research to specialise even further.

The The International Textile Research Centre (ITRC), based at UCA, offers an exciting staff and student research culture developing collaborative relationships with major cultural institutions, networks, galleries and museums around the world.

Our Staff

Chip Harris_staff profile

Chip Harris

Programme Director
Hermione Thomson

Hermione Thomson

Lecturer in Textiles & Sustainability
Beverly Ayling-Smith

"The great thing about doing an MA is the artistic freedom you experience, which encourages you to take risks with your work and deeply question your decisions, from both a creative and theoretical perspective."

Beverly Ayling-Smith

Entry & portfolio requirements

For this course we will need to see your portfolio for review. You can either submit a digital portfolio or request an in-person portfolio review with the course team. Further information will be provided once you have applied. View portfolio advice

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