Fashion Studies Top Up BA (Hons)

This course is in clearing

Overview

Course modules

You will start with a combination of classes introducing you to the world of fashion including Introduction to Fashion Business and Marketing, Fashion Portfolio and Theoretical Identity. For your Final Major Project, you can choose to enter the practice route of your fashion career aspirations through the development of a relevant portfolio website.

NOTE: Modules are subject to change. For those studying part time courses the modules may vary.

Download course specification

Entry requirements

Degree:

What makes this course different

Unique opportunities

Unique opportunity to specialise in any pathway: fashion, business, fashion design, fashion textiles or fashion marketing and communications.

Flexible learning

Opportunities to collaborate with other students and develop skills in various creative ways outside the course. Flexible access to university resources, such as the library and creative workshop spaces, with availability extending into evenings and weekends.

Travel opportunities

Optional fashion trips, visits, and events to enrich your learning experience. Networking opportunities and chances to connect with fashion industry professionals to enhance your career prospects.

Ranked 9th nationally

Our fashion and textiles courses ranked 9th nationally for 'satisfied with teaching' in The Guardian University Guide 2025.

The Guardian University Guide 2025

Course options

Start date

Degree

UCAS code: W236

Fashion Studies Top Up BA (Hons), home applicant, full time

  • Home Applicant ,
  • Full time, 1 year
  • £ 9535 per year. Subject to change, see fees, funding and additional costs below

Fashion Studies Top Up BA (Hons), home applicant, part time

  • Home Applicant ,
  • Part time, 2 years
  • Pro-rata full time fee

Fashion Studies Top Up BA (Hons), international applicant, full time

  • International Applicant
  • Full time, 1 year
  • £ 16020 per year

Your future career

This fashion studies top-up course will provide you with everything you need to become a leader in the fashion industry, change your career path or start your own fashion business. You could go into a wide range of careers such as fashion design, clothing production, or marketing and retail. With a top up degree, the options are limitless.

Industry links

We have connections with the following Fashion, art and beauty brands and organisations: The Stratford East, John Lewis, Charlotte Tilbury, V&A Museum, Jo Malone, LVMH, Art in the Docks, That Gorilla Brand, Crombie, Studio Voltaire, British Fashion Council, Gymshark, Fashion Revolution, Armani, Stylist Live, BBC, Fashion Minority Report, Never Fade, Soho and many more Luxury and Highstreet brands.

Graduate employers

Graduates from our fashion top-up course have gone on to join fashion organisations like Asos, work as freelancers in the industry, or set up their own fashion businesses.

Job roles

A fashion top-up degree can open doors to many exciting and rewarding careers within the fashion industry. By combining your passion for fashion with specialised knowledge and skills, you can position yourself for success in this dynamic field.

Typical roles which our fashion graduates have gone on to include: 

  • Fashion Business
  • Fashion Designer
  • Entrepreneur
  • Creative Director
  • Brand Manager
  • Retail Store Owner/Manager
  • Fashion Management
  • Stylist
  • Marketing, Manager/Executive
  • Content Creator
  • Fashion Writer or Manager
  • Buying, Merchandising or Trend Forecasting

Further study

You could undertake further study in 

Rema Khatun
As a university committed to your career growth, we've curated dedicated Career Zones across all of our campuses with practical services tailored to your success. From internships, personalised coaching, and employability workshops to volunteering, mentoring, placements, and enterprise opportunities, we offer a diverse range of support."
Rema Khatun

Career Zone

How we support your career ambitions

We offer dedicated career support, and further opportunities to thrive, such as volunteering and industry networking. Our courses are created in collaboration with employers and the fashion industry to ensure they accurately reflect the real-life practices of your future fashion career and provide you with the essential skills needed. You can focus on building interpersonal skills through group work and benefit from our investment in the latest cutting-edge technologies and design facilities.

Career Zone

This digital platform provides you with careers and employability resources, including:

  • Jobs board for internships, placements, graduate opportunities, flexible part-time work
  • Mentoring programmes for insight with fashion industry experts
  • 1-2-1 career coaching services
  • Careers workshops and employer events
  • Learning pathways to gain new skills and fashion industry insight

Mental Wealth programme

Our Professional Fitness and Mental Wealth programme issues you with a Careers Passport to track the skills you've mastered. Some of these are externally validated by corporations like Amazon and Microsoft.

Our Mental Wealth programme

We are careers first

Our teaching methods and geographical location put us right up top:

  • Work-based projects
  • Networking and visits to leading organisations
  • Support in starting a new fashion business
  • London on our doorstep

How you'll learn

Our ethos is "learning by doing" - you learn more through practice. Both luxury and marketing modules will be run with input from fashion industry professionals. Our fashion students have worked in roles such as buyers, assistants to campaign managers, fashion magazine journalists and PR managers. Their employers have included clothing and footwear companies like Marks & Spencer, Topshop, Alexander McQueen, Free People, and Adidas.

You'll study in our beautiful, waterside Docklands campus. Situated in east London's creative heartland, with its pop-up artistic stores and design trade fairs, it's a fashion hotspot guaranteed to inspire you.

Guided independent study

When not attending timetabled lectures or workshops, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. This will typically involve skills development through online study, reading journal articles and fashion books, working on individual and group projects and preparing coursework assignments and presentations. Your independent learning is supported by a range of excellent facilities including online resources, and specialist facilities, such as game labs, the library, the full Microsoft Office software, including MS Teams, and Moodle: our Virtual Learning Environment.

Academic support

Our academic support team provides help in a range of areas - including learning and disability support.

Dedicated personal tutor

When you arrive, we'll introduce you to your personal tutor. This is the member of staff who will provide academic guidance, be a support throughout your time at UEL and who will show you how to make the best use of all the help and resources that we offer.

Workload

Students can expect around 300 hours of scheduled learning and teaching activities each academic year. These include lectures, seminars, workshops, and tutorials, delivered both individually and in groups. Independent study plays a significant role, with dedicated time for reading, research, and project development. During this period, students will also engage with industry fashion experts and professionals, gaining valuable insight into current market practices and entrepreneurial trends.

Our Fashion and Textiles department organises overseas trips every year. You'll be able to participate in a study trip to Paris during Premier Vision Week, giving you an insight into new fashion trends and technology.

Your timetable

The course structure includes lectures, seminars, workshops, and tutorials, delivered both individually and in groups. Independent study plays a significant role, with dedicated time for reading, research, and project development. During this period, students will also engage with industry fashion experts and professionals, gaining valuable insight into current market practices and entrepreneurial trends.

Students enrolled in the BA Fashion Studies Top-Up programme have the opportunity to attend various fashion events and experiences, enhancing their learning and industry exposure. Additionally, there is the option to join an international fashion trip, providing firsthand insight into global fashion markets and practices. These experiences, combined with the university's modern fashion studios and business facilities, create an inspiring environment where creativity and entrepreneurship converge. 

Graduates of the programme are well-equipped to pursue careers in various sectors of the fashion industry or continue to Postgraduate studies, leveraging the skills and knowledge gained during their studies.

How you'll be assessed

Students are typically evaluated through coursework, project work, case studies, group assignments, presentations, and reflective portfolios. Each module carries its own weighting, but overall, a balanced mix of written and practical assessments ensures that students demonstrate both strategic understanding and entrepreneurial application. 

There are no formal written exams, only coursework and assessments. The MBA award is conferred upon successful completion of all assessed components across six modules, split across three terms.

Campus and facilities

Who teaches this course

This course is delivered by the School of Arts and Creative Industries.

The teaching team includes qualified academics, practitioners and industry experts as guest speakers. Full details of the academics will be provided in the student handbook and module guides.

What our students and staff say

Fashion
I enjoyed my time at UEL. I learned so much about the world of fashion from theories to practice during my industry experience. Our tutors were knowledgeable and approachable and had many connections which benefited our studies further. I had the opportunity to have my PR placement at Alexander McQueen and another one in New York. The tutors pushed us to work hard but it’s all worth it in the end."

Lucy Davies

BA (Hons) Fashion Marketing, graduate