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Postgraduate

Graduate Diploma Textile Design

Shitong Zhao
Graduate Diploma Textile Design
College
Chelsea College of Arts Start date
September 2025 Course length
1 year (full time)

Graduate Diploma in Textile Design at Chelsea College of Arts is a one year pre-masters course which prepares you for further study in this area of practice.

Course summary

Apply to start in September 2025

This course is still open to applications and will remain open until all places are filled.

Applying for more than 1 course

From October 2024, you can only apply for a maximum of 3 postgraduate courses each year at UAL (excluding online or low-residency courses and Graduate Diplomas). Find out more in the Apply Now section.

Course overview

The course is for students who have a BA (Bachelor of Arts) but not necessarily in this subject area and wish to progress to MA (Master of Arts) level. It is designed to support the development of your textile design knowledge and skills and is underpinned by an ethos of sustainable and ethical design practices. You will learn how to apply and adapt your current creative methods of practice in this context. 

What to expect 

  • An ethical focus: We have a responsibility to contribute towards a better and more sustainable world. Throughout your course, you'll explore climate, social and racial justice and learn how to embed these principles into your creative practice. 
  • Sustainability: You’ll look at social, sustainable and responsible design approaches and strategies.  
  • Integrated practice and theory: Through enquiry, dialogue and debate, you’ll develop and locate your practice within the context of textile design.
  • A dynamic learning environment: Benefit from surroundings that encourage peer learning which will enable you to develop as an independent thinker and proactive designer. 
  • Critical and analytical skills: You’ll develop these within a culturally diverse environment that fosters curiosity, experimentation and dialogue. 
  • Lectures: Broaden your perspective through lectures on contemporary and historical contexts and applications for textiles. 
  • Personal and professional development: Gain skills relevant to further study at MA level and working in the industry.
  • Teaching and learning: You’ll have access to on campus self-directed learning time and teaching including workshops and community building activities. 

Industry experience and opportunities 

The course benefits from a strong collaborative focus. You’ll have opportunities with related industries and other design courses at Chelsea College of Arts. Live briefs form an important part of the course. These will enhance your professional skills and employability potential. You’ll also be encouraged to take part in national and international competitions and opportunities.

Mode of study

Graduate Diploma Textile Design is offered in full-time mode and consists of 30 teaching weeks over 1 academic year. You will be expected to commit an average of 40 hours per week to your course, including teaching hours and independent study.

Contact us

to receive information and updates about studying at UAL.

Contact us to make an enquiry.

Course units

Unit 1 - Research and risk-taking: exploring your practice 

This unit is an introduction to your course, the College and the University. You’ll get an overview of key textile areas including weave, knit, stitch and print. A discovery project will help you decide what and where your focus will be as a textile designer. Online and onsite lectures will cover a variety of applications for textiles within different contexts. Written work will include a project proposal for Unit 2 that is underpinned by sustainable, social and responsible design methods and practices.  

Unit 2 -  Critical and professional contexts: development and realisation  

This unit will focus on your future ambitions within textile design. You’ll develop your design identity and how this connects to a wider external context. You’ll produce a critical research paper contextualising your practice and put together a portfolio.
 

Programme specification

Download course specification (PDF File 431.9 KB)

Learning and teaching methods

  • Briefings, cross-level lectures and seminars
  • Collaborative projects
  • Group presentations and peer learning
  • Group tutorials and termly 1:1 tutorial support
  • Independent museum and gallery visits, physical and/or virtual with study tasks
  • Introduction to the resources that will support your studies
  • Research methodologies for textile design

Assessment methods

  • Design submissions
  • Oral and visual presentations
  • Peer and self-assessment
  • Research portfolio
  • Written work

Graduate Diploma Textile Design - Course introduction

Staff

Claire Anderson - Course Leader

Fees and funding

Home fee

£14,000

This fee is correct for 2025/26 entry and is subject to change for 2026/27 entry.

Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.

Home fees are currently charged to UK nationals and UK residents who meet the rules. However, the rules are complex. Find out more about our tuition fees and determining your fee status.

International fee

£29,990

This fee is correct for 2025/26 entry and is subject to change for 2026/27 entry.

Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.

Students from countries outside of the UK will generally be charged international fees. The rules are complex so read more about tuition fees and determining your fee status.

Additional costs

You may need to cover additional costs which are not included in your tuition fees. These could include travel expenses and the costs of materials. For a list of general equipment needed for all UAL courses, visit our living expenses and additional costs page.

Accommodation

Find out about accommodation options and how much they will cost, and other living expenses you'll need to consider.

Scholarships, bursaries and awards

If you’ve completed a qualifying course at UAL, you may be eligible for a tuition fee discount on this course. Find out more about our Progression discount.

How to pay

Find out how you can pay your tuition fees.

Scholarship search

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Entry requirements

The standard minimum entry requirements for this course are:

  • BA (Hons) degree or equivalent academic qualifications
  • Evidence of ability in art or design
  • Alternative qualifications and experience will also be taken into consideration
  • Personal statement
  • Portfolio of work

Entry to this course will also be determined by the quality of your application, looking primarily at your portfolio of work and personal statement.

APEL - Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning

Applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered in exceptional cases. The course team will consider each application that demonstrates additional strengths and alternative evidence. This might, for example, be demonstrated by:

  • Related academic or work experience
  • The quality of the personal statement
  • A strong academic or other professional reference
  • A combination of these factors

Each application will be considered on its own merit but we cannot guarantee an offer in each case.

English language requirements

All classes are taught in English. If English isn't your first language you must provide evidence at enrolment of the following:

Selection criteria

We look for:

  • Evidence of an interest in surfaces, textural qualities and mixed media
  • A clear commitment to the chosen field of textile design
  • Ability to benefit from the learning environment and experience
  • Awareness of contemporary context and ideas
  • Some understanding of the role that contemporary critical thought and historical study can play in the development of personal creative work
  • Ability to communicate and discuss issues and ideas both verbally and in written form in English
  • Awareness of how to communicate with an audience
  • Ability to manage your own time and initiate projects

Information for disabled applicants

UAL is committed to achieving inclusion and equality for disabled students. This includes students who have:

     
  • Dyslexia or another Specific Learning Difference
  • A sensory impairment
  • A physical impairment
  • A long-term health or mental health condition
  • Autism
  • Another long-term condition which has an impact on your day-to-day life

Our Disability Service arranges adjustments and support for disabled applicants and students.

Read our Disability and dyslexia: applying for a course and joining UAL information.

Apply now

Application deadline

Deadline

Round 1:

10 December 2024 at 1pm (UK time)

Round 2:

26 March 2025 at 1pm (UK time)

Digital portfolio deadline

Round 1:

8 January 2025 at 1pm (UK time)

Round 2:

9 April 2025 at 1pm (UK time)

Decision outcome

Round 1:

21 March 2025

Round 2:

20 June 2025

Round 1
Round 2
Deadline
10 December 2024 at 1pm (UK time)
26 March 2025 at 1pm (UK time)
Digital portfolio deadline
8 January 2025 at 1pm (UK time)
9 April 2025 at 1pm (UK time)
Decision outcome
21 March 2025
20 June 2025

This course is still open to applications and will remain open until all places are filled.

Read more about deadlines

Apply to UAL

Apply now

Application deadline

Deadline

Round 1:

10 December 2024 at 1pm (UK time)

Round 2:

26 March 2025 at 1pm (UK time)

Digital portfolio deadline

Round 1:

8 January 2025 at 1pm (UK time)

Round 2:

9 April 2025 at 1pm (UK time)

Decision outcome

Round 1:

21 March 2025

Round 2:

20 June 2025

Round 1
Round 2
Deadline
10 December 2024 at 1pm (UK time)
26 March 2025 at 1pm (UK time)
Digital portfolio deadline
8 January 2025 at 1pm (UK time)
9 April 2025 at 1pm (UK time)
Decision outcome
21 March 2025
20 June 2025

This course is still open to applications and will remain open until all places are filled.

Read more about deadlines

Apply to UAL

or

Apply with a UAL Representative

Based across the world, our local UAL representatives can support you with your application from your home country. Check to see if there is a representative available in your country currently.

Find your representative

How to apply

Follow this step-by-step guide to apply for this course

Step 1: Initial application

You will need to submit an initial application including your personal statement and CV.

Personal statement advice

Your personal statement should be maximum 500 words and include:

  • your reasons for choosing the course
  • your current creative practice and how this course will help you achieve your future plans
  • any relevant education and experience, especially if you do not have any formal academic qualifications.

Visit our personal statement page for more advice.

CV advice

Please provide a CV detailing your education, qualifications and any relevant work or voluntary experience. If you have any web projects or other media that you would like to share, please include links in your CV. If English is not your first language, please also include your most recent English language test score.

Step 2: Video task and digital portfolio

We will review your initial application. If you have met the standard entry requirements, we will ask you to submit a digital portfolio.

You’ll need to submit this via PebblePad, our online portfolio tool.

Video task

We’d like you to submit a 2-3 minute video to help us learn more about you. When recording your task, please face the camera and speak in English.

What to include in your video task

As part of your video task please respond to the following question:

  • We would like you to identify 1 project from your portfolio which challenged you and your understanding of sustainable Textile Design. Explain how this experience has inspired you to apply to Graduate Diploma Textile Design at Chelsea College of Arts.

Read our guidance for how to submit your video task and which file types we accept.

Digital portfolio advice

Your portfolio should consist of recent work that reflects your creative strengths.

It should:

  • be maximum 30 pages
  • include a wide range of visual design work such as drawings, photography and collages
  • feature work from your past degrees and/or from self-initiated projects and professional work
  • include any supporting research and creative inspiration
  • include any recent written work that is relevant to your practice.

For more support, see our Portfolio advice and PebblePad advice.

Step 3: Interview

You may be invited to an interview following our review of your application. All interviews are held online and last 15 to 20 minutes.

For top tips, see our Interview advice.

You also need to know

Communicating with you

Once you have submitted your initial application, we will email you with your login details for our .

Requests for supplementary documents like qualifications and English language tests will be made through the applicant portal. You can also use it to ask questions regarding your application. Visit our After you apply page for more information.

Applying to more than 1 course

From October 2024, you can only apply for a maximum of 3 postgraduate courses each year at UAL. This excludes online or low-residency courses and Graduate Diplomas, which you can apply to in addition to 3 other postgraduate courses.

If you apply for more than 3 postgraduate courses between October 2024 and August 2025, we won鈥檛 accept the 4th application. It鈥檚 not possible to withdraw an application to replace it with another.

You need to tailor your application, supporting documents and portfolio to each course, so applying for many different courses could risk the overall quality of your application. If you receive offers for multiple courses, you'll only be able to accept 1 offer.

Visas and immigration history check

All non-UK nationals must complete an immigration history check. Your application may be considered by our course teams before this check takes place. If your course requires a portfolio and/or video task, we may request these before we identify any issues arising from your immigration history check. Sometimes your history may mean that we are not able to continue considering your application. Visit our Immigration and visas advice page for more information.

External student transfer policy

UAL accepts transfers from other institutions on a case-by-case basis. Read our Student transfer policy for more information.

Alternative offers

If your application is really strong, but we believe your strengths and skillset are better suited to a different course, we may make you an alternative offer. This means you will be offered a place on a different course or at a different UAL College.

Deferring your place

We do not accept any deferral requests for our postgraduate courses. This means that you must apply in the year that you plan to start your course and you will not be able to defer your place to start at a later date.

Application deadlines

Most of our postgraduate courses have 2 rounds of deadlines: one in December and one in March.

As long as you apply ahead of each deadline we will consider your application alongside all the other applications in that round. We always make sure to hold enough places back for round 2 to make sure we can consider your application fairly, no matter which round you apply in.

If there are still places available after the second deadline, the course will remain open to applications until all places have been filled.

Careers

Students will have gained the skills, knowledge and experience required for further study at MA level.

If you successfully pass your Graduate Diploma, we will guarantee you a conditional offer on MA Textile Design at Chelsea College of Arts starting the following year.

Find out how careers and employability helps our students and graduates start their careers.

Chelsea College of Arts

Contact

Telephone

+44 (0)20 7514 7751

Address

Chelsea College of Arts
16 John Islip Street
London
SW1P 4JU